Biological assessment methods

Knoben, R.A. et al. (1995) Biological assessment methods for watercourses, UN/ECE Task Eorce on Monitoring and Assessment, Volume 3, RIZA report no. 95.066., Lelystad. 

Quantitative identification of organisms is difficult Debris may be falsely enumerated as microorganisms Large variability if method uses microscopic enumeration Viability may be required for the disease process Molecular biology assessment methods ... 

Biological sui veys shall be fuUy integrated with toxicity and chemical-specific assessment methods in state water-quahty programs. ... 

In some cases the available dose-response data will have originated from studies by one route of exposure (say, inhalation), but the population of interest is or might be exposed by other routes, say the oral one. Completion of a risk assessment prior to the development of new oral data will require a biologically justifiable method for extrapolating results from one route of exposure to another. 

Green, T. (1989) A biological data base for methylene chloride risk assessment. In Travis, C.C. ed., Biologically-Based Methods for Cancer Risk Assessment, Plenum, New York, pp. 289-300... 

DNLM 1. Environmental Monitoring-methods. 2. Models, Biological. 3. Risk Assessment—methods. WA 670 E9842008]... 

Nothing in this section was to be construed to limit or delay the use of effluent limitations or other permit conditions based on or involving biological monitoring or assessment methods or previously adopted numerical criteria. 

In ASTM F78-98 Standard Practice for Selecting Generic Biological Tests Methods for Materials and Devices , the selection test methods to evaluate medical devices is described. Regarding hemocompatibility tests for blood compatibility, hemolysis, and complement activation are described. Under blood compatibility, hemolysis and thrombosis are described as the most obvious examples of incompatibility with blood. It is suggested that thrombogenicity (formation of thromboemboli or platelet activation) be tested under dynamic conditions that simulate in the use procedures for the device. Complement activation is of concern in some cases and should be tested in vitro by assessing the status of various complement components. However, complement activation will probably not represent the only portion of the inflammatory response stimulated by medical devices. 

The focus of the pilot was on the development of a practical framework for the application of biological test methods in a Triad approach. Consequently, the selection of tools for the assessment was based on scientific and pragmatic arguments, for instance by focusing on readily available techniques for determination of the concentration of contaminants in pore water and readily available biological tests such as simple bioassays and the monitoring of soil organisms. 

Tolos WP, Lowry LK, MacKenzie BA. 1991. 1-pyrenol in urine A biological monitoring method to assess exposure to polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons containing pyrene. In Cooke M, Dennis AJ, Fisher GL, eds. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons physical and biological chemistry. New York, NY Springer-Verlag, 913-926. 

Application of bioassays for ecological assessments The evaluation of threats posed to ecological receptors or functions is probably the most significant reason for the application of biological test methods. There exist different approaches for using bioassays to perform risk assessments and to draw conclusions for risk management decisions. 

Environment Agency (2002) Review of Ecotoxicological and Biological Test Methods for the Assessment of Contaminated Land. R D Technical Report P300. Available from Environment Agency Dissemination Centre, c/o WRc, Frankland Road, Swindon SN5 8YF. 

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