PORTLAND — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Maine’s Bigelow Laboratory use of a new method of testing shellfish toxicity that lab officials say is the first of its kind in the nation.
The East Boothbay lab tests shellfish samples provided by the Maine Department of Marine Resources for paralytic shellfish toxins. A laboratory spokeswoman said researchers will now analyze a slurry made of shellfish. The work began this week.
Lab officials said the method replaces an old process that involved testing on mice. That process had been used for 40 years. Officials said the new way is more precise and efficient.
Lab officials said Maine’s rollout of the program will be a model for the rest of the United States. European countries, Australia, and New Zealand use similar methods.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
EditorialsOur View: Abuse of election workers is an attack on democracy
-
Columnists
Maine Compass: University of Maine System’s leadership has lost its checks and balances
-
Opinion
Today’s editorial cartoon
-
Columnists
Community Compass: June 14 broadband vote is about preparing Readfield for the future
-
Movie Review J.P. Devine
‘Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy’ back with season 2
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.