Ecotoxicity

Want to work out the ecotoxic potential of a complex substance or matrix?

The laboratory Eurofins Ecotoxicologie France provides the elements you need to study the environmental impact of pollutants and their derivatives on living organisms in different ecosystems.

Why conduct bioassays?

The characterisation of environmental matrices using physical-chemical analyses doesn't always predict the synergistic effects between the various compounds sometimes present at very low concentrations. The purpose of ecotoxicology is to study and predict, by extrapolation, the behaviour and effects of short-term and long-term pollutants in ecosystems.

How do you measure the environmental toxicity?

By conducting biological assays on living aquatic and terrestrial organisms belonging to various trophic levels using standardised or bespoke methods. The toxic effects are measured in the laboratory by exposing indicator organisms to the sample and comparing it with a control. We rely on the principle of causality between the dose and the response. The results of these assays make it possible to complete the physical-chemical analyses and evaluate the risk of degradation of an ecosystem as a preventive measure. These assays can also be conducted after leaching/percolation to know and predict the transfer of chemicals from complex matrices (sludge, soil, sediment and waste) in the aqueous medium.

Application areas

Registration of new chemical substances (detergents, cosmetics, phytosanitary substances, pesticides, treatment products, antifouling substances, etc)
Monitoring of sewage from urban water treatment plants and industrial effluents (STEP inputs and outputs)
Ecotoxicity of special waste and assessment of the ecotoxicological risk of polluted sites
Inspection of leachates from landfill sites, incineration residues, wastewater treatment sludge, dredged sediments, etc.

Bioassays on terrestrial organisms

• Earthworms – Eisenia fetida – NF ISO 11268-1
Mortality assay (acute toxicity)

• Earthworms – Eisenia fetida – NF ISO 11268-2
Reproduction assay (chronic toxicity)

• Plants (lettuce) – Latuca sativa – NF ISO 11269-2
Growth assay

• Plants (lettuce) – Avena sativa – NF ISO 11269-2
Growth assay

• Bacteria – Arthrobacter globiformis – PR NF ISO 18187
Inhibition of dehydrogenase activity

Bioassays on marine organisms

• Microtox – Vibrio fischeri – NF EN ISO 11348-3
Bacterial luminescence inhibition assay (acute toxicity)

• Coral cuttings – Seriatopora Hystrix - method developed in-house
Study of the retraction of polyps and whitening of cuttings (acute toxicity)

• Marine algae – Phaeodactylum tricornutum – NF EN ISO 10253
Growth inhibition assays (acute toxicity)

• Bivalves – Crassostrea gigas – NF ISO 17244
Study of embryonic development

• Sea urchins – Paracentrotus lividus – internal methods
Study of embryonic development and/or spermiotoxicity assay

• Shellfish – Artemia salina – adapted from FD ISO 14669
Determination of acute lethal toxicity to marine copepods (acute toxicity)

• Amphipods – Corophium arenarium – NF EN ISO 16712
Mortality assay (acute toxicity)

• Copepods – Acartia tonsa – adapted from FD ISO 14669
Mortality assay (acute toxicity)

• Rotifers – Brachionus plicatilis – non-standardised method
Mortality assay (acute toxicity)

Bioassays on benthic organisms

• Chironomes – Chironomus riparius – XP T 90-339-1
Mortality and growth assay (chronic toxicity)

• Ostracodes – Heterocypris incongruens – NF ISO 14371
Mortality and growth test

Bioassays on freshwater organisms

• Duckweed – Lemna minor – NF EN ISO 20079
Growth inhibition assay (chronic toxicity)

• Daphnia – Daphnia magna – NF EN ISO 6341 / OECD 202
Daphnia immobilisation assay after 24 hours / 48 hours (acute toxicity)

• Ceriodaphnia – Ceriodaphnia dubia – NF ISO 20665
Growth inhibition and reproduction inhibition assay (chronic toxicity)

• Freshwater algae – Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata – NF EN ISO 8692 / OECD 201
Algae growth inhibition assay (algae chronic toxicity)

• Rotifers – Brachionus calicyflorus – NF ISO 20666
Growth inhibition assay (chronic toxicity)

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