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 […]
Standard laboratory tests to evaluate the effects of stressors (in most cases chemicals) on soil organisms offer a good compromise between feasibility and outcome, i.e. they should be reproducible and provide robust results. However, these tests may underestimate potential effects of prolonged exposures, particularly for persistent contaminants. In the last years, there was an increase […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of medicines for human use can be released to the environment during the manufacturing process, following use by patients or when unused medicines are disposed of in an incorrect manner. As APIs are biologically active compounds, concerns have been raised about the potential effects of APIs in the environment on human […]
European legislation requires testing of parasiticides using, among others, dung beetles (OECD GD 122). Currently, Aphodius constans, a dweller species, has been approved as a test species for residues in dung. However, results of tests using A. constans may not be relevant for tunneler species.
Avermectin and milbemycin parasiticides have a high toxicity to non-target organisms, are often persistent and may have a potential to bioaccumulate. The present project contributes to filling gaps in the database for a complete environmental risk assessment of these parasiticides. In addition, risk management strategies for parasiticides used in pasture animals were discussed. For ivermectin […]
The ROUTES project aimed to evaluate new routes of sewage sludge treatment and management matching the needs of different wastewater origins and different digested sludge utilisations. Elimination of micropollutants was targeted for agricultural sludge application, and minimising the production volume for other sludge disposal routes. Research of ECT in sludge-soil interactions focussed on three aspects: […]
The aim of this project was to develop tools and to experimentally verify proposed assessment schemes such as the ‘poorly soluble approach‘ in order to enable a better assessment of highly lipophilic substances. In the context of a PhD project, selected highly lipophilic compounds present in personal care products (e.g. cosmetics) were investigated. ECT played […]
D. Leib
Hydrotox - Labor für Ökotoxikologie und Gewässerschutz GmbH 
T. Junker
K. Duis
K. Duis