Pollutech maintains a complete and up-to-date biological testing facility at the Sarnia location, operated by Pollutech EnviroQuatics Limited. This facility, established in the early 1970's, has been involved with a number of standard toxicity tests and development of several new and unique procedures, both nationally and internationally.

Standard toxicity testing:

• 96-hour LC50 with Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout)
• Pass/fail rainbow trout bioassays
• Daphnia magna acute and chronic toxicity tests
• Daphnia pulex acute and chronic toxicity tests
• Benthic macroinvertebrate studies
• Flow through testing facilities for long term monitoring of fish growth and reproductive cycles
• Taste and odour panel evaluation of fish exposed to industrial effluents
• Flow through testing facilities for long term monitoring of Daphnia magna growth and reproductive capacity.
• Fathead minnow embryo and larval toxicity test evaluations of effluent discharges and specific contaminants (EPA Methods)
• Algae, Selenastrum capricornutum, toxicity tests (EPA-Methods)
• Sediment toxicity tests using fathead minnows, amphipods, daphnia and Hexagenia spp.
• Ceriodaphnia dubia toxicity test evaluations of effluent discharges and specific contaminants (EPA Methods)
• Early-life-stage fish larvae toxicity testing

Pollutech's Sarnia bioassay facilities perform both compliance and research testing on all types of environmental samples including single compound testing and complex mixtures of treated and untreated industrial wastewater.

Toxicity testing is also an important part of Pollutech's Oakville operations involved in process engineering of biological waste facilities. This includes evaluation of toxicity of industrial wastes on municipal facilities, and toxicity of municipal sludges disposed of on farmland. The process testing includes microscopic evaluations, biodegradability evaluations and oxygen uptake tests.

TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF TOXICITY TESTING

Customized Toxicity Tests

• Rainbow Trout taste and odour testing.
• Medaka (Orizias latipes) long-term growth and histology effects studies.
• Flow-through Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulex survival and reproductive studies.
• Flow-through Rainbow Trout egg survivability studies.
• Sediment toxicity tests using Hyalella azteca, and Daphnia magna benthic macroinvertebrate assessment and chemical profiling.
• Long-term Rainbow Trout tests measuring growth and health parameters (ie. histopathological responses).

Chemical Specific Tests

• Reagent Grade Acetonitrile
• Production Grade Acetonitrile
• Reagent Grade Benzene
• Reagent Grade Cadmium
• Developmental Latex Compounds
• Reagent Grade Phenol
• Reagent Grade Sodium Azide
• Reagent Grade Sodium Laurel Sulfate
• Reagent Grade Sodium Chloride
• Reagent Grade Toluene
• Reagent Grade Zinc Chloride/Zinc Oxide/Zinc Sulfate
• Boiler Additives
• Water Treatment Additives

Complex Chemicals and Wastewaters (Treated and Untreated)

• Untreated Refinery Process Streams
• Treated Petroleum Refinery Effluents
• Untreated Municipal Landfill Leachate
• Partially Treated Municipal Landfill Leachate
• Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant Influent and Effluent
• Organic Chemical Plant Bioxidation Effluent
• Treated Gold Mine/Mill Effluent
  Treated Copper/Zinc Mine/Mill Effluent
• Petroleum Contaminated Sediments
• Textile Production Facility Process Streams
• Textile Production Facility Treated Effluents
• Numerous Refinery, Organic and Inorganic Chemical Plant Effluents