Arsenic-contaminated freshwater: assessing arsenate and arsenite toxicity and low-dose genotoxicity in Gammarus elvirae (Crustacea; Amphipoda)
Arsenic (As) contamination of freshwater is largely due to geogenic processes, but As is also released into the environment because of improper anthropic activities. The European regulatory limits in drinking water are of 10?gL?1 As. However, knowledge of the genotoxic effects induced by low doses of As in freshwater environments is still scanty. This study was designed to investigate arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) toxicity and low-dose genotoxicity in Gammarus elvirae, which has proved to be a useful organism for genotoxicity assays in freshwater.