News
18. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology
Passive samplers as investigators find PCB source in the Birs
Several years ago fish in the river Birs were polluted with PCBs way beyond the legal threshold but the pollutant source remained unknown. With the help of passive samplers the source in a manufacturing plant could be revealed.
Read more18. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment
Ecotoxicity of corrosion inhibitors
Corrosion inhibitors protect steel structures from oxidative degradation but ingredients may be washed out that are harmful to water organisms. Two of the four corrosion inhibitors investigated by the Ecotox Centre released ecotoxic and estrogenic compounds.
Read more17. May 2016, Topic: Soil Ecotoxicology
Development of a new earthworm assay
The Ecotox Centre has adapted the bait lamina test to measure the feeding activity of earthworms in the laboratory. The test gives functional answers that are relevant for the ecosystem and in the future could improve the risk assessment of chemicals.
Read more17. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology
Sediment quality in the Venoge
Do the sediments in the Venoge contribute to the rivers inferior water quality? To answer this question the Ecotox Centre has assessed the water quality with bioassays and chemical analyses.
Read more17. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment
Progress in the sediment module for the Modular Stepwise Procedure
Together with Eawag and the Federal Office for the Environment, the Ecotox Centre has been working on a sediment module for the assessment of streams since January 2015.
Read more13. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology
Micropollutants: teaching materials for high schools and environmental education
Stefan Widmer of the University of Zurich has developed teaching materials on micropollutants and ecotoxicology for use in high schools and environmental education.
Read more24. March 2016, Topic: Soil Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology
Ecotoxicology for high school students
Last week, the Ecotox Centre's laboratory in Lausanne opened its doors to numerous high school students and gave them some insight into the field of ecotoxicology.
Read more13. November 2015, Topic: Soil Ecotoxicology
Are wood preservatives toxic to soil organisms?
To protect wood as a building material from fungal and bacterial decay, various biocides are used. The Ecotox Centre has investigated which biocides are mostly used in Switzerland and how these affect soil organisms.
Read more12. November 2015, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Soil Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment
Progress in the evaluation of ecotoxicological data
During the authorization procedure of chemicals or for the determination of environmental quality criteria ecotoxicological data need to be evaluated regarding their reliability and relevance. Das Oekotoxzentrum hat ein neues Bewertungssystem mitentwickelt. The Ecotox Centre has developed a new system that that is supposed to make this data review more secure and reproducible and less subjective.
Read more11. November 2015, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology
Info sheet on microplastics in the environment
The info sheet summarizes the current knowledge and gives details on the sources of microplastic particles, their transport in the environment, their effect on aquatic organisms and techniques for sampling and analysis.
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