In Japan, 9 heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Se, Cr
6+, As, F, B, CN) have been regulated as Class II Specified Chemical Substances in the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act. In this study, these 9 heavy metals were examined by an acute toxicity test using luminous bacteria (
Vibrio fischeri). Then the availability of the method proposed by us as soil pollution evaluation method was considered empirically. In the result, it was shown that the method is available as the screening method for soil pollution based on the soil content reference values as for 7 heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr
6+, As, Se, B). Also, the correlation between the degree of acute toxicity effects on the luminous bacteria and each concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr
6+, As, Se) was clarified and quantified. It could allow the quantitative evaluation of the soil pollution by each of these 6 heavy metals.
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