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 […]

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 […]

New project started: ‘Prioritisation and risk evaluation of medicines in the environment’ (PREMIER)

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project PREMIER aims to develop a centralised, user-friendly digital assessment system accessible for all relevant stakeholders. PREMIER will also explore options to incorporate environment considerations earlier in the drug development process to inform drug design and to reduce the need of animal testing. ECT is involved in this project as […]

Review on the environmental fate and effects of water-soluble synthetic organic polymers

Because of their usually high molecular weight, polymers are generally considered as being of low environmental concern and are, therefore, exempted from registration and evaluation within REACH. This exemption is currently being reviewed by the European Commission. Against this background, data on the environmental fate and effects of selected water-soluble synthetic organic polymers used in […]

Report published on adaptations for a harmonized field-testing procedure and risk assessment of earthworms

A project funded by the German Environment Agency was performed to provide scientifically robust and practical information on the variability of the endpoints assessed in earthworm field studies, the statistical significance of the results and the level of the statistically detectable effects of the chemicals tested with the aim of developing suggestions for improving the […]