ARISTO project update

NCIMB is part of ARISTO: The European Industry – Academia Network for Revising and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial Toxicity of Pesticides. Soil microorganisms are essential for soil health, so it is important that the methods used to assess pesticide toxicity reflect the impact of their use on this group of organisms. Recent studies have indicated that ammonia-oxidizing microbes (AOM), which perform the first and typically rate-limiting step of the important nutrient cycling process nitrification, are ideal microbial indicators of agrochemicals’ toxicity because of their key functional role, …

NCIMB shares ecotox test development experience with next generation of soil ecotoxicologists

Our consultant Microbiologist Dr Carol Devine has been visiting the University of Lyon this week for the second training event of the ARISTO project – the European Industry-Academia network with a focus on assessing the microbial toxicity of pesticides. The network aims to develop tools and methods to enable robust testing of toxicity. In the past, risk assessment for pesticides has focused on aquatic organisms and terrestrial macro-organisms, while assessment of pesticide toxicity in relation to soil microorganisms has lagged behind. Microbial life is crucial for soil health, and the wider ecosystem, …

How best to approach ecotoxicity testing for offshore oil and gas sector decommissioning?

Our Analytical Services Manager Michelle Robertson is looking forward to presenting at the 3rd International Conference on the Decommissioning of Offshore & Subsea Structures on 22 February. She will be talking about NCIMB’s MARA and LumiMARA ecotoxicity tests and their potential for use during the decommissioning process.Environmental impact assessment is an important consideration with respect to decommissioning of offshore production facilities, and a risk-based whole effluent assessment (WEA) approach would be well suited to this purpose, as offshore structures often contain accumulations of historical waste that are a complex mix of …

UK guidance for a risk-based approach to the management of produced water recommends Mara and LumiMara for marine toxicity testing

Newly updated guidance for the UK’s risk-based approach (RBA) to the management of produced water discharges from offshore installations has been published. The updated guidance document, which recommends the use of NCIMB’s MARA and LumiMARA tests for marine toxicity testing, in preference to the more conventional Microtox bacteria test, was published by the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in December. The UK is implementing a risk-based approach to the management of produced water discharges from offshore oil and gas installations in accordance with the OSPAR Convention. OSPAR …