A METHOD FOR BIOTESTING OF A CONDENSED PHASE SUBSTANCES AND/OR MIXTURES ECOTOXICITY AND USE OF THE METHOD IN ECOTOXYCOLOGY

摘要

The method for biotesting of ecotoxicity of condensed substances and mixtures, including preparation of a dispersion of the tested sample with a diluent and subjecting it to intensive mixing to create a stable vortex, sampling the dispersion while mixing and subjecting the taken portion to a series of dilutions, and then adding to each of thus prepared samples a portion of an A. fischeri bacterial reagent and subjecting the obtained mixtures to testing of the bioluminescence inhibition, according to the invention is characterized in that a synthetic sample containing the tested condensed substance or a mixture of the condensed substances and an auxiliary substance, being a filler or carrier for the condensed substance or a mixture of condensed substances to be tested is subjected to biotesting, after it has being dispersed in the diluent. The method described above is used in ecotoxicology to characterize the harmful effects caused by chemicals, to assess the environmental risk of micropolutants and their impact on ecosystem processes, and to design substances that are safer for the environment. The present invention ensures maximum direct contact of the tested sample (solid or liquid) with the test organism (i.e. bioluminescent bacteria) and determination of the toxicity of both dissolved, suspended and undissolved fractions of the tested chemical, which may be in a phase other than the aqueous phase (sediment, liquid phase). This reflects the real situation in the natural environment, where organisms in water are exposed to a variety of chemical compounds that can be dissolved, suspended and/or adsorbed on a solid matrix, and not only dissolved in the water phase or found in soil and sediments. The present invention provides the possibility of testing the ecotoxicity of pure substances, as well as mixtures, solutions, dispersions and formulations, e.g. pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and chemical.