Toxicity Assessment
Exploding numbers of synthesized compounds have led to new
challenges in environment assessment during the last few
decades. In addition to soil and air monitoring, the analysis of
water quality has become a fundamental task. Although analytical
methods in sensitivity have drastically improved, for toxicity
detection the use of biological systems is inevitable. Here,
model organisms act as reliable indicators for harmful agents,
e.g. toxins.
Toxicity tests are mainly based on the survival of organisms
in the presence of test material. Static tests permanently
expose the organisms to a series of dilutions over 24 or 48
hours. Dynamic tests, in contrast, shorten the test procedure
and allow continuous monitoring.
The registration of complex behavior further reduces the
response time for alarm evaluation. Automatic unmanned
surveillance is achieved by use of the unique bbe alarm
software.
