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Abstract Pesticides in surface freshwater primarily originate from their emissions in agricultural lands, potentially leading to violations of surface freshwater quality standards. To aid global regulatory agencies in effectively managing surface freshwater quality by estimating and controlling pesticide emission rates, this study proposes a hierarchical screening approach for countries and regions worldwide to select appropriate modeling tools. Hierarchical indicators are introduced to classify countries globally, considering their spatial distribution areas, pesticide emission conditions, and legislative systems. Consequently, different categories of countries are matched with suitable model groups, such as the standard model group for regulatory scenarios, the general model group for continental scenarios, and the advanced model group with high spatial resolution. Results indicated that a total of 193 countries worldwide were categorized into six country groups, of which 153, 34, and 6 countries were found to fit the standard, general, and advanced model groups, respectively, based on the model assignments for these country groups. Furthermore, 12 commonly used pesticides were selected to demonstrate the back-calculation process, which estimates the pesticide emission rate (input) by pesticide surface freshwater quality standards (output) by standard and general model groups. The Advanced model group was not applied in this process due to its intensive computation. An approximate approach was developed to simplify the calculation of the emission rate factor of pesticides using the PWC and TOXSWA selected in the standard model group as well as SWAT in the general model group, serving as a demonstration. This approach can be applied to control pesticide emission rates from surface freshwater quality standards across countries that fit in the standard and general model groups. The results highlight that pesticide fate models selected through the hierarchical screening approach, can assist global countries in establishing a quantitative relationship between pesticide emission rates and surface freshwater quality standards, which can help global agencies manage pesticide emissions and freshwater quality from a legal perspective. There is a need to update and simplify suitable advanced model for calculation demonstration in future studies to aid in pesticide management. Further research is needed to thoroughly investigate pesticide emissions and freshwater residue concentrations under varying conditions.

Pesticides in surface freshwater primarily originate from their emissions in agricultural lands, potentially leading to violations of surface freshwater quality standards. To aid global regulatory agencies in effectively managing surface freshwater quality by estimating and controlling pesticide emission rates, this study proposes a hierarchical screening approach for countries and regions worldwide to select appropriate modeling tools. Hierarchical indicators are introduced to classify countries globally, considering their spatial distribution areas, pesticide emission conditions, and legislative systems. Consequently, different categories of countries are matched with suitable model groups, such as the standard model group for regulatory scenarios, the general model group for continental scenarios, and the advanced model group with high spatial resolution. Results indicated that a total of 193 countries worldwide were categorized into six country groups, of which 153, 34, and 6 countries were found to fit the standard, general, and advanced model groups, respectively, based on the model assignments for these country groups. Furthermore, 12 commonly used pesticides were selected to demonstrate the back-calculation process, which estimates the pesticide emission rate (input) by pesticide surface freshwater quality standards (output) by standard and general model groups. The Advanced model group was not applied in this process due to its intensive computation. An approximate approach was developed to simplify the calculation of the emission rate factor of pesticides using the PWC and TOXSWA selected in the standard model group as well as SWAT in the general model group, serving as a demonstration. This approach can be applied to control pesticide emission rates from surface freshwater quality standards across countries that fit in the standard and general model groups. The results highlight that pesticide fate models selected through the hierarchical screening approach, can assist global countries in establishing a quantitative relationship between pesticide emission rates and surface freshwater quality standards, which can help global agencies manage pesticide emissions and freshwater quality from a legal perspective. There is a need to update and simplify suitable advanced model for calculation demonstration in future studies to aid in pesticide management. Further research is needed to thoroughly investigate pesticide emissions and freshwater residue concentrations under varying conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroalgae are widely used for bioindication and assessment; however, in the case of pollutants of different origin, it is still unclear which contaminants in thalli can be regarded as indicative because too many factors influence the ability of algae to uptake them. The present study is a part of an international HAZLESS project and was conducted in the eastern Gulf of Finland (GoF). The main goal of our study was the application of metal concentrations in macroalgae as a tool for environmental quality assessment. To achieve this goal, we calculated the threshold metal concentrations in macroalgae (Cladophora glomerata) and compared our obtained values with actual concentrations. We found significant Spearman correlations in May between metals in sediments and pore water (−0.73 for Zn, −0.62 for Cd, 0.85 for Pb) and also between metals in algae and metals in pore water (1 for Cu and Cd, 0.98 for Zn and Pb). In July, Pb in algae were significantly correlated with Pb in pore water (0.88). The application of the calculated environmental quality standard (EQSMPC) for macroalgae has shown moderate pollution by Cu and Pb in the coastal zone of the eastern GoF. This was confirmed by an assessment based on the comparisons of metal concentrations in water with Environmental Quality Standards for water (EQSw). However, differences in the bioaccumulation factor and EQSMPC between May and July have shown that it is necessary to compare samples taken during the same period every year for adequate results in long-term monitoring. Considering the sensitivity of accumulating processes to the surrounding environment, we believe that in the case of habitats with diverse conditions, even for the same species of algae, threshold values should be calculated and used individually for every habitat. Our results have shown that this approach can be widely used for an assessment of environmental quality via metal concentrations in opportunistic macroalgae and can be recommended for further use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological impacts of chemicals such as metal mixtures in the field are predicted by one of two approaches: component-based and whole-mixture approaches. Knowledge about how to relate results of these approaches to field effect levels is limited. We aimed to examine the ability of two methods to discriminate field effect levels: (1) a component-based approach that calculates a cumulative criterion unit (CCU) equal to the sum of the ratios of four trace-metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb) to the corresponding US EPA hardness-adjusted water quality criterion, and (2) a whole-mixture approach that employs three ambient toxicity levels based on acute and chronic toxicity tests with cladocerans. To assess field effect levels, we used data from benthic macroinvertebrate surveys conducted at 26 sites, including 13 metal-contaminated sites, in four river basins across Japan. Based on decreases in mayfly richness and abundances of two metal-sensitive mayfly families, we defined four field effect levels 0–3: (0) no significant effect; (1) a significant decrease in ephemerellid and/or heptageniid mayfly abundance; (2) a significant decrease in mayfly richness; and (3) no mayflies or a few baetid mayfly species present. Sites with CCU values of ∼5–10 were assigned to either field effect level 1 or 2, while a site with a CCU value of 27 was assigned to field effect level 3. Sites with significant chronic toxicity to cladocerans (ambient toxicity level 1) were assigned to field effect level 1 or 2, whereas those with significant acute and chronic toxicity (ambient toxicity level 2) were assigned to field effect level 2 or 3. CCU values and ambient toxicity levels were both significantly correlated with field effect levels. These results provide encouraging evidence that field effect levels such as losses of species richness can be approximately discriminated by CCU values and ambient toxicity levels.

In this short article, we respond to a Commentary by Maack et al. (Environ Sci Eur 34:24, 2022) in which they challenge recommendations in Leverett et al. (Environ Sci Eur 33:133, 2021) for setting an aquatic Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) for the pharmaceutical diclofenac. Maack et al. recommend the use of results from a stream mesocosm study as the main point of departure for setting the EQS and dismiss the use of a Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) containing relevant and reliable single species data because of bimodality in this distribution. We present the key mesocosm data used by Maack et al. and note that these are highly variable, include control mortalities of up to 60%, and, as reported by the original authors, show a significant effect only at the highest test concentration and not at the estimated value proposed by Maack et al. We also show that there are neither regulatory nor technical grounds for dismissing the use of an SSD and respond to minor criticisms of our compliance assessment (comparison of different EQS values with reported concentrations in European surface waters). Finally, we provide comment on the EQS derivation process and subsequent opinion of the diclofenac EQS dossier by the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroalgae are widely used for bioindication and assessment; however, in the case of pollutants of different origin, it is still unclear which contaminants in thalli can be regarded as indicative because too many factors influence the ability of algae to uptake them. The present study is a part of an international HAZLESS project and was conducted in the eastern Gulf of Finland (GoF). The main goal of our study was the application of metal concentrations in macroalgae as a tool for environmental quality assessment. To achieve this goal, we calculated the threshold metal concentrations in macroalgae (Cladophora glomerata) and compared our obtained values with actual concentrations. We found significant Spearman correlations in May between metals in sediments and pore water (−0.73 for Zn, −0.62 for Cd, 0.85 for Pb) and also between metals in algae and metals in pore water (1 for Cu and Cd, 0.98 for Zn and Pb). In July, Pb in algae were significantly correlated with Pb in pore water (0.88). The application of the calculated environmental quality standard (EQSMPC) for macroalgae has shown moderate pollution by Cu and Pb in the coastal zone of the eastern GoF. This was confirmed by an assessment based on the comparisons of metal concentrations in water with Environmental Quality Standards for water (EQSw). However, differences in the bioaccumulation factor and EQSMPC between May and July have shown that it is necessary to compare samples taken during the same period every year for adequate results in long-term monitoring. Considering the sensitivity of accumulating processes to the surrounding environment, we believe that in the case of habitats with diverse conditions, even for the same species of algae, threshold values should be calculated and used individually for every habitat. Our results have shown that this approach can be widely used for an assessment of environmental quality via metal concentrations in opportunistic macroalgae and can be recommended for further use.

