Chemical Testing

According to the Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment (Part II), C. elegans is a possible alternative test organism to refine the PNEC of biocides for the soil compartment. For the sediment compartment, besides tests with Lumbriculus variegatus and chironomids, „long-term tests with a further benthic species using spiked sediments“ are recommended (European Chemical Bureau, 2003). Here, the ISO 10872 is a suitable alternative. C. elegans has been recommended as a suitable test organisms for testing the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles in complex media, such as soil (Handy et al. 2012).

ISO 10872 is a suitable alternative for testing the toxicity of environmentally hazardous substances in spiked sediments and soils:

  • Biocides
  • Pesticides (including nematicides)
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • REACH chemicals
  • Nanoparticles
  • GMO (e.g. Cry proteins) (Höss et al. 2008, 2011, 2013)
  • Volatile substances via head-space passive dosing

 

Ecossa provides: 

  • Toxicity screening of new chemicals in spiked water, sediment and soil
  • PNEC refinement for critical chemicals in sediment and soils
  • Screening of specific toxicity mechanisms using hyper/hypo-sensitive C. elegans knock-out strains 
  • Passive dosing exposure for hydrophobic and volatile organic substances

Confirmation of chemical concentrations in the test medium is performed by partner contract laboratories.