Evaluation of the integrated testing strategy for PNEC derivation under REACH.
Species sensitivity evaluation represents an approach to avoid chronic toxicity testing of aquatic vertebrates in accordance with the animal welfare concept of the EU chemicals regulation. In this study a data set of chemicals is analysed for relative species sensitivity between Daphnia and fish in chronic testing to evaluate under what condition chronic fish tests can be waived without underestimating the environmental hazard. Chronic fish toxicity is covered in 84% of the evaluated substances by the chronic invertebrate test and an assessment factor of 50. Thus, animal testing can be avoided in environmental hazard assessment for many chemicals. Moreover, it is shown that species sensitivity in chronic testing is associated with species sensitivity in acute testing. The more sensitive species in chronic testing is predicted with a high probability if a species is >5x more sensitive in acute testing. If substances are comparable or more toxic to Daphnia in acute testing than to fish chronic fish toxicity is covered by the chronic Daphnia test and an assessment factor of 50 in about 95% of the evaluated cases. To provide decision support for the regulation of chemicals a categorization scheme on relative sensitivity comparison is presented.
Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Chemical Risk Assessment, Nikolai-Fuchs-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: martin.may@item.fraunhofer.de.
Martin
M
May
German Environment Agency, Wörlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany.
Wiebke
W
Drost
German Environment Agency, Wörlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany.
Sabine
S
Germer
German Environment Agency, Wörlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Rosslau, Germany.
Tanja
T
Juffernholz
Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Chemical Risk Assessment, Nikolai-Fuchs-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Stefan
S
Hahn
D000818:Animals; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects*; D057225:Data Mining / Q000379:methods*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005399:Fishes; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*; D000442:Octanols / Q000737:chemistry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012995:Solubility; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute / Q000379:methods*; D036401:Toxicity Tests, Chronic / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*
D015386:Hazardous Substances; D000442:Octanols; D012997:Solvents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water
Aquatic ecotoxicology; Chronic fish toxicity; Environmental hazard assessment; Integrated testing strategy; Relative species sensitivity