K. DuisIn-house analytical services
In-house analytical services under GLP are now available at ECT. Analytical verification of actual test concentrations is essential in ecotoxicity studies, and we are now prepared to provide this service in-house.
Anja Coors appointed as Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter
Dr Anja Coors was appointed as Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, starting 01 April 2024. This appointment will strengthen ECT’s cooperation with the team of Prof Charles Tyler.
K. DuisReport published on the evaluation of soil biodiversity via DNA from soil organism samples
Germany still lacks a nationwide and standardised survey of soil organisms, although a comprehensive infrastructure for such a survey is available with approx. 800 permanent soil monitoring sites (Bodendauerbeobachtungsflächen, BDF). At present, not all federal states perform biodiversity surveys on their permanent soil monitoring sites. This is most likely due to the fact that the […]
SETAC EuropeMeet ECT and the SynTech Research Group at the SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting
The SETAC Europe 33rd annual meeting will take place in Dublin (Ireland) from 30 April to 4 May 2023. ECT contributes to this meeting with the platform and poster presentations listed below. Please come and meet us at our presentations or at the SynTech Research Group booth 14!
D. LeibNew publication on chemical sensitivity of earthworms from field populations
The environmental risk of pesticides for nontarget soil macroorganisms has mainly been assessed using the compost earthworm Eisenia fetida. However, E. fetida does not occur in agroecosystems and it is generally less sensitive than other earthworm species. Thus, the extrapolation of its response to pesticides to other earthworm species may lead to uncertainties in the […]
3rd Global Soil Biodiversity ConferenceECT at the 3rd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference
Launched by the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, the 3rd Global Soil Biodiversity Conference will take place in Dublin on 13-15 March 2023. At this meeting, recent advances in the field of soil biodiversity will be presented and discussed addressing the urgency of meeting global challenges related to human, animal and plant health and a more […]
New project started: RATION
Low-risk pesticides including biopesticides such as plant extracts, semiochemicals and microbial pesticides shall play a large role in substituting synthetic pesticides according to the Green Deal initiative of the European Union. Further low-risk solutions (phages, protists, microbial consortia, and double-stranded RNA pesticides) are expected to reach the market in the next years. There are ongoing efforts by the European Commission to establish specific risk assessment schemes for such low-risk pesticides…
New publication: Minimizing experimental testing on fish for legacy pharmaceuticals
Lead by Anja Coors, a team of partners in the IMI-funded project ‘Prioritisation and risk evaluation of medicines in the environment’ (PREMIER) developed and recently published a decision tree that shall help to minimize animal testing within PREMIER and beyond. The risk-driven decision tree uses a combination of experimental testing with non-vertebrates and a fish-specific […]
K. DuisReport ‘Soil monitoring in Europe’ now published
A tremendous effort has been invested in soil monitoring in Europe, at country- as well as EU-level. However, there is so far no comprehensive and updated state of knowledge to identify healthy soils and those requiring protection. For the last few years, the European Topic Centre on Urban Land and Soil Systems (ETC/ULS) has followed […]
T. JunkerReport published on further development of screening tests for the evaluation of potential PBT substances
Different ready biodegradability tests (OECD 301 series and OECD 310) are currently used for evaluating if a substance is readily biodegradable and for identifying potentially persistent substances. Although the methods differ considerably, the test results are considered equivalent. In persistency assessments under REACH, enhanced ready biodegradability tests with an extended test duration (up to 60 […]