In Vitro Methods In Aquatic Ecotoxicology

For the first time, here is a book that focuses on in vitro approaches to the study of the toxicology of polluting agents (including heavy metals, radionuclides, micro-organics, estrogenic compounds, and complex mixtures) in the aquatic environment. The importance of in vitro methods is that they allow standardised techniques to be developed and validated for substance and species specific experiments in a controlled way. Also, they allow mechanistic studies without the problems of individual variation between animals and environmental stress.

This book provides a quantitative treatment of the science of ecotoxicology. The first chapters consider fundamental concepts and definitions essential to understanding the fate and effects of toxicants at various levels of ecological organization as covered in the remaining chapters. Scientific ecotoxicology and associated topics are defined. The historical perspective, rationale, and characteristics are outlined for the strong inferential and quantitative approach advocated in this book. The general measurement process is discussed, and methodologies for defining and controlling variance, which could otherwise exclude valid conclusions regarding ecotoxicological endeavors, are considered. Ecotoxicological concepts at increasing levels of ecological organization are discussed in the second part of the book. Quantitative methods used to measure toxicant effects are outlined in this section. The final chapter summarizes the book with a brief discussion of ecotoxicological assessment. Numerous figures and tables accompany text, with many statistical tables found in the appendix for quick reference. Although the book primarily focuses on aquatic systems, with appropriate modification the concepts and methods can be applied to terrestrial systems.

Historically, regulations governing chemical use have often focused on widely used chemicals and acute human health effects of exposure to them, as well as their potential to cause cancer and other adverse health effects. As scientific knowledge has expanded there has been an increased awareness of the mechanisms through which chemicals may exert harmful effects on human health, as well as their effects on other species and ecosystems. Identification of high-priority chemicals and other chemicals of concern has prompted a growing number of state and local governments, as well as major companies, to take steps beyond existing hazardous chemical federal legislation. Interest in approaches and policies that ensure that any new substances substituted for chemicals of concern are assessed as carefully and thoroughly as possible has also burgeoned. The overarching goal of these approaches is to avoid regrettable substitutions, which occur when a toxic chemical is replaced by another chemical that later proved unsuitable because of persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, or other concerns. Chemical alternative assessments are tools designed to facilitate consideration of these factors to assist stakeholders in identifying chemicals that may have the greatest likelihood of harm to human and ecological health, and to provide guidance on how the industry may develop and adopt safer alternatives. A Framework to Guide Selection of Chemical Alternatives develops and demonstrates a decision framework for evaluating potentially safer substitute chemicals as primarily determined by human health and ecological risks. This new framework is informed by previous efforts by regulatory agencies, academic institutions, and others to develop alternative assessment frameworks that could be operationalized. In addition to hazard assessments, the framework incorporates steps for life-cycle thinking - which considers possible impacts of a chemical at all stages including production, use, and disposal - as well as steps for performance and economic assessments. The report also highlights how modern information sources such as computational modeling can supplement traditional toxicology data in the assessment process. This new framework allows the evaluation of the full range of benefits and shortcomings of substitutes, and examination of tradeoffs between these risks and factors such as product functionality, product efficacy, process safety, and resource use. Through case studies, this report demonstrates how different users in contrasting decision contexts with diverse priorities can apply the framework. This report will be an essential resource to the chemical industry, environmentalists, ecologists, and state and local governments.

Aquatic Ecotoxicology: Advancing Tools for Dealing with Emerging Risks presents a thorough look at recent advances in aquatic ecotoxicology and their application in assessing the risk of well-known and emerging environmental contaminants. This essential reference, brought together by leading experts in the field, guides users through existing and novel approaches to environmental risk assessment, then presenting recent advances in the field of ecotoxicology, including omics-based technologies, biomarkers, and reference species. The book then demonstrates how these advances can be used to design and perform assays to discover the toxicological endpoints of emerging risks within the aquatic environment, such as nanomaterials, personal care products, PFOS and chemical mixtures. The text is an invaluable reference for any scientist who studies the effects of contaminants on organisms that live within aquatic environments. Provides the latest perspectives on emerging toxic risks to aquatic environments, such as nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, chemical mixtures, and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) Offers practical guidance on recent advances to help in choosing the most appropriate toxicological assay Presents case studies and information on a variety of reference species to help put the ecotoxicological theory into practical risk assess

Whether considering toxicant exposure in zebrafish, or the application of cellular diagnostics to marine toxicology, or the ecotoxicology of coral reef ecosystems, or the amount of metalloids in water, this reference offers the protocols for specimen collection that researchers need. Following up on his popular Techniques in Aquatic Toxicology with

Focusing on state-of-the-art biological testing and methods used for aquatic ecosystem health assessment, Ecotoxicological Testing of Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems evaluates the latest bioassay techniques and different types of water and sediment quality assessments. The book also explores multi-tiered approaches to making recommendations for th

Bioassays are among the ecotoxicologist's most effective weapons in the evaluation of water quality and the assessment of ecological impacts of effluents, chemicals, discharges, and emissions on the aquatic environment. Information on these assessment aids is needed throughout the international scientific and environmental management community. This comprehensive reference provides an excellent overview of the small-scale aquatic bioassay techniques and applications currently in use around the world. This special volume is the result of several years of collaboration between Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Internationally recognized research scientists at many institutions have contributed to this state-of-the-art examination of the exciting, environmentally important field of microscale testing in aquatic toxicology. Microscale Testing in Aquatic Toxicology contains over forty chapters covering relevant principles, new techniques and recent advancements, and applications in scientific research, environmental management, academia, and the private sector.

CHEMOMETRICS AND CHEMINFORMATICS IN AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY Explore chemometric and cheminformatic techniques and tools in aquatic toxicology Chemometrics and Cheminformatics in Aquatic Toxicology delivers an exploration of the existing and emerging problems of contamination of the aquatic environment through various metal and organic pollutants, including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biocides, nanomaterials, pesticides, surfactants, dyes, and more. The book discusses different chemometric and cheminformatic tools for non-experts and their application to the analysis and modeling of toxicity data of chemicals to various aquatic organisms. You’ll learn about a variety of aquatic toxicity databases and chemometric software tools and webservers as well as practical examples of model development, including illustrations. You’ll also find case studies and literature reports to round out your understanding of the subject. Finally, you’ll learn about tools and protocols including machine learning, data mining, and QSAR and ligand-based chemical design methods. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to chemometric and cheminformatic tools and techniques, including machine learning and data mining An exploration of aquatic toxicity databases, chemometric software tools, and webservers Practical examples and case studies to highlight and illustrate the concepts contained within the book A concise treatment of chemometric and cheminformatic tools and their application to the analysis and modeling of toxicity data Perfect for researchers and students in chemistry and the environmental and pharmaceutical sciences, Chemometrics and Cheminformatics in Aquatic Toxicology will also earn a place in the libraries of professionals in the chemical industry and regulators whose work involves chemometrics.