Three new aquatic laboratories will open in Spring 2019

Translational science and research organisation, Fera Science Limited, has begun construction work on a new aquatic laboratory testing facility, which will provide a broadening range of ecotoxicology test services directly from the organisation’s site in Sand Hutton, Yorkshire.

The state-of-the-art facility, which will include three advanced testing rooms and associated plant rooms, will be able to replicate a range of simulated study environments that means a wider variety of fish ecotoxicology testing studies can take place. The facility is scheduled to be officially validated and operational in Spring 2019.

Fish studies constitute one of the key areas of testing required to determine safety levels of chemicals either being developed and tested for the first time, or existing chemical compound products going through the relevant re-registration process. The facility is ideal for a range of chemical product developers to complete their regulatory testing requirements, including agri-chemicals, veterinary medicine or pharmaceutical industries.

The dedicated and expert research team at the facility, which consists of three scientists all with first-class degrees and a support technician, will be able to replicate both cold and warm water environments, meaning that a broad range of studies will be possible.

“Our team will use the facility, which includes a variety of different sized tanks that offer flow through pumping equipment, to conduct a range of tests that will benefit the various industries that we serve,” Dr Andrew Swift PhD, CEO at Fera Science Ltd said.

“Studies will include acute 96-hour tests that will be able to determine the levels of legal concentration for a new product, to much longer bioconcentration studies that expose the fish to a higher dosage of the chemicals to determine whether it is absorbed into the organism’s tissue.”

The new aquatic labs will enable studies to be completed to meet the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regulations, which are a series of global polices and standards that aim to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

OECD203 covers acute fish studies for the protection of secondary consumers, OECD210 and OECD211 are long-term and chronic studies for the protection of primary consumers and OECD305 studies indications of bioconcentration and the relevant bioconcentration factor (BCF), uptake and depuration rates.

The facility will add to the growing range of ecotoxicological test services provided by Fera to support environmental risk assessments for companies developing chemical-based products.

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About Fera Science

Fera Science Limited (Fera), formerly the Food and Environment Research Agency, is a joint venture based in the United Kingdom owned by Capita (75%) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (25%). Its aim is to support and develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment, and to protect the global community from biological and chemical risks.