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Implementation of Microalgae 4.0 in Environmental Biotechnology
Published in Pau Loke Show, Wai Siong Chai, Tau Chuan Ling, Microalgae for Environmental Biotechnology, 2023
Akshara Ann Varghese, Doris Ying Ying Tang, Sze Shin Low, Pau Loke Show
An analytical way to determine the concentration or potency of a substance with regards to a living animal or plant, living cell, or tissues is called a bioassay. Bioassays work in two ways which are in vitro and in vivo (Table 10.5). In-vitro bioassay is based on the cellular mechanism for the detection of specific chemicals, whereas in-vivo bioassay evaluates the effects of the toxicant in the whole species (organisms) and provides more detailed information about its environmental effects. The difference between bioassay and biosensor is that bioassay uses biological indicators, such as cells, tissues, or whole organisms, to assess an analyte’s biological activity, whereas biosensor uses biorecognition elements like enzymes, proteins, or antibodies and amplifies the signal through physical or chemical means (Valera et al. 2013).
Contaminated Site Risk Management Stratagems
Published in Kofi Asante-Duah, Management of Contaminated Site Problems, 2019
In general, several different monitoring programs may be implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of a remedy. For instance, an environmental monitoring program is normally used to ensure that chemical loadings from contaminated lands do not continually escape the influence of applicable remedial systems. Under a biomonitoring program, measurements of toxicity (through bioassays) and bioaccumulation can be used to assess the nature and extent of potential biological impacts in off-site areas. Where necessary, the remedial system is modified to ensure that the remedies are effective. Invariably, decisions regarding monitoring network design and operation are generally made in the light of available data. To a great extent, monitoring can be considered as an evolutionary process that should be refined as more relevant information is obtained. In fact, effective monitoring efforts are both dynamic and flexible, and this should be explicitly indicated in the site characterization plan. Ultimately, it is prudent to specify monitoring programs that will permit the collection of high-quality, representative data for the most sensitive chemical constituents of interest.
Some Introductory Concepts
Published in Alan G. Heath, Water Pollution and Fish Physiology, 2018
From approximately the mid-1970s aquatic toxicology has increasingly used the tools of the physiologists. This is partly to understand why a fish or invertebrate is debilitated, but it is also because of a realization that there are many sublethal effects that may occur without necessarily resulting in death of the individual organism; or as Jan Prager was quoted (Sindermann, 1979, p. 438) as saying: “Death is too extreme a criterion for determining whether a substance is harmful to marine biota.” While bioassays extending over several generations are useful, they are also extremely time consuming and expensive to carry out. Thus, there has been considerable interest in developing physiological and biochemical tests, or more commonly known as biomarkers, to assess the “health” of aquatic animals (Adams, 1990; McCarthy and Shugart, 1990; Huggett et al., 1992).
Application of two bioassays as potential indicators of phenol phytoremediation efficiency by tobacco hairy roots
Published in Environmental Technology, 2021
Cintia E. Paisio, Elizabeth Agostini, Paola S. González
An efficient phenolic compounds removal is not always accompanied by a considerable reduction of the solution toxicity, as indicated in this study. In general, there is little information available in the literature on the toxicity evaluation of the solutions obtained after the phytoremediation processes using different organisms [33,34]. Bioassays can identify toxicants by their biological activity and/or their effects on biological systems, offering a suitable tool for monitoring PRS quality and potential risks associated with the discharge of these solutions to different watercourses. These methods have limitations and thus, it is important to understand that toxicity in non-human species does not necessarily indicate a risk to humans or other organisms. For this, an appropriate combination of toxicity tests and chemical analysis could provide a more accurate tool to establish the identity of the toxicant and potential risk (if any) to human health.
Evaluation of the acute effects of chemical additives on the toxicity of a synthetic oilfield produced water
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2020
Maria Isabel F. C. Bento, Juacyara C. Campos
Bioassays are a useful tool to evaluate the toxicity levels of target contaminants and complex aqueous matrices, e.g. PW, for aquatic organisms.[18] Among bacterial bioassays, the Microtox® toxicity test with the marine luminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri is probably the most recognized and widely used.[19] This bioassay relies on the change in bacteria light emission levels during exposure to unknown toxic substances presented in the samples.[18] The degree of light reduction after the bacteria have been exposed to different concentrations of a sample of unknown toxicity is compared with that of control and provides a measure of the toxicity of the tested sample.[20] Depending on the chemical nature of the chemicals involved in complex mixtures, such as PW, there will be interactions among them, which can enhance or neutralize their respective toxicities.[21] Three types of interactions can occur additivity, antagonism, and synergism.[22]
Genotoxicity assessment of polluted urban streams using a native fish Astyanax altiparanae
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2019
Carine De Mendonça Francisco, Sueli Moura Bertolino, Robson José De Oliveira Júnior, Sandra Morelli, Boscolli Barbosa Pereira
Bioassays using fish provide information on the bioavailability of pollutants that contribute to metal biomagnification processes (Marcon et al. 2010). Bioassays employ organisms of different trophic levels, isolated or combined with chemical analyses to assess toxic potential of aquatic contaminants. Freshwater fish of the genus Astyanax, employed in environmental monitoring studies, were found to present high sensitivity as a bioindicator for contaminants (Silva and Martinez 2007; Trujillo-Jiménez et al. 2011; Vieira et al. 2014; Yamamoto et al. 2016). This fact favors the choice of these organisms, as observed in the species Astyanax altiparanae (Ramsdorf et al. 2012) in field and lab investigations in temperate regions (Bettim et al. 2016; Dourado et al. 2017; Vieira et al. 2014).