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.