The EU-funded project DEMEAU: Demonstration of promising technologies to address emerging pollutants in water and waste water held the third of its series of Utility Events in Paris, France on 29 January, 2015. In attendance were a diverse group of scientists, end users (including utility operators), and experts in the field of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology.
Hosted at the Centre d’Analyses Environmentales in collaboration with project partners (including, Veolia Recherche & Innovation (VERI), Eawag, KWR Watercycle Research Institute, and BioDetection System (BDS)), attendees engaged in collaborative knowledge exchange on the latest research and findings relating to bioassay application for water quality monitoring.
During the morning session, presenters introduced bioassays and their application for assessing environmental and health effects of pollutants in water bodies. “Bioassays present an entirely new approach to water quality monitoring,” said Dr. Eszter Simon (BDS) during her presentation, “because the focus is on testing the effects of pollutants found in water sources, rather than mining for known toxic micropollutants via targeted chemical analyses. This approach is especially useful for prescreening for both known and unknown pollutants that exert toxic effects in our waters.” The session also showcased four case studies examining the added value of bioassays in water quality monitoring.
In the afternoon session, the event featured on-site lab demonstrations of two bioassays, the Microtox assay and the CALUX assay, and allowed for hands-on learning and exploration of these new, promising technologies. Attendees were able to work in the laboratory with pipettes to run the assay experiments in real time and familiarize themselves with the process.
To wrap up the event, Ecologic Institute’s Anna Bee Szendrenyi presented attendees with a comprehensive technology brochure on bioassays to take home. The technology brochure was a collaborative effort among project partners summarizing key findings from the DEMEAU demonstration sites for bioassays thus far. To read more on the brochure, see attachment below.
