Publications by authors named "Els Smit"

Behavioural analysis has been attracting significant attention as a broad indicator of sub-lethal toxicity and has secured a place as an important subdiscipline in ecotoxicology. Among the most notable characteristics of behavioural research, compared to other established approaches in sub-lethal ecotoxicology (e.g.

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For decades, we have known that chemicals affect human and wildlife behavior. Moreover, due to recent technological and computational advances, scientists are now increasingly aware that a wide variety of contaminants and other environmental stressors adversely affect organismal behavior and subsequent ecological outcomes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. There is also a groundswell of concern that regulatory ecotoxicology does not adequately consider behavior, primarily due to a lack of standardized toxicity methods.

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Environmental quality standards (EQSs) for 3 pharmaceuticals in surface water were derived: carbamazepine (epilepsy), metoprolol (heart failure), and metformin (diabetes). In recent years, these pharmaceuticals have been detected frequently in Dutch surface waters. The proposed standards are based on ecotoxicity data from national and European authorization dossiers and additional information obtained from open literature.

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Article Synopsis
  • The exposure of Folsomia candida to zinc-contaminated food led to reduced growth and lower final fresh weight, especially at 20 mg/g dry food.
  • At a lower exposure level of 5 mg/g dry food, significant negative effects were observed, including longer juvenile periods, delayed development, smaller first clutches, reduced egg viability, and fewer individuals reaching reproductive maturity.
  • The analysis indicated that the juvenile period was the most sensitive factor affecting the population growth rate of springtails in contaminated environments.
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