Objective DEVELOPMENT OF SUBLETHAL ECOTOXICOLICAL TEST METHODS FOR THE FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENT TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL COMPOUDS AT SPECIES, POPULATION AND COMMUNITY LEVELS. Single species chronic toxicity tests and outdoor, multispecies tests have been developed which may be used to estimate no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) in freshwater environments. The sensitivity and general applicability of the various tests is being assessed using a common set of reference chemicals.THE PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP METHODS FOR EVALUATING CHRONIC TOXICITY TO FRESHWATER ORGANISMS WHICH ARE SUITABLE FOR INCORPORATION INTO LEVELS 1 AND 2 OF THE RISK EVALUATION SCHEME FOR THE NOTIFICATION OF SUBSTANCES AS REQUIRED BY THE 6TH AMENDMENT TO DIRECTIVE 79/831/EEC. SECONDLY, THE PROJECT AIMS TO VALIDATE THE METHODS BY COMPARING NOECS (NO OBSERVED EFFECT CONCENTRATIONS) DETERMINED IN SINGLE-SPECIES LABORATORY TESTS WITH NOECS DETERMINED IN MULTI-SPECIES FIELD TESTS. THIS VALIDATION WILL BE USEFUL IN EXTRAPOLATING FROM LABORATORY TESTS TO THE FIELD. CURRENT TOXICOLOGICAL PROCEDURES FOR HAZARD EVALUATIONS TO THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT RELY HEAVILY ON THE USE OF ACUTE TESTS AND THE USE OF APPLICATION FACTORS TO DERIVE CONCENTRATIONS PRESENTING "NEGLIGIBLE RISK". HOWEVER, APPLICATION FACTORS ARE SOMEWHAT ARBITRARY AND MAY BE UNDERPROTECTIVE. TO REMOVE SOME OF THESE UNCERTAINTIES THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP APPROPRIATE SINGLE-SPECIES CHRONIC TOXICITY TESTS THAT WILL PROVIDE A MORE ACCURATE INDICATION OF ACCEPTABLE TOXICANT CONCENTRATION THAN IS POSSIBLE USING CURRENT AVAILABLE TESTS. THE TESTS TO BE DEVELOPED ARE INTENTED TO BE RELATIVELY SIMPLE, COST-EFFECTIVE AND RELIABLE FOR APPLICATION ON A ROUTINE BASIS. THE SPECIES WILL INCLUDE THOSE THAT ARE SENSITIVE TO POLLUTANTS AND THAT ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF ABUNDANT AND FUNCTIONALLY IMPORTANT TAXA IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS. THEY WILL INCLUDE KEY GROUPS OF REPRESENTATIVE ORGANISMS FROM BOTH PELAGIC AND BENTHIC HABITATS. THE TESTS WILL CONCENTRATE ON MEASURING SUB-LETHAL EFFECTS AT THE ORGANISMS LEVEL, E.G. EFFECTS ON GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION, WHICH ALLOW EXTRAPOLATION FROM THE LABORATORY TO THE FIELD. THE GENERAL APPLICABILITY OF THE PROPOSED TESTS FOR RISK EVALUATION WILL BE ASSESSED USING A COMMON SET OF REFERENCE CHEMICALS. VALIDATION WILL BE CARRIED OUT AFTER TREATING EXPERIMENTAL PONDS AND STREAMS WITH VARIOUS CONCENTRATIONS OF THESE REFERENCE CHEMICALS. EFFECTS ON POPULATIONS OF REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES AND ON COMMUNITIES OF PLANTS, INVERTEBRATES AND FISH WILL BE STUDIED. NOECS DETERMINED IN PONDS AND STREAMS WILL BE COMPARED WITH THOSE OBTAINED IN THE SINGLE-SPECIES TESTS AND WITH VALUES REPORTED IN THE LITERATURE. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsfreshwater ecosystemsnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyinvertebrate zoology Programme(s) FP1-ENVPROT 4C - Multiannual research and development programmes (EEC) in the field of the environment - Protection of the environment -, 1986-1990 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Shell Research Ltd EU contribution No data Address 3 Savoy Place WC2R 0DX London United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all CARDIFF UNIVERSITY United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address Newport Road 30-36 CARDIFF See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data FRAUHOFER INSTITUT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY AND EXOTOXICOLOGY Germany EU contribution No data Address SCHMALLENBERG See on map Total cost No data GSF - FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER UMWELT UND GESUNDHEIT GMBH Germany EU contribution No data Address Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1 85764 NEUHERBERG See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data STATE UNIVERSITY OF GHENT Belgium EU contribution No data Address GHENT See on map Total cost No data
