Influence of Environment Canada’s Grey Literature

Peter Wells, a member of the EIUI team, recently co-authored a paper published in the Water Quality Research Journal of Canada entitled “Regulatory Ecotoxicity Testing in Canada – Activities and Influence of the Inter-Governmental Ecotoxicological Testing Group (IGETG)”(48(1),14-29, 2013; www.iwaponline.com/wqrjc/o48/). This ad-hoc scientific group, affiliated with Environment Canada, has been working since 1976 on the standardization of aquatic and terrestrial toxicity test methods, and the development of supportive guidance documents, which are used in support of Canadian federal legislation such as the Fisheries Act and the Environmental Protection Act. The methods and guidance documents are published as extensively peer-reviewed, technical reports, i.e., grey literature, by Environment Canada, in the series EPS 1/RM, available on the departmental website at http://www.ec.gc.ca/faunescience-wildlifescience. The internationally recognized methods are widely used in Canada to assist in pollution enforcement and compliance, in environmental assessments and monitoring, and in environmental effects monitoring programs. IGETG’s publications provide another tangible example of the production and application, i.e., use and influence, of scientific information published as grey literature.

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