Brett Lyons leads a group at Cefas that conducts chemical risk assessments through multi-disciplinary approaches. The group analyzes the fate and effects of chemicals in aquatic ecosystems, and develops testing guidelines through international organizations. It has extensive analytical chemistry capabilities and facilities for studying chemicals. The group performs a wide range of ecotoxicology tests on invertebrates, fish, and amphibians. It also conducts environmental monitoring, effects testing, and uses sticklebacks as a model species. The group identifies causes of toxicity in complex samples and links biomarkers to behavior.

1. Chemical Risk Assessment
Brett Lyons
Environment and Animal Health Group

2. Environmental Risk Assessment
• Multi-disciplinary approach to the risk
assessment of organic and inorganic
chemicals in aquatic ecosystems.
• Fate and effects of natural and
synthetic chemicals in both fresh
water and marine systems (including
food chain assessments).
• Scientists actively involved in OECD
and other international test guideline
developments.
– Chair UK NC3Rs (Replacement, Refinement
and Reduction) Regulatory Toxicology
Committee (Ecotoxicology Working Group).
– OECD Endocrine Disrupters Testing &
Assessment Working Group (Ecotoxicology
Validation Management Group).
– OECD Validation Management Group in
Ecotoxicology for test guideline
development (Fish Experts Group).

3. Environmental Chemistry and Fate
• Extensive analytical chemistry
capabilities for metals, nutrients,
organic chemicals and radionuclides,
including trace level environmental
analyses.
• Wide range of in-house specialist
facilities including GC-MS, GC-MS/MS,
GC-ECD, HPLC, ICP-MS and LC-MS/MS.
• The high quality of Cefas science is
reflected through accreditation
(including GLP, ISO, MCERTS and
UKAS).

4. Ecotoxicology and effects assessment
• In depth skills in hazard assessment of
chemicals using a suite of freshwater
and marine ecotoxcity tests .
• Tests include:
– In vitro assays (e.g. YAS, YES, CALUX)
– Acute invertebrate testing (e.g.
Daphnia magna OECD 202 and 211).
– Chronic partial and full life cycle
invertebrate assays (shrimps,
copepods, oysters, and sediment
dwelling organisms)
– Acute fish studies (e.g. OCED 203)
– Chronic and partial life cycle fish
studies including zebrafish, rainbow
trout and sticklebacks (e.g. OECD 210,
212, 215)
– Amphibian metamorphosis assay
(OECD 231).

5. Environmental effects monitoring
• Environmental monitoring is a
valuable tool for environmental risk
assessment (ERA) and environmental
impact assessment (EIA).
– Field collection environmental
samples (from point source to ocean).
– Biological effects testing .
– Quality assured chemical analysis.
– Effluent characterisation (Integrated
chemical fractionation and biological
effects screening).
– Validation of fate effects modelling
data.

6. TIE (Toxicity Identification Evaluation): identifying
causes of toxicity in complex samples
Complex
mixture
Biological
analysis
Chemical
analysis
Biological
Fractionation analysis
Responsible
toxicant

7. Bespoke testing systems

8. The stickleback as a sentinel and model species
• Small teleost (easy to keep in the lab).
• Present all around the North Hemisphere.
• One of three species truly endemic to the
British Isles.
• Fresh, estuarine, and marine waters
• Well-documented biology.
• Complete genome sequence (US), bridge
the gap between model and sentinel
species.
• Unique traits/tools for endocrine
disruption research and OECD type
testing (early life stage, juvenile growth
etc)

9. Linking biomarkers Spiggin assay
to behaviour (androgens)
Toxico-genomic platforms
Testicular pathology:
Intersex (ovotestis) Field monitoring

10. Chemical risk and population relevant endpoints
Sebire et al., (2008). The model anti-androgen flutamide suppresses the expression of typical male
stickleback reproductive behaviour. Aquatic Toxicology 90 (1), pp. 37-47.

11. For further information please
contact:
brett.lyons@cefas.co.uk
jason.weeks@cefas.co.uk
tom.hutchinson@cefas.co.uk