ECOTOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF POLLUTANTS BY CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS - A MINIREVIEW

In order to prevent and control the increasing pollution, especially i n coastal and inland waters, it is necessary to undertake a co-ordinat ed and interdisciplinary research programme on the characterisation an d assay, transport and dispersal, biological effects and ultimate fate of contaminants. Biological effects of chemical stressors appear earl ier at molecular, biochemical and cellular levels, than in the organis m, population and community; therefore at the lowest biological levels , stress indicator are more sensitive and allow an earlier detection o f harmful effects. The present minireview reports the data of research , carried out by our group for several years in Idotea baltica (Crusta cea, Isopoda), is an example of integration between biological and che mical data.