Soil metagenome after multiple application of facade eluates

Biocides from building materials pose a risk for soil pollution. Although ecotoxicity to the aquatic habitat is well established, there is hardly any data on the ecotoxicological effects of biocides on the soil habitat. Since not only biocides are washed out of building materials we tested the effect of facade eluates generated within a natural weathering experiment on the total and active soil microbial community composition and functions. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunocapture method combined with Illumina bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal transcribed spacer region (ITS) gene-based amplicon sequencing. Soil microcosms were treated with facade eluates from render formulation containing no biocides or in-can preservatives benzisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinon, and film preservatives octylisothiazolinone and terbutryn. Since leaching is a multiparametric process that causes different eluates depending on the respectiv leaching parameters. In order to simulate the real biocide input of facades into the environment, the eluates were introduced into the soil microcosm with each rain event and the soils were incubated outdoors at the sampling site in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany for 29 and 62 days.