The objective of Aquatox ToxProfiles is to provide a low cost alternative to the procurement of vital environmental information. While Aquatox ToxProfiles were initially developed in response to the needs of wastewater treatment plant pretreatment coordinators to ascertain the potential impact of new chemical discharges to their facilities, their application extends to any individual in need of information lacking the resources to efficiently assemble that information.
Toxicity profiles provide an indication of the acute toxicity to either freshwater or marine fish (fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas or sheepshead minnows, Cyprinodon variegatus), invertebrates (Ceriodaphnia dubia or Mysidopsis bahia), and bacteria (Microtox, Vibrio fischeri). Reporting priority is given to those species routinely used in regulatory activities such as National or State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permits. Typically reported environmental information includes scientific and common names of the test organism, test endpoint, and exposure duration along with the chemical concentration value. Interested parties can review a sample report or Contact Us for a descriptive brochure and order form. Written orders only may be placed either in writing or on-line.
Aquatox Research derives information for inclusion in an Aquatox ToxProfile from several sources. Aquatox Research maintains an in-house library of reference texts and scientific literature cataloged by author, title, and keyword in an in-house computerized database system of environmental information. Aquatox Research has also identified key internet sites that can be searched for environmental information not available in-house. Finally, Aquatox Research personnel have access to the resources of a number of academic technical libraries in the Central New York area.
Aquatox Research’s quality control approach with respect to the generation of ToxProfiles involves maintaining standard operating procedures for conducting searches. This ensures that each profile will benefit from a standardized approach to environmental information collection. Data are drawn for the most part from original technical articles, not abstracted summaries from commercial databases to avoid a loss of information or errors from misinterpretation. Development of a ToxProfile report may only take a few hours however delays in issuing reports are typically driven by the time involved in procuring copies of original documents from which data are cited to ensure accuracy in reporting.