To help protect our freshwater ecosystems, tools need to be developed that detect harmful chemicals and biological agents before they are a serious problem. This team studied the effects of five environmental contaminants and the real-time effects of these contaminants on the respiratory oxygen consumption of fish embryos.

This process uses technology that measures respiration, which is the first of a fish’s bodily functions affected by contaminants, and provides results quickly, usually within minutes. This system recently detected the presence of toxins at levels below those that are accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Marshall Porterfield is an Associate Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, and is the Co-Director of the Physiological Sensing Facility, a collaborative core within the Bindley Bioscience Center at Discovery Park. Dr. Porterfield's teaching and research focus is on advanced physiological sensing technologies for research applications in biology, agriculture, and medicine.