Applied Ecotoxicology

Dr. Geoffrey Sunahara
Tel.: (514) 496-8030
Fax: (514) 496-6265
E-mail: geoffrey.sunahara@cnrc-nrc.gc.ca
biography

Group Fact Sheet (pdf)

The Applied Ecotoxicology group is involved in a number of different research projects in the field of soil, sediment and aquatic ecotoxicology, specifically in the application of ecotoxicity tests for assessing the potential environmental impact of new bioproducts (including substances and mixtures) and bioprocesses from cradle to grave. The basic understanding and prediction of toxicological effects of complex mixtures of existing environmental pollutants on key components of the ecosystem are some of the group's other major objectives. To achieve these research objectives, the group uses different bacterial, plant and invertebrate toxicity tests, as well as biochemical markers of exposure and toxicity to soil organisms and vertebrates species (mammals and birds), to characterize the potential hazardous effects of chemicals on the ecosystem. Chemicals of concern include: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, energetic materials, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and heavy metals. These areas of research will provide the basis for improved design and eventual application of new cost-effective ecotoxicological approaches such as Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), to characterize the biological impact of pollutants on the environment for accurate and scientifically defensible product development.

Bardai G, Sunahara GI, Spear PA, Gong P, Hawari J. (2005) Effects of Dietary Administration of CL-20 on the Japanese Quail Coturnix coturnix japonica. Arch. Environ. Contamin. Toxicol. 49: 215-222.

Robidoux, PY, Dubois, C, Hawari J, Sunahara GI. (2004) Assessment of Soil Toxicity from an Antitank Range Using Lumbriculus terrestris and Eisenia andrei in Mesocosms and Laboratory Studies. Ecotoxicology 13: 603-614.

Rocheleau S, Kuperman RG, Martel M, Paquet L, Bardai G, Wong S, Sarrazin M, Dodard S, Gong P, Hawari J, Checkai RT, Sunahara GI. (2006) Phytotoxicity of Nitroaromatic Energetic Compounds Freshly Amended or Weathered and Aged in Sandy Loam Soil. Chemosphere 62: 545-558.

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