The 2015 Annual Meeting of SETAC German Language Branch in Zurich (7-10 September, 2015): Ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry-from research to application.

This report provides a brief review of the 20th annual meeting of the German Language Branch of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC GLB) held from September 7th to 10th 2015 at ETH (Swiss Technical University) in Zurich, Switzerland. The event was chaired by Inge Werner, Director of the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology (Ecotox Centre) Eawag-EPFL, and organized by a team from Ecotox Centre, Eawag, Federal Office of the Environment, Federal Office of Agriculture, and Mesocosm GmbH (Germany). Over 200 delegates from academia, public agencies and private industry of Germany, Switzerland and Austria attended and discussed the current state of science and its application presented in 75 talks and 83 posters.

Characterizing the effects of bisphenol A on sediment-dwelling benthic organisms.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical intermediate used primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It primarily enters surface water and sediment via effluent discharges during its manufacture and use. The physical properties of BPA suggest that sediment is a potential sink and may result in exposure to benthic organisms.

Adult fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, partial life-cycle reproductive and gonadal histopathology study with bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an intermediate used to produce epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. Although BPA degrades rapidly in the environment with aquatic half-lives from 0.5 to 6 d, it can be found in aquatic systems because of widespread use.

Relevance of drinking water as a source of human exposure to bisphenol A.

A comprehensive search of studies describing bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations in drinking water and source waters (i.e., surface water and groundwater) was conducted to evaluate the relevance of drinking water as a source of human exposure and risk.

Early life-stage and multigeneration toxicity study with bisphenol A and fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas).

Regulatory guidelines for long term testing to assess the toxicity of xenobiotic compounds such as bisphenol A (BPA) with fish have focused on survival, growth, and development in early life stages. Early life stages are critical windows of exposure, but do not address later phases in the life cycle, such as reproduction, that are equally important for the continued survival of the organisms. Residual amounts of BPA are released to surface water.

Estimating potential risks to terrestrial invertebrates and plants exposed to bisphenol A in soil amended with activated sludge biosolids.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume substance primarily used to produce polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. During manufacture and use, BPA may enter wastewater treatment plants. During treatment, BPA may become adsorbed to activated sludge biosolids, which may expose soil organisms to BPA if added to soil as an amendment.

Acute and chronic toxicity testing of bisphenol A with aquatic invertebrates and plants.

Bisphenol A (BPA, 4,4'-isopropylidine diphenol) is a commercially important chemical used primarily as an intermediate in the production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Extensive effect data are currently available, including long-term studies with BPA on fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and mollusks. The aim of this study was to perform additional tests with a number of aquatic invertebrates and an aquatic plant.

Effects of food type, feeding frequency, and temperature on juvenile survival and growth of Marisa cornuarietis (Mollusca: Gastropoda).

The present experiments are part of a larger study designed to investigate the influence of husbandry parameters on the life history of the ramshorn snail, Marisa cornuarietis, in order to identify suitable husbandry conditions for maintaining multi-generation populations in the laboratory for use in ecotoxicological testing. In this paper we focus on the effects of a combination of food types and feeding frequencies (i.e.

Effects of husbandry parameters on the life-history traits of the apple snail, Marisa cornuarietis: effects of temperature, photoperiod, and population density.

These experiments are part of a larger study designed to investigate the influence of husbandry parameters on the life history of the apple snail, Marisa cornuarietis. The overall objective of the program is to identify suitable husbandry conditions for maintaining multi-generation populations of this species in the laboratory for use in ecotoxicological testing. In this article, we focus on the effects of photoperiod, temperature, and population density on adult fecundity and juvenile growth.

Effects of bisphenol a on fecundity, egg hatchability, and juvenile growth of Marisa cornuarietis.

Recent work on the snail Marisa cornuarietis has claimed to show endocrine disruption in response to bisphenol A (BPA). The present experimental design was optimized to detect effects of BPA on fecundity, egg hatchability, and juvenile growth, with an emphasis on reproduction, since previous studies suggested this to be a sensitive endpoint. No differences in eggs/female/ month between unexposed snails and snails exposed to nominal concentrations of 0.

Does bisphenol A induce superfeminization in Marisa cornuarietis? Part I: intra- and inter-laboratory variability in test endpoints.

It has been claimed that bisphenol A (BPA) induces superfeminization in the freshwater gastropod, Marisa cornuarietis. To explore the reproducibility of prior work, here we present results from a three-laboratory study, the objectives of which were to determine the mean and variability in test endpoints (i.e.

Does bisphenol A induce superfeminization in Marisa cornuarietis? Part II: toxicity test results and requirements for statistical power analyses.

This study presents results of the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on adult egg production, egg hatchability, egg development rates and juvenile growth rates in the freshwater gastropod, Marisa cornuarietis. We observed no adult mortality, substantial inter-snail variability in reproductive output, and no effects of BPA on reproduction during 12 weeks of exposure to 0, 0.1, 1.

Seasonal variations of caloric values in herbaceous plants.

In 1975 some higher herbaceous plants of two different habitats were investigated according to seasonal variations of their caloric values both on a dry weight base and on an ash-free dry weight base. In eight speceis of a meadow and an old-field community, which were harvested each second month from February to December 1975, there were slight changes in energy content despite the fact that only flowering stages have been analysed. The reasons for these variations are climatic resp.

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In August 1973 and in August 1974 11 macrophytes of a pond-shore community near Bonn (West Germany) were investigated with regard to caloric values and ash content as well as the variability of these parameters. Due to the high constancy of the most important factor, 'availability of water', caloric values varied over rather narrow ranges or did not change at all. Mean values of the caloric determinations were obtained (4157.