Environmental and human risk assessment of landfill leachate: An integrated approach with the use of cytotoxic and genotoxic stress indices in mussel and human cells

Highlights: • Landfill leachate poses a threat for aquatic biota and humans. • Leachate induces cytotoxic and oxidative effects on mussel hemocytes. • Increased levels of DNA damage were observed both in vivo and in vitro in hemocytes. • Leachate low doses enhance MN formation in human lymphocyte cultures. • Potential leachate aneugenic activity was detected in human lymphocytes. -- Abstract: The present study investigates leachate hazardous effects on marine biota and human cells, with the use of a battery of assays, both under in vivo and in vitro conditions. According to the results, mussels exposed for 4 days to 0.01 and 0.1% (v/v) of leachate showed increased levels of DNA damage and micronuclei (MN) frequencies in their hemocytes. Similarly, enhanced levels of DNA damage were also observed in hemocytes treated in vitro with relevant concentrations of leachate, followed by a significant enhancement of both superoxide anions (·O2−) and lipid peroxidation products (malondialdehyde/MDA). On the other hand, human lymphocyte cultures treated with such a low concentrations of leachate (0.1, 0.2 and 1%, v/v), showed increased frequencies of MN formation and large MN size ratio, as well as decreased cell proliferation, as indicated by the use of the cytokinesis block micronucleus (CBMN) assay and Cytokinesis Block Proliferation Index (CBPI) respectively. These findings showed the clear-cut genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of leachate on both cellular types, as well as its potential aneugenic activity in human lymphocytes