Contamination of soils by metals and metalloids is an important environmental problem in many residential and industrial sites around the world. Lead is a common contaminant, which enters the soil through mining, industrial activities and waste disposal. A range of technologies can be used to remediate soil lead, however most remediation technologies adversely affect the environment and particularly soil biota. We have assessed the efficacy of vermiremediation (the use of earthworms for remediation) to reduce water extractable lead concentrations in soil. Earthworms were introduced to a sandy soil spiked with the common lead minerals cotunnite (PbCl₂), cerussite (PbCO₃), massicot (PbO) or galena (PbS) at 1000 mg (Pb) kg⁻¹. Lead concentrations in pore water extracted during the experiment were not significantly different in contaminated soil with and without worms. However, concentrations of lead in water from a deionised water extraction (washing) of contaminated soil were significantly lower in soil with earthworms than in soil without. Earthworms accumulated on average (±1 standard deviation) 276 ± 118, 235 ± 66, 241 ± 58 and 40 ± 30 mg kg⁻¹ (dry weight of earthworms) of lead in their bodies, in PbCl₂, PbCO₃, PbO and PbS-dosed soils, respectively. During the experiment, earthworms lost weight in all contaminated soils, except those containing PbS.

在世界上许多住宅和工业场所，金属和准金属污染土壤是一个重要的环境问题。铅是一种常见的污染物，它通过采矿，工业活动和废物处置进入土壤。可以使用多种技术来修复土壤铅，但是大多数修复技术会对环境，尤其是土壤生物群产生不利影响。我们评估了蠕虫修复（使用earth进行修复）减少土壤中水可萃取铅浓度的功效。to以1000 mg（Pb）kg ^-1的浓度引入掺有普通铅矿物铜锌矿（PbCl ₂），铜铁矿（PbCO ₃），块尾藻（PbO）或方铅矿（PbS）的沙质土壤中。在有或没有蠕虫的污染土壤中，实验过程中提取的孔隙水中铅的含量无显着差异。但是，在有worm的土壤中，用去离子水萃取（洗涤）后的污染土壤中水中的铅浓度明显低于无污染的土壤中的铅浓度。bodies体内平均铅含量为276± 118、235±66、241 ±58和40±30 mg kg ^-1（lead的干重），并以PbCl ₂，PbCO ₃，PbO和分别使用PbS施用的土壤。在实验过程中，earth在所有受污染的土壤中都失去了重量，但含PbS的土壤除外。