News

18. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

Ecotoxicity of corrosion inhibitors

Ecotoxicity of corrosion inhibitors

Corrosion inhibitors protect steel structures from oxidative degradation but ingredients may be washed out that are harmful to water organisms. Two of the four corrosion inhibitors investigated by the Ecotox Centre released ecotoxic and estrogenic compounds.

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17. May 2016, Topic: Soil Ecotoxicology

Development of a new earthworm assay

Development of a new earthworm assay

The Ecotox Centre has adapted the bait lamina test to measure the feeding activity of earthworms in the laboratory. The test gives functional answers that are relevant for the ecosystem and in the future could improve the risk assessment of chemicals.

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17. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology

Sediment quality in the Venoge

Sediment quality in the Venoge

Do the sediments in the Venoge contribute to the rivers inferior water quality? To answer this question the Ecotox Centre has assessed the water quality with bioassays and chemical analyses.

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17. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

Progress in the sediment module for the Modular Stepwise Procedure

Progress in the sediment module for the Modular Stepwise Procedure

Together with Eawag and the Federal Office for the Environment, the Ecotox Centre has been working on a sediment module for the assessment of streams since January 2015.

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13. May 2016, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology

Micropollutants: teaching materials for high schools and environmental education

Micropollutants: teaching materials for high schools and environmental education

Stefan Widmer of the University of Zurich has developed teaching materials on micropollutants and ecotoxicology for use in high schools and environmental education.

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24. March 2016, Topic: Soil Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology

Ecotoxicology for high school students

Ecotoxicology for high school students

Last week, the Ecotox Centre's laboratory in Lausanne opened its doors to numerous high school students and gave them some insight into the field of ecotoxicology.

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13. November 2015, Topic: Soil Ecotoxicology

Are wood preservatives toxic to soil organisms?

Are wood preservatives toxic to soil organisms?

To protect wood as a building material from fungal and bacterial decay, various biocides are used. The Ecotox Centre has investigated which biocides are mostly used in Switzerland and how these affect soil organisms.

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12. November 2015, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Soil Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

Progress in the evaluation of ecotoxicological data

Progress in the evaluation of ecotoxicological data

During the authorization procedure of chemicals or for the determination of environmental quality criteria ecotoxicological data need to be evaluated regarding their reliability and relevance. Das Oekotoxzentrum hat ein neues Bewertungssystem mitentwickelt. The Ecotox Centre has developed a new system that that is supposed to make this data review more secure and reproducible and less subjective.

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11. November 2015, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology

Info sheet on microplastics in the environment

Info sheet on microplastics in the environment

The info sheet summarizes the current knowledge and gives details on the sources of microplastic particles, their transport in the environment, their effect on aquatic organisms and techniques for sampling and analysis.

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15. September 2015, Topic: Aquatic Ecotoxicology , Soil Ecotoxicology , Sediment Ecotoxicology , Risk Assessment

SETAC-GLB’s exciting 20th annual conference

SETAC-GLB’s exciting 20th annual conference

Organised by the Ecotox Centre under the direction of Inge Werner, the 20th annual conference of the German-language branch of the “Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry” (SETAC GLB) took place from 7th to 10th September 2015 at ETH Zurich.

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