Posts

New publication on potential synergistic interaction between fungicides in toxicity tests with Raphidocelis subcapitata

Products used for plant protection or as biocides often contain more than one active substance together with numerous formulation additives. The environmental risk assessment for such commercial mixtures applies as default the concept of concentration addition. There is remaining regulatory concern, however, that underestimation of risks can occur if components in the mixture interact synergistically, […]

New publication: Prospective environmental risk assessment of mixtures in wastewater treatment plant effluents

The aquatic environment is continually exposed to a complex mixture of chemicals, with effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as one key source. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether environmental risk assessments addressing individual substances are sufficiently protective for such mixtures. Based on a literature review of chemicals reported to occur […]

Use of prospective and retrospective risk assessment methods for chemical mixtures in wastewater discharges

New publication: Use of prospective and retrospective risk assessment methods for chemical mixtures in wastewater discharges

The SETAC Pellston Workshop ‘Simplifying environmental mixtures – an aquatic exposure-based approach via exposure scenarios’ addressed the need to improve mixture assessments by considering different exposure scenarios related to land use. Recently, a series of papers from this workshop was published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, including the work ‘Use of prospective and retrospective risk assessment methods that simplify chemical mixtures associated with treated domestic wastewater discharges’, to which Anja Coors contributed.

Environmental risk assessment of biocidal products: identification of relevant components

New publication: Environmental risk assessment of biocidal products – identification of relevant components…

The recently published work ‘Environmental risk assessment of biocidal products: identification of relevant components and reliability of a component-based mixture assessment’ contributes to the currently ongoing debate on how to perform a mixture assessment in the environmental risk assessment within the authorisation process of biocidal products. Biocidal products are mixtures of one or more active […]

Necessity of testing biocidal products and their eluates within the authorisation process aiming at an adequate environmental evaluation of mixtures

In the authorisation process of biocidal products, the joint effects of the product components (active substances and relevant additives) shall be taken into account in the environmental risk assessment according to the relevant regulatory guidance. The concept of concentration addition (CA) is the proposed default model for this assessment. Open questions in this context are […]

Joint effects of pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals from wastewater treatment plant effluents – evaluating concepts for a risk assessment using experimental scenarios

The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate concepts for a risk assessment of wastewater effluents taking into account the joint effects of chemicals, which are not completely eliminated in the wastewater treatment process. The focus is on pharmaceutical residues and industrial chemicals, particularly those that are frequently detected in effluents. The predictability […]

Ecotoxicological joint effects of mixtures – relevance and appropriate consideration in the environmental risk assessment of plant protection products and biocides

The aim of this project was to assess the relevance of joint effects related to plant protection products and biocidal products. Based on a general analysis of the concepts of mixture toxicity and their application, as well as a detailed analysis of the current environmental risk assessment schemes and their limitations, options were developed for […]

Development of ecotoxicological tests with biocides and eluates: verification of the suitability of the embryo test with the zebrafish (Danio rerio, DarT)

The project explored the suitability of the fish embryo toxicity test with the zebrafish, Danio rerio, (DarT) as a tool to screen for additive and non-additive effects among biocidal substances. Five biocidal products from the product type 8 (curative and preventive wood preservatives) and their individual active substances were tested in the DarT. Overall, the […]