Entries by wp_admin
HP 14 classification of mirror entries in the List of Wastes – proposals for further developing the German ‘Recommendations for the ecotoxicological characterization of wastes’
The European List of Wastes (Decision 2000/532/EC, amended by Decision 2014/955/EC) contains a list of waste types: absolute hazardous entries (wastes that are hazardous without further assessment), absolute non-hazardous entries (wastes that are non-hazardous without further assessment) and mirror entries (wastes that can be classified as either hazardous or non-hazardous, depending on their properties). A waste is defined as hazardous, if it displays at least one of 15 hazard properties or contains certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in concentrations above the specified limit values. The hazard property ‘ecotoxic’ (HP 14) can be evaluated using a calculation approach based on the content of hazardous substances in a waste sample or using ecotoxicity tests with the respective waste sample or waste sample eluate…
Review of the environmental fate and effects of two UV filter substances
Sunscreens containing UV filter substances, such as octocrylene (OCR) and butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDBM), have been increasingly used to protect human skin against UV radiation. Both substances have been detected in monitoring studies in the freshwater and marine environment, and there has been concern about potential effects on aquatic organisms. In the present work, the environmental fate […]
ECT Oekotoxikologie joins SynTech Research Group
As an important step to secure the future of ECT, the company joined the SynTech Research Group on 23 November 2021. The current management team stays on board as managing directors and minority shareholders. This change in shareholders provides us with the great opportunity to extend our services, on-site as well as in cooperation with […]
Publication: Evidence for specific receptor-mediated toxicity of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms
The toxicity of 17 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) was investigated using standardized acute and chronic tests with Daphnia magna and 2 algae species. Chronic toxicity was generally greater for Daphnia than for algae. Compilation of additional data resulted in 100 APIs for which the acute-to-chronic ratio (ACR) was determined for Daphnia. The frequency of high…
New project started: ARISTO
As acknowledged by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) soil microorganisms play a key role in ecosystem functioning and there is a lack of appropriate methods to assess impacts on them. ARISTO, the European Industry-Academia Network for Revising and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial Toxicity of Pesticides, started in 2021 and addresses this […]
The European industry-academia network for revising and advancing the assessment of the soil microbial toxicity of pesticides (ARISTO)
The European Commission has imposed a stringent regulatory scheme for pesticide authorisation, which includes an assessment of potential risks for aquatic organisms and terrestrial macro-organisms. However, the assessment of the toxicity of pesticides on soil microorganisms relies on a protocol that does not identify effects on key microbial functions and on microbial diversity. As acknowledged […]
Successful renewal of ECT‘s certificate of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)
In compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), ECT conducts a broad range of ecotoxicity tests with aquatic and terrestrial organisms, bioaccumulation and environmental fate studies. ECT’s certificate of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), which comprises the categories 4 (‘Environmental toxicity studies on aquatic and terrestrial organisms’) and 5 (‘Studies on behaviour in water, soil and air; […]
Technical proficiency study for short-term reproduction assay
The fish short-term reproduction assay according to OECD test guideline 229 serves as Level 3 in vivo assay within the OECD Conceptual framework for the testing and assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Laboratories aiming to conduct this assay must demonstrate their ability by performing a technical proficiency study with reference compounds. ECT has successfully completed […]
Publication on global data on earthworm abundance, biomass and diversity
Data collected by ECT in the frame of various research projects in the last decades contributed to a publication on the global abundance and diversity of earthworms. Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large […]