Small-scale Freshwater Toxicity Investigations: Volume 1 - Toxicity Test Methods

Christian Blaise, Jean-François Férard

Springer, 2005 - Technology & Engineering - 551 pages

While toxicity testing procedures and hazard assessment approaches have been published in past decades, many are wanting in detail for users to fully understand or reproduce successfully. Small-scale freshwater toxicity investigations (Volumes 1 and 2) responds to this need by providing comprehensive information on biological testing which is normally scattered and difficult to find.In Volume 1, 15 chapters on toxicity tests are described in great detail by way of a homogeneous structure that all contributors had to follow. These comprehensive texts allow readers to be informed of relevant information (background, theory, practice) linked to each bioassay. Hence, book contents can be used both for technology transfer purposes (e.g., classroom or workshop courses) and to undertake practical toxicity testing (e.g., in a private, public or university laboratory).Academia (students, professors), government (environmental managers, scientists, regulators) and consulting professionals (biologists, chemists, engineers) should find this volume of interest. As an example, it should prove useful for conducting (under)graduate courses in aquatic toxicology involving practical laboratory training. In this respect, it can be attractive, owing to some of its contents, as a laboratory manual for learning purposes or for undertaking applied research to assess chemical hazards.In short, all groups directly or indirectly involved with the protection and conservation of freshwater environments will find Volume 1 appealing, as will those who simply wish to become familiar with the field of toxicity testing."The editors and contributors have done an excellent job of covering a wide and rapidly moving field of environmental science in a sound, exciting, and up-to-date way. On the one hand, these volumes are very suitable for well-experienced researchers and, on the other, for students, because they provide clear explanations of small-scale toxicity testing procedures and hazard assessments with special attention being given to freshwater investigations. Excellent, very useful! " Ivan Holoubek, Professor at Masaryk University (Brno, CR) and President of SECOTOX"Environmental contamination is a worldwide problem, these volumes provide a detailed account of toxicity assessment using biotestsnbsp;for freshwater and sediment which will be of great value to students and practitioners alike". Ian Falconer, Editor Environmental Toxicology, University of Adelaide, Australia

Contents

• Overview of contemporary toxicity testing: 1
• Microtox acute toxicity test: 69
• Solidphase test for sediment toxicity using the luminescent bacterium: 107
• Algal microplate toxicity test: 137
• Algal toxicity test: 181
• Microalgal toxicity tests using flow cytometry: 203
• Algal microplate toxicity test suitable for heavy metals: 243
• Lemma minor growth inhibition test: 271
• Spirotox testSpirostomum ambiguum acute toxicity test: 299
• Rotifer ingestion test for rapid assessment of toxicity: 323
• Acute and chronic toxicity testing with Daphnia sp: 337
• Hydra population reproduction toxicity test method: 395
• Amphipod Hyalella azteca solidphase toxicity test using High WaterSediment ratios: 413
• Chironomus riparius solidphase assay: 437
• Acute toxicity assessment of liquid samples with primary cultures of rainbow trout hepatocytes: 453
• Rainbow trout gill cell line microplate cytotoxicity test: 473
• Glossary: 505
• Index: 539

