17 - A comparison of commonly used and commercially available bioassays for aquatic ecosystems

Abstract

Bioassays are common alternatives to chemical analysis for assessing toxicity and detecting potential pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. A large number of bioassays are in use for this purpose and many of them are commercially available on the market. Mostly these bioassays are not restricted to specific groups of toxins or pollutants but rather respond to heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, organic toxic substances, pesticides, and other toxicants—however with different sensitivity to the different groups of chemicals. Sensitivity, response time, and cost are the major factors in choosing a bioassay. This chapter focuses on the comparison of the most common bioassays used in aquatic ecotoxicology in terms of their sensitivity, cost, and response time.