title: Application of the Activity Framework for Assessing Aquatic Ecotoxicology Data for Organic Chemicals.
abstract: Toxicological research in the 1930s gave the first indications of the link between narcotic toxicity and the chemical activity of organic chemicals. More recently, chemical activity has been proposed as a novel exposure parameter that describes the fraction of saturation and that quantifies the potential for partitioning and diffusive uptake. In the present study, more than 2000 acute and chronic algal, aquatic invertebrates and fish toxicity data, as well as water solubility and melting point values, were collected from a series of sources. The data were critically reviewed and grouped by mode of action (MoA). We considered 660 toxicity data to be of acceptable quality. The 328 data which applied to the 72 substances identified as MoA 1 were then evaluated within the activity-toxicity framework: EC50 and LC50 values for all three taxa correlated generally well with (subcooled) liquid solubilities. Acute toxicity was typically exerted within the chemical activity range of 0.01-0.1, whereas chronic toxicity was exerted in the range of 0.001-0.01. These results confirm that chemical activity has the potential to contribute to the determination, interpretation and prediction of toxicity to aquatic organisms. It also has the potential to enhance regulation of organic chemicals by linking results from laboratory tests, monitoring and modeling programs. The framework can provide an additional line of evidence for assessing aquatic toxicity, for improving the design of toxicity tests, reducing animal usage and addressing chemical mixtures.
authors.affiliation: CEHTRA/KREATiS, ZAC de Saint Hubert, 23 rue du Creuzat, 38080 L'Isle d'Abeau, France.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Shell Health, Brabazon House, Concord Business Park, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M22 0RR, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dawick
authors.affiliation: ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc., 1545 US 22 East, Annandale, New Jersey 08801, United States.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lampi
authors.affiliation: Total Fluides, 24 Cours Michelet - La Défense 10, F-92069, Paris La Défense Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lemaire
authors.affiliation: Euro Chlor, Avenue E. Van Nieuwenhuyse 4, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Presow
authors.affiliation: Unilever, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Egmond
authors.affiliation: ARC Arnot Research & Consulting Inc., 36 Sproat Avenue, Toronto, ON M4M 1W4, Canada.
authors.forename: Jon A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Arnot
authors.affiliation: Trent University , 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mackay
authors.affiliation: Technical University of Denmark , Department of Environmental Engineering, Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) , Avenue E. Van Nieuwenhuyse 2, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Malyka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galay Burgos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000187:drug effects*; D000068598:Data Accuracy; D054750:Ecotoxicology; D005399:Fishes; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000187:drug effects; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000633:toxicity*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D036401:Toxicity Tests, Chronic
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals