|
In the News Index
|
New Toxicity Testing Method Featured at Environmental Conference in Beijing, China
Carlsbad, California, July 17, 2006 — The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) has accepted a scientific presentation and added Assure Controls' QwikLite™ technology to their conference at the SETAC Asia/Pacific 2006 meeting to be held in Beijing, China from September 18 to 20, 2006. The theme of this year's conference is "Growth with a Limit: the Integration of Ecosystem Protection for Human Health Benefits." SETAC is a nonprofit, worldwide professional society, promoting the advancement and application of scientific research related to contaminants and other stressors in the environment, and the use of science in environmental policy and decision-making. The conference will be held at Peking University, China.
Connie Liao, Environmental Application Specialist with Assure Controls, Inc, will present to the conference attendees her presentation entitled "QwikLite™ 200: An automated, dependable toxicity measurement system for assessing contamination in seawater, sediments, and freshwater." Ms. Liao's credentials include a BS in Environmental Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego; and a MS in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ms. Liao was briefly employed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1999.
The presentation will be part of the conference's program on International Standardization of Toxicity Testing Methods. Ms. Liao will describe the results of several US government environmental projects utilizing a patented technology called "QwikLite™". The novel method utilizes bioluminescent marine plankton as a method of quickly determining toxic levels of contamination in water and sediments. When levels of inorganic and organic substances increase, the light output of the aquatic organisms is reduced in a predictable fashion that is easy and accurately measured. In addition, the conference organizers have asked that Ms. Liao consider a workshop for attendees at the meeting.
In May 2005, the Office of Naval Research licensed the QwikLite™ technology to Assure Controls, Inc., a California company that will soon introduce a system that uses an instrument and disposable test kits for rapid on-site assessment detection of contaminants at toxic levels. "Our testing system provides a new level tool for achieving an integrated plan of environmental protection and human healthcare improvement, so the SETAC conference is a perfect audience for presenting this scientific information," stated Bryan Bjorndal, President.
"We are very excited about the capability of this new method as a breakthrough in overall planning for determining sources of contamination, water quality improvement, and monitoring of remediation efforts," noted Ms. Liao, a member of SETAC and former presenter at the 1998 SETAC Europe annual meeting in Bordeaux, France.
# # #
Contact Assure Controls:
Mickele Hughes Bragg
p: 760.505.3000 x3
f: 760.306.7872
mhughes@assurecontrols.com
www.AssureControls.com
|
 |
