As an integral component of environmental policy, it has become essential to regulate and monitor toxic substances. Past emphasis has been primarily on analytical approaches to the detection of specific, targeted contaminants, thus allowing chemical characterisation. However, toxicity testing or biological assessment is necessary for ecotoxicological evaluation, and this offers marked benefits and advantages that complement chemical analysis. Key issues to be addressed include identification of pertinent tests, reproducibility and robustness of these tests, and cost considerations.This book examines these issues and describes and explains the approaches that have been developed for environmental toxicity evaluations. Advantages, benefits and drawbacks of the strategies and methods are highlighted. Directed equally at ecotoxicologists, industrial chemists, analytical chemists and environmental consultants, this book is written in a way that will prove helpful to both new and experienced practitioners.

As an integral component of environmental policy, it has becomeessential to regulate and monitor toxic substances. Past emphasishas been primarily on analytical approaches to the detection ofspecific, targeted contaminants, thus allowing chemicalcharacterisation. However, toxicity testing or biologicalassessment is necessary for ecotoxicological evaluation, and thisoffers marked benefits and advantages that complement chemicalanalysis.Key issues to be addressed include identification of pertinenttests, reproducibility and robustness of these tests, and costconsiderations.This book examines these issues and describes andexplains the approaches that have been developed for environmentaltoxicity evaluations. Advantages, benefits and drawbacks of thestrategies and methods are highlighted.Directed equally at ecotoxicologists, industrial chemistsanalytical chemists and environmental consultants, this book iswritten in a way that will prove helpful to both new andexperienced practitioners.

1. Historical perspective and overview.Jim Wharfe, Science Group, Environment Agency, WallingfordOxfordshire, UK.2. Effective monitoring of the environment fortoxicity.Ian Johnson and Paul Whitehouse, Water Research Centre, MarlowBuckinghamshire, UK, and Mark Crane, Crane Consultants, FaringdonOxfordshire, UK.3. The nature and chemistry of toxicants.Ulf Lidman, Department of Biology, University of KalmarSweden.4. Frameworks for the application of toxicity data.Maria Consuelo Diaz-Baez and Bernard J. Dutka, UniversidadNacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ingenieria Ambiental, BogotaColombia.5. The aquatic environment.William L. Goodfellow Jnr, EA Engineering Science andTechnology, Sparks, Maryland, USA.6. Biological methods for assessing potentially contaminatedsoils.David J. Spurgeon, Claus Svendsen and Peter K. Hankard, Centrefor Ecology & Hydrology, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.7. Review of biomarkers and new techniques for in situaquatic studies with bivalves.Francois Gagné and Christian Blaise, Environment CanadaMontreal, Canada.8. Environmental monitoring for genotoxic compounds.Johan Bierkens, Ethel Brits and Luc Verschaeve, VITO FlemishInstitute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium.9. Approach to legislation in a global context:.A - UK perspective.Jim Wharfe, National Centre for Ecotoxicology and HazardousSubstances, Environment Agency, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.B - Netherlands perspective - Soils and Sediments.Michiel Rutgers, National Institute for Public Health and theEnvironment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands and Piet den BestenInstitute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment(RIZA), Ministry of Transport, Lelystad, The Netherlands.C - German perspective.Hans-Jürgen Pluta and Monika Rosenberg, UmweltbundesamtBerlin, Germany.D - USA perspective.Barbara Brown and Margarete Heber, US Environmental ProtectionAgency, Washington DC, USA.10. Case study: whole effluent assessment using a combinedbiodegradation and toxicity approach.Graham F. Whale and Nigel S. Battersby, Shell R & T CentreChester, UK.11. Potential future developments in ecotoxicology.Wim De Coen, Geert Huyskens, Roel Smolders, Freddy DardenneJohan Robbens, Marleen Maras and Ronny Blust, Laboratory forEcophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology, University of AntwerpBelgium.References.Index....