New Microbiotests For Routine Toxicity Screening And Biomonitoring

The determination of the hazards resulting from the accidental or deli berate contamination of terrestrial and aquatic environments is in most countries still lirnited to the detection and quantification of the suspected pollutants by chemical analyses. Such an approach is unfortunately hampered by the following constraints : the costs as weil as the technical difficulties of analyzing every individual chemical which may be present in the sampies, and the difficulty of assessing the hazards and risks of environmental contaminations from a set of chemical data. During the last decades the scientific and regulatory community has gradually realized that biological methodologies have to be taken into consideration for an ecologically meaningful assessment of the toxicological hazards of contaminants. Effect evaluations obtained with biological techniques indeed integrate the impact of all the contaminants to which living biota are exposed. Bioassays with selected test species representative for the biological commumtles of the environments under consideration, are now applied more or less regularly to determine toxic and genotoxic effects. Taking into account the species specific and chemical specific character of toxicity to biota, the necessity of a «battery of tests» approach with species of different trophic levels is currently also generally accepted and implemented. It is dear that a balanced partnership between chemical, biological, toxicological and microbiological analyses is always the best strategy for generating the broadest information base on environmental hazards.

This broad review is the first to gather comprehensive information on the complete contemporary range of toxicity testing procedures and hazard assessment procedures, which is normally scattered and difficult to find. The two-volume set provides a consistent, template-based approach, linking relevant information on background, theory and practice to each bioassay. Volume 2 examines hazard assessment schemes. Includes extensive glossary.

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.

Traditional reliance on chemical analysis to understand the direction and extent of treatment in a bioremediation process has been found to be inadequate. Whereas the goal of bioremediation is toxicity reduction, few direct, reliable measures of this process are as yet available. Another area of intense discussion is the assessment of market forces contributing to the acceptability of bioremediation. Finally, another important component is a series of lectures and lively exchanges devoted to practical applications of different bioremediation technologies. The range of subjects covers a wide spectrum, encompassing emerging technologies as well as actual, full-scale operations. Examples discussed include landfarming, biopiling, composting, phytoremediation and mycoremediation. Each technology is explored for its utility and capability to provide desired treatment goals. Advantages and limitations of each technology are discussed. The concept of natural attenuation is also critically evaluated since in some cases where time to remediation is not a significant factor, it may be an alternative to active bioremediation operations.

The detection of harmful chemicals and microbial pathogens in food and water destined for consumers is of paramount importance the world over and it is vital that new techniques and discoveries are widely disseminated. Bringing together international experts in the field, Rapid Detection Assays for Food and Water presents original, state-of-the-art research and a review of the established methods in this key subject area. Covering the four main areas of water microbiology, water chemistry, food microbiology and food chemistry, the book discusses highly sensitive chemical and biological detection systems. There are applications ranging from sample preparation methods to end detection. Subject areas include biosensors, the detection of pesticide residues, GM components, various chemicals and toxins as well as protozoan parasites and viral/bacterial pathogens in a wide range of materials. This book will be welcomed by researchers and professionals in industry, academia and government agencies.

Increasing demand on industrial capacity has, as an unintended consequence, produced an accompanying increase in harmful and hazardous wastes. Derived from the second edition of the popular Handbook of Industrial and Hazardous Wastes Treatment, Hazardous Industrial Waste Treatment outlines the fundamentals and latest developments in hazardous waste

Increasing demand on industrial capacity has, as an unintended consequence, produced an accompanying increase in harmful and hazardous wastes. Derived from the second edition of the popular Handbook of Industrial and Hazardous Wastes Treatment, Waste Treatment in the Process Industries outlines the fundamentals and latest developments in waste treatment in various process industries, such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, petroleum, soap, detergent, phosphate, paper, pulp, pesticides, rubber, and power. Comprehensive in scope, it provides information that is directly applicable to daily waste management problems throughout the industry. The book contains in-depth discussions of environmental pollution sources, waste characteristics, control technologies, management strategies, facility innovations, process alternatives, costs, case histories, effluent standards, and future trends for the process industry. It includes extensive bibliographies for each type of industrial process waste treatment or practice, invaluable information to anyone who needs to trace, follow, duplicate, or improve on a specific process waste treatment practice. A quick scan of the chapters and contributors reveals the depth and breadth of the book's coverage. It provides technical and economical information on how to develop the most feasible total environmental control program that can benefit both process industry and local municipalities.