title: Is an ecosystem services-based approach developed for setting specific protection goals for plant protection products applicable to other chemicals?
abstract: Clearly defined protection goals specifying what to protect, where and when, are required for designing scientifically sound risk assessments and effective risk management of chemicals. Environmental protection goals specified in EU legislation are defined in general terms, resulting in uncertainty in how to achieve them. In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a framework to identify more specific protection goals based on ecosystem services potentially affected by plant protection products. But how applicable is this framework to chemicals with different emission scenarios and receptor ecosystems? Four case studies used to address this question were: (i) oil refinery waste water exposure in estuarine environments; (ii) oil dispersant exposure in aquatic environments; (iii) down the drain chemicals exposure in a wide range of ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic); (iv) persistent organic pollutant exposure in remote (pristine) Arctic environments. A four-step process was followed to identify ecosystems and services potentially impacted by chemical emissions and to define specific protection goals. Case studies demonstrated that, in principle, the ecosystem services concept and the EFSA framework can be applied to derive specific protection goals for a broad range of chemical exposure scenarios. By identifying key habitats and ecosystem services of concern, the approach offers the potential for greater spatial and temporal resolution, together with increased environmental relevance, in chemical risk assessments. With modifications including improved clarity on terminology/definitions and further development/refinement of the key concepts, we believe the principles of the EFSA framework could provide a methodical approach to the identification and prioritization of ecosystems, ecosystem services and the service providing units that are most at risk from chemical exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. Electronic address: l.maltby@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maltby
authors.affiliation: Shell, Brabazon House, Concord Business Park, Threapwood Road, Manchester M22 0RR, UK.
authors.forename: Mathew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Shell, Brabazon House, Concord Business Park, Threapwood Road, Manchester M22 0RR, UK.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Whale
authors.affiliation: Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK.
authors.forename: A Ross
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Syngenta, Jealott's Hill International Research Centre, Bracknell, Berks RG42 6EY, UK.
authors.forename: Mick
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamer
authors.affiliation: Bayer AG, CropScience Division, Environmental Safety - Ecotoxicology, Alfred Nobel Str. 50, 40789 Monheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Solga
authors.affiliation: BASF, Crop protection, Global Ecotoxicology, Speyererstrasse 2, 67117 Limburgerhof, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kabouw
authors.affiliation: ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences Inc., 1545 Highway 22 East, Clinton, NJ 08801, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: Unilever, Colworth, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1LQ, UK.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marshall
keywords: Down the drain chemicals; Environmental risk assessment; Oil; Persistent organic chemicals; Risk management; Service providing units (SPU)