Ecotoxicology

The term ecotoxicology was coined by Truhaut in 1969, who defined it as "the branch of toxicology concerned with the study of toxic effects, caused by natural or synthetic pollutants, to the constituents of ecosystems, animal , vegetable and microbial, in an integral context” . Ecotoxicology is alleged to be the integration of toxicology and ecology or, as Chapman suggested, “ecology in the presence of toxicants”. It aims to predict the effects upon natural populations, communities, or ecosystems - ‘the ecosystem’- of stressors, be they anthropogenic in origin or otherwise. It differs from Environmental Toxicology in that it integrates the effects of stressors across all levels of biological organisation from the molecular to whole communities and ecosystems, whereas environmental toxicology focuses upon effects upon the individual .The publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson's seminal volume, Silent Spring catalysed the separation of environmental toxicology - and, subsequently, ecotoxicology - from classical toxicology. The revolutionary element in Carson's work was her extrapolation from single-organism effects to effects at the whole ecosystem and the "balance of nature" . This systemic study is distinct from the anthropocentric nature of classical toxicology and ecotoxicology is, therefore, a far broader discipline incorporating aspects of ecology, toxicology, physiology, molecular biology, analytical chemistry and a wealth of other disciplines to study the effects of xenobiotics in an ecosystem. The ultimate goal of this approach is to be able to predict the effects of pollution so that, should a pollution incident occur, the most efficient and effective action to remediate the detrimental effects can be identified. In those ecosystems that are already impacted by pollution ecotoxicological studies can inform as to the best course of action to restore ecosystem services and functions efficiently and effectively. (From the Wikpedia article Ecotoxicology.)

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Recent Publications on Ecotoxicology:
Assessing the Risks of Persistent Organic Pollutants to Top Predators: A Review of Approaches. Accurate risk assessment of secondary poisoning by persistent organic...	19th July, 2008		Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2008 Jul 17;:1. DOI Direct Link
'In a Nutshell' RISK ASSESSMENT What is an Appropriate Level of Protection? An Example...	19th July, 2008		Integr Environ Assess Manag. 2008 Jul 17;:1. DOI Direct Link
Ecotoxicological sediment evaluations in marine aquaculture areas of Chile. Given its geographic characteristics, the southern Chilean fjord area is...	18th July, 2008	Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Catolica Santisima Concepcion, Alonso de	Environ Monit Assess. 2008 Jul 17;. DOI Direct Link
Effects of soil amendments on the bioavailability of heavy metals from zinc mine tailings. A study was conducted to test the effects of soil amendments on the...	17th July, 2008	Ecotoxicology Division, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, P.O. Box	Environ Monit Assess. 2008 Jul 16;. DOI Direct Link
The world in a river? A preliminary analysis of the 16S rDNA variability of Tubifex species (Clitellata: Tubificidae) from the Lambro River. Tubifex tubifex Muller, 1774 is a cosmopolitan freshwater tubificid widely...	16th July, 2008	Universita degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Biologia, Sezione di	Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2008 Jun 24;. DOI Direct Link
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Ecotoxicology Patents:
US Patent No.	Title
5989594	Ratite extracts as therapeutic agents
6268206	Bioremediation, detoxication and plant-growth enhancing compositions and methods of making and using such compositions
6299858	Methods of screening agents for activity using teleosts
6362178	2-phenyl substituted imidazotriazinones as phosphodiesterase inhibitors
6425401	Method of treating tobacco to reduce nitrosamine content, and products produced thereby
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Companies working in the area of Ecotoxicology from Bioportfolio's Biocorporate database :
Company Name
ABC Laboratories Europe Limited ABC Laboratories Europe has an all graduate professional staff of 25 and operates a 1,100 square meter facility located in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. The Laboratory is certified for GLP compliance...         View full profile
Chemex International plc Chemex can take the stress out of your job. We are a long established analytical and ecotoxicology laboratory with a reputation for accuracy and quality both in results and customer services. We... www.chemex.co.uk/        View full profile
Bioclear Bioclear is a team of experts and professionals in the field of environmental and sustainable biotechnology. We deal with multidisciplinary projects in areas such as soil, water and industrial... www.bioclear.nl/        View full profile
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BioPortfolio Ltd. offers e-mail and postal lists for Ecotoxicology scientists - we have details of around 218 individuals working on Ecotoxicology .

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