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Biological effects assessment
Testing of "old and new" chemicals should include assessment of biological effects on low exposure concentrations, similar to those relevant in the environment. . This test is used to indicate the potential for long-term effects of chemicals (or mixtures, like water soluble fractions of oil) using a short-term (12, 24 and 48 hours) exposure to low levels (0.5, 5 and 50% of LC50-concentrations) of chemicals.
We use static, semi-static and flow-through exposure systems, usually with serially diluted stock solutions of a chemical/mixture. The concentrations used are always determined on the basis of an initial acute toxicity test. After exposure, copepods are sampled and analyzed for expression of a battery of genes (by qPCR or (soon) microarray) relevant for indicating chronic effects. We may also supply with other endpoints indicating potential for endocrine disruption, cytotoxicity and DNA damage. |
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