title: Characterization of ecological risks from environmental releases of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5).
abstract: Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) is used in personal care products and industrial applications. The authors summarize the risks to the environment from D5 based on multiple lines of evidence and conclude that it presents negligible risk. Laboratory and field studies show that D5 is not toxic to aquatic organisms or benthic invertebrates up to its solubility limit in water or porewater or its sorptive capacity in sediment. Comparison of lipid-normalized internal concentrations with measured concentrations in benthos indicates that field-collected organisms do not achieve toxic levels of D5 in their tissues, suggesting negligible risk. Exposure to D5 resulted in a slight reduction of root biomass in barley at test concentrations 2 orders of magnitude greater than measured D5 levels in biosolids-amended soils and more than twice as high as the maximum calculated sorptive capacity of the soil. No effects were observed in soil invertebrates exposed to similar concentrations, indicating that D5 poses a de minimis risk to the terrestrial environment. High rates of metabolism and elimination of D5 compared with uptake rates from food results in biodilution in the food web rather than biomagnification, culminating in de minimis risk to higher trophic level organisms via the food chain. A fugacity approach substantiates all conclusions that were made on a concentration basis.
authors.affiliation: Exponent, Bellevue, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fairbrother
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources & Environment, Cooperative Institute for Limnology & Ecosystems Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: G Allen
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.|Water Research Group (Ecotoxicology), Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Klaine
authors.affiliation: Dow Corning, Midland, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Assessment Technologies, Keswick, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Staples
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Regulatory Resources, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mihaich
authors.affiliation: Water Research Group (Ecotoxicology), Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: Kent B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Woodburn
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Frank A P C
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Gobas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D002170:Canada; D003358:Cosmetics; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D020387:Food Chain; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D001467:Hordeum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007221:Industry; D007448:Invertebrates; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012833:Siloxanes / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D003358:Cosmetics; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D012833:Siloxanes; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C114768:decamethylcyclopentasiloxane
keywords: Aquatic toxicology; Biomagnification; Ecological risk assessment; Environmental toxicology; Trophic magnification