Aquatic ecotoxicity
Ecosystem impact analysis
By characterising the aquatic ecotoxicity of a waste water, an estimate is made of the impact of the discharge on the environment. This is done by determining the impact (survival, growth, reproduction,...) on selected test organisms. In order to simulate the entire food chain, the test organisms come from different trophic levels. The standard levels are the bacteria, the algae, the water flea and the fish.
Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)
The term WET refers to the overall toxic effect of wastewater or effluent on aquatic organisms. This approach is fundamentally different from the classical analytical approach in which the specific pollution is only quantified chemically. WET therefore offers an added value and gains importance in environmental permits and company-specific BAT (Best Available Technology) studies.
Ecotoxicity tests
EPAS INTERNATIONAL has a specialised and certified laboratory for the determination of the aquatic ecotoxicity of products or water samples with regard to three reference organisms (bacteria, algae and water flea). The evaluation of acute or chronic effects on both freshwater and saltwater organisms is possible.
EPAS INTERNATIONAL carries out ecotoxicity tests for companies in various sectors (chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, waste processing, ...), because of obligations included in the discharge permit or within the framework of company-specific BAT studies to evaluate achievable discharge standards.
On the basis of the results obtained, possible causes of the established toxicity and its remediation are sought in collaboration with the company.
