25. July 2023, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology Sediment Ecotoxicology

New OECD guidelines for bioassay with chironomids

For the routine assessment of environmental samples, it is essential that the test methods used are standardised and reproducible and thus provide comparable results. The standardisation of test protocols and guidelines is therefore crucial. The OECD has just published two new guidelines for the assessment of sediments using chironomid larvae. The Ecotox Centre prepared these documents together with the German Federal Environment Agency.

The larval stages of chironomids live in the sediment of still and flowing waters and feed on detritus and algae. Since the animals spend a large part of their lifetime (15-20 days) in direct contact with the sediment, they are particularly suitable for studies on  sediment toxicity.

OECD Test Guideline No. 218: Sediment-Water Chironomid Toxicity Using Spiked Sediment

OECD Test Guideline No. 219: Sediment-Water Chironomid Toxicity Using Spiked Water

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