Use of the genus Artemia in ecotoxicity testing

Information related to varied uses of several species of the genus Artemia (commonly known as brine shrimp), is dispersed among literature from several scientific areas, such as Ecology, Physiology, Ecotoxicology, Aquaculture and Genetics. The present paper reviews information related to Artemia that may be considered relevant for ecotoxicity testing. Integration of different areas of scientific knowledge concerning biology, life cycle and environmental needs of Artemia is of crucial importance when considering the interpretation of results drawn from tests involving this genus. Furthermore, this paper provides suggestions to overcome problems related to toxicity assessment with the use of Artemia as test organism in bioassays, under the scope of estuarine, marine and hypersaline environments. Aspects related to variability in results, adoptable toxicity end-points, culture conditions, characteristics of species and strains, influence of geographical origins over physiological features and responses to exposure to chemical agents are considered.     

Chemical Partitioning to Foliage: The Contribution and Legacy of Davide Calamari

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.002 Background Davide Calamari and his colleagues were among the first to appreciate that vegetation could play a key role in determining the fate and effects of organic contaminants. They conducted pioneering experiments to investigate the uptake of contaminants by plants from the atmosphere and they sought to model the observed phenomena. In the nearly two decades since there has been a marked increase in understanding of these phenomena as a result of both experimental and modelling studies. - Goal. In this study we briefly review our current understanding of chemical partitioning between foliage and air. A model in both fugacity and concentration format is described, based on that of Tolls and McLachlan (1994), in which the leaf is treated as consisting of two layers, a waxy cuticle with an underlying 'reservoir' layer, the cuticle being surrounded by an air boundary layer and containing stomata that provide direct access from the air to the 'reservoir'. The model quantifies the dynamic penetration of a defined chemical into a defined leaf as a function of time. Main Features The model is applied for illustrative purposes to a hypothetical but typical leaf for a set of illustrative chemicals to demonstrate the effect of changes in physical-chemical properties and leaf characteristics. Discussion The results are compared qualitatively with a variety of field and laboratory studies of foliage uptake and clearance of chemicals. Conclusion It is concluded that the model yields results that are generally consistent with observations. It is suggested that with appropriate parameterisation and validation, the model can contribute to an improved understanding of the process of foliage uptake from the atmosphere and to the development of an improved predictive capability.     

Continuous and semi continuous measurements of dust emissions in a power plant burning fuel-oil

Some aspects of the suitability of continuously and semi continuously measuring dust emissions with a transmissometer and a beta dust meter were studied at a power plant burning fuel oil. Extinction values were automatically calibrated with the weight of the dust.Data based on gas velocity were selected in six groups and regression analyses were taken between the extinction values and the emissions of dust. A significant regression curve was found in only three of the six groups.These experiments showed that a given mass concentration of dust may correspond with a great variety of extinction values when the particle size changes, so that a correlation between the emitted dust and extinction is valid only when particle size is constant.