Median Effective Concentration; the concentration of a substance estimated to have an effect- lethal or non-lethal - on 50% of the group of organisms.
Ecotoxicity
Ecotoxicology is the study of how chemicals affect the environment and the organisms living in it. The assessment of that effect will involve acute and chronic testing of the target organism and these data are combined with Fate data in order to arrive at an environmental risk assessment.
Endocrine Disrupters
Since concerns regarding environmental oestrogens first hit the global headlines in the early 1990s, scientific knowledge and regulatory activity have broadened to include other hormone targets such as androgens and thyroid hormones. Collectively termed Endocrine Disrupters, there is a major international resaerch effort underway to address knowledge gaps, and Brixham Environmental Laboratory is actively involved in this research area.
