ECT contributes to the 4th EMCEI Conference

The 4th Euro-Mediterranean Conference for Environmental Integration (EMCEI) takes place on 01-04 November 2022 in Sousse, Tunisia. Its main objective is to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge and to foster collaboration among Euro-Mediterranean communities. Jörg Römbke contributes with the following plenary presentation to the EMCEI conference: J. Römbke, R. Schmelz, A. Van der Veen, […]

New test guideline: Anaerobic transformation of chemicals in liquid manure

New test guideline: Anaerobic transformation of chemicals in liquid manure

On 30 June 2022, the OECD published test guideline No. 320: ‘Determining anaerobic transformation of chemicals in liquid manure’. This guideline describes a standardised method to investigate transformation of chemical substances in pig and cattle liquid manure under anaerobic conditions. The experiments are performed to determine the rate of transformation of the test substance, the […]

Publication on enhanced ready biodegradability screening tests

In persistence assessment, enhanced ready biodegradability tests (eRBT) are used to close the gap between screening tests and complex simulation tests. However, only few data from such tests are available, and neither guidance on the design and interpretation of eRBTs, nor suitable validity criteria have been established so far. In a practical testing programme, five […]

ECT participates in an international ring test on organic matter decomposition in soil

Organic matter decomposition is a key soil microbiological function. Intact organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling indicate that a soil is healthy. In view of these facts, a laboratory-based method has been developed to quantitatively evaluate this process. The ability of soil micro-organisms to decompose filter paper (lignin cellulosic material) as a standard organic material […]

ECT contributes to the SETAC Europe 32nd Annual Meeting

The SETAC Europe 32nd annual meeting will take place in Copenhagen (Denmark) as physical conference with virtual components from 15 to 19 May 2022. Anja Coors is supporting the conference as member of the Scientific Committee, and ECT Oekotoxikologie will be represented by four people at the meeting. In addition to several platform and poster […]

Publication on pharmaceutical pollution of the world’s rivers

ECT contributed to a recently published global reconnaissance of pharmaceutical pollution in rivers. Reaching out to colleagues globally and engaging them in a world-wide sampling campaign, the team around John Wilkinson and Alistair Boxall from the University of York measured the concentrations of 61 pharmaceuticals in 258 rivers, representing 1,052 locations in 104 countries across […]

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 […]