HAZARDS DUE TO BIOSURFACTANTS:1.

Soil pollution due to accumulation of oil particles due to washing of

biosurfactants. Detected an apparent increase in soil hydrocarbon
contamination levels in analysis after washing.
2. Rhamnolipid biosurfactant is a Toxicity Category I eye irritant,
precautionary labeling is required to mitigate risks associated with
proposed uses. Acute oral toxicity, Acute dermal toxicity, Primary eye
irritation, Acute inhalation toxicity etc
3. Surfactants are widely used for industrial, agricultural, food, cosmetics
and pharmaceutical application however most of these compounds are
synthesized chemically and potentially cause environmental and
toxicology problem due to the recalcitrant and persistent nature of these
substances
4. very low biosurfactant concentrations (5 g mL1) decreased both the
photosynthesis efficiency and the cell viability and that higher
concentrations (50 g mL1) had lethal effects in four of the five HAB
species tested [Alexandrium minutum (Dinophycaee), Karenia brevis
(Dinophyceae), Pseudonitzschia sp. (Bacillariophyceae), in marine
ecosystems, and Gonyostomum semen (Raphidophyceae) and
Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanophyecae) in freshwater]
5. EFFECTS OF BIOSURFACTANTS DERIVED
FROMLACTOBACILLUS CASEI AND LACTOBACILLUS
REUTERION GENE EXPRESSION PROFILE OF GTFB/C AND FTF
GENES INLACTOBACILLUS MUTAN. To evaluate the effects of
biosurfactant on gene expression, bacterial cells were cultured in presence
of the appropriate biosurfactant (2.5 mg/ml); after four hours incubation,
total cellular RNA was then extracted and used for cDNA synthesis.
Findings: Expression of ftf and gtf B/C genes of the standard strains of
Streptococcus mutans (ATCC35668)was considerably down regulated by
the application of the biosurfactants. The reduction in gene expression
was statistically significant (P<0.05).
6. Barkay et al. [21] showed that Alasan produced by Acinetobacter
radioresistens more than doubled the rate of [14C] fluoranthene
mineralization and significantly increased the rate of [14C] phenanthrene
mineralization by Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA505; in contrast,
Franzetti et al. [35] reported that biosurfactants produced by Gordonia sp.
strain BS29, while effective in enhancing crude oil and PAH removal by
soil washing, were generally not able to increase the rate or extent of
theirbiodegradation.

7. The most common reported negative effects occurred in the cases where
(bio)surfactants provided a more easily degradable carbon source
alternative to the contaminants. Surfactant intermediates can also be more
toxic than parent compounds as reported for nonil phenol ethoxylates.
8. Biosurfactant cannot be used to biodegrade petroleum compounds but it
works only for chemical surfactants. Chemical biosurfactants possess
high toxicity risk in presence of high concentration.
9.