News

03. June 2022, Topic: Risk Assessment

Additional quality criteria available

The Ecotox Centre has derived a large number of quality criteria and published them on its website. It now provides quality criteria for additional substances that have either been determined by other organisations or for which no complete data research has been carried out.

25. May 2022, Topic: Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

Pollutant monitoring in Swiss sediments

The Ecotox Centre has developed a strategy for assessing sediment quality. In the strategy the measured concentrations of individual substances of concern are compared with newly developed sediment quality criteria. The method has been applied to Swiss sediments giving an initial idea of their current state.

24. May 2022, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

Sediment quality criteria new on website

Sediment quality criteria (SQC) can be used for sediment quality assessment by comparing environmental concentrations of the target substances with the corresponding quality criteria. The Ecotox Centre has developed SQC for 20 prioritised substances or substance classes.

New faces at the Ecotox Centre (2)

We welcome our new colleagues Sibylle Maletz und Gianna Ferrari.

19. May 2022, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology

Sensitive bioassays on HPTLC plates

The Ecotox Centre has advanced an innovative method to sensitively determine the toxicity of unknown mixtures and unmask the responsible substances. This is not only interesting for food safety, but also for environmental analysis.

13. May 2022, Topic: Risk Assessment

New large-scale project on the risk assessment of chemicals

Together with partners from Switzerland and the EU, the Ecotox Centre compares the prospective and retrospective risk assessment of pesticides and further develops assessment approaches and concepts. Further activities concern the assessment of substance mixtures and the monitoring of endocrine disruptors and perfluorinated chemicals in the environment.

14. April 2022, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

Elevated ecotoxicological risks through pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides

Pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides were detected in small streams at all 17 sampling sites that were investigated during the 2019 NAWA monitoring campaign. Although the measured concentrations were mostly low, they pose a significant risk to aquatic organisms.

06. April 2022, Topic: Sediment Ecotoxicology , Aquatic Ecotoxicology

Biomarkers in chironomids for the detection of sediment quality

By measuring gene expression, effects can be detected that do not directly lead to death , but can trigger an effect-specific stress response and thus cause long-term damage to the organism.

16. February 2022, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment