New ECETOC expert report: Advancing OECD TG 309 biodegradation testing

A new expert meeting report is now available on the ECETOC website exploring how OECD TG 309 can be made more robust and environmentally relevant for chemical persistence assessment.

The report reflects discussions among experts from industry, academia and regulatory authorities. While OECD TG 309 remains an important tool for assessing aerobic degradation in surface water, participants highlighted the sensitivity of test outcomes to factors such as inoculum characteristics, sampling conditions, temperature, test concentration and microbial community changes.

The report presents practical recommendations that could be applied within the current guideline. It also identifies longer-term research priorities, including testing multiple inocula, developing rapid methods to assess inoculum quality, exploring semi-continuous or flow-through systems, and improving the comparability of biodegradation data.

🔗 Read the full report