Method Development

Dr. Bailey participated in the early development of many of the toxicity tests currently in use. He was a member of the original Scientific Advisory Group that oversaw development of California`s Marine Test Protocols developed under the Ocean Plan. The abalone, topsmelt and giant kelp tests were later incorporated in USEPA`s West Coast Manual. Dr. Bailey was also project lead on a study for the State Water Resources Control Board that developed test methods for species found in California`s estuarine waters, including channel catfish, white sturgeon, opossum shrimp, Korean prawn, and striped bass. He also published early methods for use of the aquatic oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, which is now the focus of standard methods for water and sediment toxicity and bioaccumulation test protocols. More recently, Dr. Bailey and colleagues developed and published a method for conducting short-term toxicity tests with trout embryos that can be used in both the laboratory and in the field. TThe use of in situ studies provides an opportunity to quantitatively evaluate the potential effects of a discharge under the conditions found in the actual receiving environment. This approach, used in conjunction with bioassessment evaluations, has the power to not only provide a more comprehensive picture of the health of a stream and associated receiving environment, but also to identify the source of any related impairments.

Finally, virtually all toxicity laboratories in California use a miniaturized version of the giant kelp toxicity test procedures specified in the USEPA manual. However, these modifications have never been approved by the regulatory agencies. Consequently, Dr. Bailey provided guidance in test design and data analysis to the City of San Diego, which carried out a comparison between the two methods. The results of this validation study have been presented at local and national conferences, and a manuscript is in preparation for publication in the peer-reviewed literature.