[Ecotoxicology exemplified by an analysis of the chemical spill into the caused Rhine by Sandoz in Basel].

A fire at a chemical manufacturing plant at Schweizerhalle (near Basel) in November 1986 and the subsequent release of toxic agrochemicals into the Rhine river is taken as a basis to discuss some problems and needs in ecotoxicological research. Especially serious is the lack of knowledge about chronic effects of mixtures of chemicals to individuals and whole ecosystems. There is an urgent need for generally applicable principles and concepts. A discussion of the relationship between toxic effects to fish, exposure time, and concentration provides some hints about the direction towards which research should proceed. Finally, eight theses pertaining to ecotoxicology summarize what can be learned from the analysis of a chemical spill.