Biosensors for environmental diagnostics
A recent publication on "Biosensors for environmental diagnostics" reflecting the current knowledge and trends in this field is now available. The publication originates from the proceedings of the fifth European workshop on the role and stability of biosensors for environmental monitoring held in May 1997. The workshop was jointly organised by the European Commission and the Technical University of Munich, with support from the EU's Environment and Climate research programme. Biosensors combine the power of microelectronics with the selectivity and sensitivity of biological components to detect individual substances, or groups of substances, in the environment. It is expected that they will play a major role in future environmental monitoring. They can detect biological effects such as genotoxicity, immunotoxicity and endocrine responses and provide fast, continuous and inexpensive measurement systems. This approach is expected not only to provide a significant contribution to measurement technology but also to be employed as a basis for political decisions.