title: Evaluation of an ecosystem model in ecological risk assessment of chemicals.
abstract: We used a Lake Suwa version of Comprehensive Aquatic Systems Model (CASM_SUWA) to demonstrate the risk estimation of 10 different chemicals and examined the applicability and reliability of the model in ecological risk assessment by qualitatively and quantitatively comparing with the results of studies on multiple species using mesocosm tests. The qualitative comparison of the model results with those of the reported mesocosm tests indicated that some evidence observed in mesocosm studies supported the indirect effects predicted from simulation using the model. The comparison of the concentration levels at which 20% biomass reduction (BR20) in the most sensitive population estimated from the model with the no-observed effect concentration values derived from multiple species mesocosm tests (MS-NOEC) suggested that both data were related to each other and the model can be used to help in the determination of an ecological acceptable level of chemicals in aquatic environments. The analysis of the potential of indirect effects of a chemical for fish population indicated that the magnitude of the potential of indirect effects was quantified based on the ratio of BR50 to LC50 for fish population.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Chemical Risk Management, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan. w-naito@aist.go.jp
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masunaga
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bartell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000506:poisoning*; D005399:Fishes; D020387:Food Chain; D005544:Forecasting; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000506:poisoning*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical