HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Related articles in JEQ Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (6) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Puglisi, E. Articles by Del Re, A. A. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Puglisi, E. Articles by Del Re, A. A. M. Agricola Articles by Puglisi, E. Articles by Del Re, A. A. M. Related Collections Soil Microbiology Soil Pollution Soil Biochemistry Statistics

TECHNICAL REPORTS
Ecological Risk Assessment

Cholesterol, ß-Sitosterol, Ergosterol, and Coprostanol in Agricultural Soils

Istituto di Chimica Agraria ed Ambientale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29100 Piacenza, Italy

^* Corresponding author (marco.trevisan{at}unicatt.it)

Received for publication June 24, 2002. In this work we analyzed the sterol content of agricultural soils. Three eukaryotic sterols, cholesterol, ß-sitosterol, and ergosterol were chosen as representative of the animal, plant, and fungal kingdoms, while coprostanol was validated as a marker of human fecal matter contamination. Three soils subjected to different treatments (sewage sludge application, irrigation by saline waters, and contamination by industrial and municipal wastes) were sampled and their sterol content was measured and compared with adjacent untreated soils. The effects of time, location, and treatment were evaluated by means of a number of statistical techniques. ß-Sitosterol concentration varied from 0.9 to 30 mg kg^-1. Lesser values were measured in Cremona (2.1 mg kg^-1) than in Bari (4.0 mg kg^-1) and Naples (10.9 mg kg^-1) soils. No significant effects were detected for cholesterol and ergosterol. Coprostanol was present after sewage sludge disposal and contamination by industrial and municipal wastes, while it was absent in the soil treated with saline water and in the adjacent untreated soil. Coprostanol concentration did not vary much within site and time of sampling, with a mean value of 0.2 mg kg^-1. We confirmed coprostanol as a useful persistent marker of human fecal matter contamination. Multivariate analysis highlighted a clear distinction between the eukaryotic sterols and coprostanol. In addition, a different behavior between ergosterol and cholesterol on one side and ß-sitosterol on the other was detected. This preliminary work suggests that sterols deserve a deeper study of their use as indicators in agricultural soils.

Related articles in JEQ:

This Issue in Journal of Environmental Quality

JEQ 2003 32: 377-382. [Full Text]