Final Report Summary - TOX-TRAIN (implementation of a TOXicity assessment Tool for pRActical evaluation of life-cycle Impacts of techNologies (TOX-TRAIN))
OBJECTIVES -- TOX-TRAIN (http://toxtrain.eu) stands for the implementation of a toxicity assessment tool for practical evaluation of life-cycle impacts of technologies. The main objective of the four-year long project funded by the European Commission is to create a user-friendly tool-box to characterize human toxicological and ecotoxicological impacts related to emissions released over the life-cycle of products and technologies. The partners of TOX-TRAIN, experts of both commercial and academic organizations aimed at transforming the latest scientific developments into usable and efficient tools for researchers, industries and everyone interested in toxic life cycle impact assessment of products and technologies. The overall goal of TOX-TRAIN is to test and improve the validity, applicability and relevance of toxicity characterization applied in environmental life cycle impact assessment for a selected number of chemicals with focus on improving and advancing the scientific consensus model USEtox (http://usetox.org). Specific project objectives are thereby to
(a) improve current toxicity impact assessment models used in life cycle impact assessment,
(b) quantify chemical emissions and related potential toxicity impacts,
(c) apply new developments in emission quantification and toxicity characterization in case studies,
(d) put forward an update proposal for the scientific consensus toxicity characterization tool USEtox,
(e) provide training and outreach of USEtox including the new developments under TOX-TRAIN, and
(f) document and provide guidelines of all new TOX-TRAIN developments and a full documentation of USEtox.
RESULTS -- Work performed and results achieved within the TOX-TRAIN project include
(a) a literature review of relevant emission models, the analysis of existing and development of new emission quantification tools,
(b) the development and implementation of exposure models covering household and industrial indoor settings, agricultural and industrial near-field settings and consumer products use settings,
(c) recommendations on experimental data as well as quantitative structure-activity relationships to be used to address the impacts of non-carcinogenic human health impacts for a number of chemicals and the fate and/or effect of specifically triazoles and pharmaceuticals,
(d) the implementation of case studies in close collaboration between the commercial and non-commercial TOX-TRAIN partners where newly developed project data and models are tested and evaluated along with a list of relevant substances currently not characterized in USEtox based on legal recommendations, environmental relevance and data availability, and
(e) the organization of training courses and workshops at international events, display of posters, presentation of USEtox to companies in the chemical, agro-food and cosmetics sectors, development of the workflow for a new user-friendly interface to USEtox.
Cross-cutting results achieved in TOX-TRAIN include
(a) the consistent implementation of a full and transparent documentation of the USEtox model for human and ecotoxicity assessment,
(b) the successful dissemination of USEtox via an introduction video (http://vimeo.com/67674296) and through several courses to which over 200 participants from 25 countries participated,
(c) the organization of three international workshops in the field of toxicity assessment of pesticides in life cycle assessment involving 71 experts from the industry, academia and public institutions from 16 countries,
(d) a set of operational tools and data for emissions and chemical properties available for USEtox for a number of compound groups, including ionic and amphiphilic substances, persistent bioaccumulating chemicals or metabolites, pesticides and biocides, with a specific focus on assessing various types of uncertainty in emissions and properties, and
(e) the consistent implementation of an indoor compartment model for typical exposure situations in working place and household settings in USEtox as well as direct consumer exposure through ingestion of pesticides residues via food crop consumption.
Three processes that are currently used for industrial purposes have been implemented as case studies, namely sludge handling and disposal, innovative drinking/wastewater treatment options, and consumer exposure in food, along with a sensitivity analysis of newly developed metrics and results.
IMPACT -- TOX-TRAIN provides an excellent platform to enhance the transfer of knowledge between the commercial and noncommercial sector in the area of life cycle toxicity assessment of products and technologies. The developed toolbox has a great market potential as it can be directly used in the daily practice of life-cycle assessment studies. All tools and data developed in TOX-TRAIN are publically available free of charge via http://toxtrain.eu.
Main Contact: Peter Fantke, Technical University of Denmark, pefan@dtu.dk
(a) improve current toxicity impact assessment models used in life cycle impact assessment,
(b) quantify chemical emissions and related potential toxicity impacts,
(c) apply new developments in emission quantification and toxicity characterization in case studies,
(d) put forward an update proposal for the scientific consensus toxicity characterization tool USEtox,
(e) provide training and outreach of USEtox including the new developments under TOX-TRAIN, and
(f) document and provide guidelines of all new TOX-TRAIN developments and a full documentation of USEtox.
RESULTS -- Work performed and results achieved within the TOX-TRAIN project include
(a) a literature review of relevant emission models, the analysis of existing and development of new emission quantification tools,
(b) the development and implementation of exposure models covering household and industrial indoor settings, agricultural and industrial near-field settings and consumer products use settings,
(c) recommendations on experimental data as well as quantitative structure-activity relationships to be used to address the impacts of non-carcinogenic human health impacts for a number of chemicals and the fate and/or effect of specifically triazoles and pharmaceuticals,
(d) the implementation of case studies in close collaboration between the commercial and non-commercial TOX-TRAIN partners where newly developed project data and models are tested and evaluated along with a list of relevant substances currently not characterized in USEtox based on legal recommendations, environmental relevance and data availability, and
(e) the organization of training courses and workshops at international events, display of posters, presentation of USEtox to companies in the chemical, agro-food and cosmetics sectors, development of the workflow for a new user-friendly interface to USEtox.
Cross-cutting results achieved in TOX-TRAIN include
(a) the consistent implementation of a full and transparent documentation of the USEtox model for human and ecotoxicity assessment,
(b) the successful dissemination of USEtox via an introduction video (http://vimeo.com/67674296) and through several courses to which over 200 participants from 25 countries participated,
(c) the organization of three international workshops in the field of toxicity assessment of pesticides in life cycle assessment involving 71 experts from the industry, academia and public institutions from 16 countries,
(d) a set of operational tools and data for emissions and chemical properties available for USEtox for a number of compound groups, including ionic and amphiphilic substances, persistent bioaccumulating chemicals or metabolites, pesticides and biocides, with a specific focus on assessing various types of uncertainty in emissions and properties, and
(e) the consistent implementation of an indoor compartment model for typical exposure situations in working place and household settings in USEtox as well as direct consumer exposure through ingestion of pesticides residues via food crop consumption.
Three processes that are currently used for industrial purposes have been implemented as case studies, namely sludge handling and disposal, innovative drinking/wastewater treatment options, and consumer exposure in food, along with a sensitivity analysis of newly developed metrics and results.
IMPACT -- TOX-TRAIN provides an excellent platform to enhance the transfer of knowledge between the commercial and noncommercial sector in the area of life cycle toxicity assessment of products and technologies. The developed toolbox has a great market potential as it can be directly used in the daily practice of life-cycle assessment studies. All tools and data developed in TOX-TRAIN are publically available free of charge via http://toxtrain.eu.
Main Contact: Peter Fantke, Technical University of Denmark, pefan@dtu.dk