Okay, so if Dr. Speakman was excited about fungi, Dr. Christoph Kunast is simply buggy about insects.

Kunast’s job with BASF is ecotoxoxicology, which he explains “is the science of side effects of chemicals against living organisms.”

“What we must ensure for registration purposes is that these side effects are acceptable,” said Kunast. What that means is politically driven to some extent, he says, and can be some what of a moving target as the criteria keeps getting more stringent.

Dr. Kunast spent some time talking about Colony Collapse Disorder and its effects on his honey bee friends and what might be causing it. He also showed us his little hissing cockroach friend – a short video we’ll post here soon.

Listen to Dr. Kunast’s opening monologue about ecotoxicology here:
basf-kunast.mp3

Post Update: Here’s that video.

View the Flickr Photo Album from BASF in Germany and Brussels