Bioassay: A laboratory uses a sample of your waste to test if it kills fish or other animals at a certain concentration.
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Chemical testing at an analytical lab can give you data about your waste if you are uncertain of its composition.
If you receive more than one test endpoint (that is, fish, oral-rat, inhalation-rat, or dermal-rabbit), the value with the highest toxicity must be used.
For example:
- Results from tests on salmonids (the family of fish that includes salmon, trout, and other fish) must be used before tests on minnows.
- Results from minnows must be used before tests on other animals.
These show the results from previous tests for specific chemicals. To use this method you will need to know the concentration of specific chemicals in your waste. Use the most conservative results noted in the material’s safety data sheet (SDS) and databases.
Here are some common toxicity databases: