Vol. 2: editors, Bernard J. Dutka, Gabriel Bitton.

As an integral component of environmental policy, it has become essential to regulate and monitor toxic substances. Past emphasis has been primarily on analytical approaches to the detection of specific, targeted contaminants, thus allowing chemical characterisation. However, toxicity testing or biological assessment is necessary for ecotoxicological evaluation, and this offers marked benefits and advantages that complement chemical analysis. Key issues to be addressed include identification of pertinent tests, reproducibility and robustness of these tests, and cost considerations.This book examines these issues and describes and explains the approaches that have been developed for environmental toxicity evaluations. Advantages, benefits and drawbacks of the strategies and methods are highlighted. Directed equally at ecotoxicologists, industrial chemists, analytical chemists and environmental consultants, this book is written in a way that will prove helpful to both new and experienced practitioners.

This broad review is the first to gather comprehensive information on the complete contemporary range of toxicity testing procedures and hazard assessment procedures, which is normally scattered and difficult to find. The two-volume set provides a consistent, template-based approach, linking relevant information on background, theory and practice to each bioassay. Volume 1 covers small-scale toxicity test methods. Includes extensive glossary.

The pesticide should cause effect on the target pests and be selective enough to spare the non-target beneficial. The book deals with the pesticide toxicity to predators, parasitoids and microbes which are used for pest management in the agroecosystem. The other beneficials exposed to pesticides are pollinators, earthworms, silkworm and fishes. The book contains information on the modes of pesticide exposure and toxicity to the organisms, sub-lethal effects of insecticides and method of toxicity assessment, risk assessment of pesticidal application in the field. The purpose of the work is to compile and present the different procedures to assess pesticide poising in organisms related to the agroecosystem along with discussions on risk assessment procedures with clear comparison of toxicity of pesticides to target pests and non target beneficial organisms.