FAQ

Sampling is not a service offered by Ecotox Services Australia. However, we provide a Sampling Kit, including sample bottles, esky, chain-of-custody / Service Request From, sample labels, sample security and esky seals and shipping labels. We recommend the use of our bottles and sample containers for all sampling.

Ecotox Services provides a Sampling Kit, including sample bottles and esky to be used for sampling. If you wish to use your own bottles, note that samples have to be collected in appropriately cleaned amber-glass bottles with Teflon wadded lids. The sample bottles should be triple rinsed with the sample before completely filling each bottle ensuring no headspace. We generally recommend that environmental samples (effluents, receiving waters etc) be pre-chilled prior to packing in the sample esky and consignment to shipping.

As a rule of thumb, we usually require 1 litre of sample for each test to be performed (and 3 litres of dilution water if required). Extra sample and dilution water might be required when running a test with larger organisms such as fish, shrimp and amphipods. Please contact us for more details.

You should consult with the Regulator or Determining Authority as to any specific sampling and testing requirements, and provide us any specific requirements. We generally recommend that environmental samples (effluents, receiving waters etc) be pre-chilled prior to packing in the sample esky and consignment to shipping. Shipping of samples to the ESA laboratory is your responsibility, and must be by the most expedient and time-efficient means.

The chain-of-custody forms also provide us with the definitive information on the toxicity tests to be performed. Please note that testing will be delayed if an incomplete chain of custody is received.

We are un-aware of any Australian sample-holding-time constraints for ecotoxicity testing of environmental samples (apart from a maximum 8-week holding times for sediment dredge spoil samples), however some regulators have previously referred to USEPA and other guidance documents for sample holding time restrictions.

The final report will be available 10 working days following test termination. We also provide interim results on request. Note that interim results are not usually QA reviewed.

Ecotox Services Australia provides laboratory testing services on a commercial basis in a similar manner to a commercial analytical testing laboratory. We are not a consultancy, and therefore we do not provide any interpretation services.

Although we strive to ensure that every toxicity test that we perform meets quality assurance acceptability criteria on the first run, a certain proportion of tests will fail to do so. Our policy is that we will repeat a test until we meet the quality assurance criteria, at no additional cost to you. However, we will not be liable for the direct or indirect costs (such as the collection of fresh samples).