About the author

Christian Blaise, D.Sc., is a senior research scientist at the Saint-Lawrence Centre, Environment Canada, Québec Region, where he heads the Aquatic Toxicology Unit (ATU), River Ecosystems Research Section. He also holds an adjunct professor status at UQAR (Université du Québec à Rimouski) where he contributes to teaching and (co)directs graduate students in the field of ecotoxicology. ATU strives to develop, validate, standardize, modernize (and promote the commercialization of) bioanalytical and biomarker techniques, making use of new instrumental technologies whenever possible, in order to determine the potential (geno)toxicity of chemicals and various types of environmental matrices (e.g., effluents, sediments, pore/surface waters). ATU research output provides practical tools and approaches which facilitate decision-making for environmental management of aquatic ecosystems such as the Saint-Lawrence River. ATU also provides (inter)national technology transfer to interested professionals and agencies and promotes graduate student training by co-directing applied research projects with university collaborators. Dr. Blaise obtained university diplomas from the U. of Montréal (B.A., 1967: biology and chemistry), U. of Ottawa (B.Sc., 1970: cell biology; M.Sc., 1973: environmental microbiology) and U. of Metz (D.Sc., 1984: ecotoxicology). He is a member of the editorial board for two scientific journals (Environmental Toxicology; Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety) and holds membership in both the biologists’ (Association des Biologistes du Québec) and microbiologists’ (Association des Microbiologistes du Québec) associations of the province of Québec. He regularly attends and makes presentations during major venues held in the field of ecotoxicology (SETAC: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; SECOTOX: Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety; ATW-Canada: Aquatic Toxicity Workshop-Canada; ISTA: International Symposium on Toxicity Assessment). Dr. Blaise has (co)authored over 100 scientific articles in internationally refereed journals, as well as having written several book chapters, reviews, and various government technical reports. He recently co-edited, with Canadian colleagues, a book dedicated to small-scale toxicity testing (Wells, P., K. Lee and C. Blaise (eds.), 1998. Microscale testing in Aquatic Toxicology Advances, Techniques and Practice. CRC Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, 679 pages). He was scientific organizer of the 10th International Symposium on Toxicity Assessment (ISTA 10), hosted by the Saint-Lawrence Centre where he works, and held in Quebec City, August 26-31, 2001. He further co-edited with another Canadian colleague, a special edition of Environ. Toxicol. (Volume 17 [3]: 2002, special issue) highlighting selected papers presented at the ISTA 10 venue. Jean-François Férard, D.Sc., is a professor at the University of Metz (Lorraine province of France), where he heads a research team (RT) which is part of a C.N.R.S. (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) research unit for Ecotoxicity and Environmental Health (E.S.E). He also manages an undergraduate school program dedicated to Environmental Engineering. His teaching duties involve fundamental and applied Ecotoxicology, Physiology and Physiotoxicology, Cell Biology and other related disciplines. In the field of ecotoxicology, his RT was involved in the behavior of metals, PAHs and complex mixtures in air, water and soil compartments and their effects on different organisms (bacteria, algae, crustaceans, plants, arthropods, etc.). His actual research endeavors are more specifically focused on the development of metal-resistance (e.g. phytochelatin) and genotoxic (e.g. comet assay) biomarkers. He also promotes knowledge and use of toxicity tests by organizing an annual course entitled "Ecotoxicity and carcinogenicity of chemicals" which provides a theoretical and practical view of numerous toxicity tests to decision-makers, industrialists and consultants. Since 1974, he has markedly contributed to numerous research programs that have successfully lead to i) development and validation of different ecotoxicity tools (e.g. new toxicity test methods, trophic chain models, biomarkers), ii) hazard/risk assessment schemes and iii) links between field and laboratory studies. These undertakings were financially supported by the European Economic Community, the French ministry of the Environment, and agencies such as the French Water Agency of the Rhin-Meuse Watershed, the French Agency for Environment and Energy Ressources. Professor Férard obtained university diplomas from the U. of Strasbourg (B.A., 1970: biology and chemistry; B.Sc., 1973: biochemistry) and U. of Metz (M.Sc., 1974: chemistry and environmental toxicology; D.Sc., 1978: environmental toxicology; State doctorate, 1986: environmental toxicology). He was European editor for Environmental Toxicology and Water Quality from 1992-1996 and holds membership in SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry). He regularly makes presentations during major symposia held in the field of ecotoxicology (e.g. SETAC meetings, Secotox conferences, International Symposia on Toxicity Assessment, Annual Aquatic Toxicity Workshops in Canada). Professor Férard has (co)authored over 50 scientific articles in (inter)nationally refereed journals, as well as having written several book chapters, reviews, and research reports. He also participates in several OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and AFNOR (Association française de normalisation - French standards association) initiatives to standardize and promote the use of biological tests.  

Bibliographic information

• Title: Small-scale Freshwater Toxicity Investigations: Volume 1 - Toxicity Test Methods; Volume 1 of Small-scale Freshwater Toxicity Investigations, Christian Blaise
• Editors: Christian Blaise, Jean-François Férard
• Contributor: Christian Blaise
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Springer, 2005
• ISBN: 140203119X, 9781402031199
• Length: 551 pages
• Subjects: Science / Environmental Science; Science / Life Sciences / Biology; Technology & Engineering / Environmental / General