title: Environmental risk assessment of ivermectin: A case study.
abstract: The veterinary parasiticide ivermectin was selected as a case study compound within the project ERAPharm (Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals). Based on experimental data generated within ERAPharm and additional literature data, an environmental risk assessment (ERA) was performed mainly according to international and European guidelines. For the environmental compartments surface water, sediment, and dung, a risk was indicated at all levels of the tiered assessment approach. Only for soil was no risk indicated after the lower tier assessment. However, the use of effects data from additional 2-species and multispecies studies resulted in a risk indication for collembolans. Although previously performed ERAs for ivermectin revealed no concern for the aquatic compartment, and transient effects on dung-insect populations were not considered as relevant, the present ERA clearly demonstrates unacceptable risks for all investigated environmental compartments and hence suggests the necessity of reassessing ivermectin-containing products. Based on this case study, several gaps in the existing guidelines for ERA of pharmaceuticals were shown and improvements have been suggested. The action limit at the start of the ERA, for example, is not protective for substances such as ivermectin when used on intensively reared animals. Furthermore, initial predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of ivermectin in soil were estimated to be lower than refined PECs, indicating that the currently used tiered approach for exposure assessment is not appropriate for substances with potential for accumulation in soil. In addition, guidance is lacking for the assessment of effects at higher tiers of the ERA, e.g., for field studies or a tiered effects assessment in the dung compartment.
authors.affiliation: ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH, Böttgerstrasse 2-14, D-65439 Flörsheim/Main, Germany. m-liebig@ect.de
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liebig
authors.forename: Alvaro Alonso
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blübaum-Gronau
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boxall
authors.forename: Marvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brinke
authors.forename: Gregoria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carbonell
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Egeler
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fenner
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garric
authors.forename: Bent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Halling-Sørensen
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knacker
authors.forename: Kristine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Krogh
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Küster
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Löffler
authors.forename: Miguel Angel Porcel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cots
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prasse
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Römbke
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rönnefahrt
authors.forename: Manuel K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Natascha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
authors.forename: José V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Tarazona
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ternes
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Traunspurger
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wehrhan
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D007559:Ivermectin