Aquatic Toxicology Research Facility

Housed within the University of Saskatchewan Toxicology Centre, the Aquatic Toxicology Research Facility (ATRF) is a self-sufficient, multi-user facility available for use by both Canadian and International investigators independently or through research partnerships with Toxicology Centre scientists.

The 650 m3 facility was designed to simultaneously provide different water quality parameters and temperatures ranging from 5 to 45°C in order to perform both static and continuous flow toxicology experiments with a broad range of freshwater organisms including algae, crustaceans, insects, clams, amphibians and small- and large-bodied species of fish. The facility includes walk-in, controlled-environment chambers and self-contained proportional diluter systems for toxicant delivery. This equipment provides ideal conditions for conducting both acute and chronic aquatic toxicity experiments.

The ATRF consists of separate rooms for animal holding/culture and experimentation/chemical exposure, and for the pre- and post-treatment of water. The high quality of water produced in the ATRF can provide users with many different freshwater characteristics for their experiments and husbandry requirements. The ATRF routinely houses and breeds common laboratory species (zebrafish, medaka, fathead minnow, rainbow trout etc.) and specializes in rearing native aquatic species collected in the field. 

Due to its flexible design, the ATRF can be adapted to work with almost any experimental design and equipment configuration.  The separate research areas contain independent lighting for photoperiod control, and distinct water lines enable the delivery of a wide range of water quality including varying water hardness and temperature.  In addition, specialized plumbing allows for collection and treatment of hazardous wastewater generated during an experiment.