title: Assessment of Metal Toxicity in Marine Ecosystems: Comparative Toxicity Potentials for Nine Cationic Metals in Coastal Seawater.
abstract: This study is a first attempt to develop globally applicable and spatially differentiated marine comparative toxicity potentials (CTPs) or ecotoxicity characterization factors for metals in coastal seawater for use in life cycle assessment. The toxicity potentials are based exclusively on marine ecotoxicity data and take account of metal speciation and bioavailability. CTPs were developed for nine cationic metals (Cd, Cr(III), Co, Cu(II), Fe(III), Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 64 large marine ecosystems (LMEs) covering all coastal waters in the world. The results showed that the CTP of a specific metal varies 3-4 orders of magnitude across LMEs, largely due to different seawater residence times. Therefore, the highest toxicity potential for metals was found in the LMEs with the longest seawater residence times. Across metals, the highest CTPs were observed for Cd, Pb, and Zn. At the concentration levels occurring in coastal seawaters, Fe acts not as a toxic agent but as an essential nutrient and thus has CTPs of zero.
authors.affiliation: Division for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark , Nils Koppels Alle, Building 424, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Irstea, UMR ITAP, ELSA-PACT - Industrial Chair for Environmental and Social Sustainability Assessment, 361 rue Jean-François Breton, BP 5095, F-34196 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Ralph K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.affiliation: Division for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark , Nils Koppels Alle, Building 424, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Hauschild
mesh_terms: D002412:Cations / Q000633:toxicity*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000633:toxicity*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical