Suomen ympäristökeskus

 

This document specifies the crucial steps of a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method to quantify the abundance of specific mRNA molecules extracted from Daphnia magna. The method allows the identification of molecular responses to exposures for potentially toxic substances through the analysis of the abundance of specific mRNA molecules. In this document, the central genes involved in reproductive and toxic responses are included. NOTE The selection of genes can be adapted to specific exposure conditions, for example, exposure to known toxic substances, by adding genes known to respond to a specific insult. The present method allows for rapid, robust and sensitive detection of molecular responses and can be used to analyse the toxic effects of water leachates from soil and waste. The method gives information of the concentration of a substance or test-liquid at which toxic effects begin to occur prior to observations of reproductive or toxic effects at higher levels of organization, which reduces the need for the use of safety factors in toxicity assessment. The method is useful in several types of risk assessment. In this document, the genes studied are appropriate for the assessment of the risks when recycling materials and for the classification of waste, but the method can be adapted to other types of risk assessment by including other genes.

 

This document describes a spectrophotometric method for determining the chlorophyll-a content corrected for phaeopigments as a measure of the amount of phytoplankton for all types of surface water including marine water. The determination limit is usually 2 µg/l to 5 µg/l and is calculated by each laboratory individually. It can be as low as 0,5 µg/l using 2 l of sample (or even more) and a 50 mm cuvette. NOTE In some measurement programs like marine studies on time series data and ecological status/classification no correction for phaeopigments is used and acidification is omitted, e.g. as recommended by OSPAR.

 

ISO 10253:2016 specifies a method for the determination of the inhibition of growth of the unicellular marine algae Skeletonema sp. and Phaeodactylum tricornutum by substances and mixtures contained in sea water or by environmental water samples (effluents, elutriates, etc.). The method can be used for testing substances that are readily soluble in water and are not significantly degraded or eliminated in any other way from the test medium.

 

This document specifies a method for the determination of the inhibition of growth of the unicellular marine algae Skeletonema sp. and Phaeodactylum tricornutum by substances and mixtures contained in sea water or by environmental water samples (effluents, elutriates, etc.). The method can be used for testing substances that are readily soluble in water and are not significantly degraded or eliminated in any other way from the test medium.

 

This document specifies a method for quick measurement of soil temperature using an IR thermometer. The method is applicable to a variety of the technical fields that include geology, geotechnics, biology and agricultural sciences as well as climate change studies and metrological investigation. The screening method designated in this document is recognized as quick measurement in ISO 4974 even while screening method is defined in ISO 12404, 3.2.

 

This part of ISO 10705 specifies the general principles for assessing the performance of methods for the concentration of bacteriophages from water. Concentration is recommended for those water samples expected to contain < 3 pfp (plaque-forming particles) per millilitre. Concentration methods can be applied to all kinds of water provided that the amount and nature of suspended solids and/or dissolved matter do not interfere with the concentration procedure. This part of ISO 10705 does not give specific details of concentration methods, but outlines the fundamental principles for evaluating the suitability of a particular method for a given type and volume of water. Annex A gives examples of methods that have been found satisfactory and their fields of application.

 

This part of ISO 15923 specifies methods for the automatic performance of spectrophotometric and turbidimetric analyses with a discrete analysis system for determining ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, chloride, orthophosphate, sulfate, and silicate. The field of application is ground, potable, surface, waste, eluates, and boiler water.