ISO/CD 26607

Water quality — Determination of the estrogenic activity of surface waters and wastewaters using zebrafish embryo-based reporter gene assay ISO/CD 26607

Scope

This document specifies a method enabling the detection of chemicals in water and wastewater acting as agonist ligands of ERs to subsequently activate ER signalling pathways in the brain of zebrafish eleutheroembryos. This method, also known as EASZY assay, is based on a reporter gene assay with genetically modified eleutheroembryos of zebrafish, i.e tg(cyp19a1b:GFP).
The test method is applicable to:
- industrial or sewage effluents;
- treated or untreated wastewaters;
- aqueous extracts and leachates (waste, sludge);
- fresh water (surface and ground water),
- concentrated extracts of surface water, wastewater, industrial or sewage effluents
The test is not suitable for detecting chemicals present in water and waste waters either rapidly excreted or chemicals that do not pass the chorion. For chemicals with a molecular weight ≥ 3kDa, a very bulky molecular structure, and those causing delayed hatch which might preclude or reduce the post hatch exposure, eleutheroembryos are not expected to be sensitive due to the limited bioavailability of the chemical.