Nickel (Ni) has a been a Priority Substance under the European Water Framework Directive since 2008. As such it is deemed to present an European Union‐wide risk to surface waters. Since 2013, the Ni Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) has been bioavailability‐based, and new European Guidance supports accounting for bioavailability in assessing Ni compliance with the EQS. The European Commission has developed an approach to determine whether Priority Substances present a sufficient European Union‐wide risk to justify an ongoing statutory monitoring programme, effectively to deselect a substance. This is a key step to ensure that finite monitoring resources are targeted at delivering environmental benefit, when there is an ever‐growing burden of determinands to measure for all regulators. When the European Commission performed this exercise for Ni without accounting for bioavailability, they concluded that Ni should not be deselected, and Ni is an European Union‐wide risk. Performing this same exercise with the same methodology, using regulatory monitoring data for over 300 000 samples, from more than 19 000 sites across Europe, and accounting for bioavailability, as detailed in the Directive, >99% of sites comply with the Ni EQS. Nickel shows very low risks for all of the criteria identified by the European Commission that need to be met for deselection. Accounting for bioavailability is key in the assessment of Ni risks in surface waters to deliver ecologically relevant outcomes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1604–1612. © 2022 NiPERA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory human and veterinary medicine widely detected in European surface waters, especially downstream from Wastewater Treatment Plants. With some notable exceptions, veterinary uses of diclofenac in Europe are greatly restricted, so wastewater is the key Europe-wide exposure route for wildlife that may be exposed via the aquatic environment. Proposed Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) which include an assessment of avian exposure from secondary poisoning are under consideration by the European Commission (EC) to support the aims of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). In this paper we summarise information on avian toxicity plus laboratory and field evidence on diclofenac bioaccumulation and bioconcentration in avian food items. A safe diclofenac threshold value for birds of 3 μg kg−1 wet weight in food was previously derived by the European Medicines Agency and should be adopted as an EQS under the WFD to maintain consistency across European regulations. This value is also consistent with values of 1.16–3.99 µg kg−1diet proposed by the EC under the WFD. Water-based EQS of 5.4 or 230 ng L−1 in freshwater are derived from these dietary standards, respectively, by the EC and by us, with the large difference caused primarily by use of different values for bioaccumulation. A simple assessment of potential water-based EQS compliance is performed for both of these latter values against reported diclofenac concentrations in samples collected from European freshwaters. This shows that exceedances of the EC-derived EQS would be very widespread across Europe while exceedances of the EQS derived by us are confined to a relatively small number of sites in only some Member States. Since there is no evidence for any declines in European waterbird populations associated with diclofenac exposure we recommend use of conservative EQS of 3 µg kg−1diet or 230 ng L−1 in water to protect birds from diclofenac secondary poisoning through the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leverett et al. commented on the Environmental quality standard (EQS) for diclofenac derived under the European Water Framework Directive [Leverett et al. (2021) Environ Sci Eur 33: 133 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00574-z]. They postulated that the derivation of the EQS value for diclofenac is not conducted according to the EQS Technical Guidance, but rather using data of poor reliability and relevance. Consequently, the authors suggested using their alternative derived value instead. It is to be noted that the process for the EQS derivation for diclofenac is still ongoing and not finalized, and that as a consequence, any critical analysis is very premature. In general, within the current European Commission process, EQS values proposals are derived by expert groups led by the Joint Research Centre. In the specific case for diclofenac, Leverett et al. have also been actively involved as experts. This response to Leverett et al. (2021) aims to clarify the reasoning behind the proposal from a scientific point of view and to express our concern for the lack of transparency of their position in the statement of competing interests. Indeed, the authors did not disclose their participation in the expert group for deriving the diclofenac EQS value, nor that they have direct and indirect ties to a company that markets diclofenac in Europe, Glaxo Smith & Kline plc (GSK). This amounts to a significant conflict of interest and leads to disinformation to the reader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the closure of the last hard coal mines in Germany, pumping is no longer necessary. However, the resulting rise of mine water can affect the environment. Laws have been enacted at the European and national level to protect properties. Within the framework of the approval procedure, it must be determined whether the cessation of pumping may cause unacceptable effects, including water pollution. With regard to water protection, the European Union has issued the Water Framework and Groundwater Directives, which have been implemented into German national law. These contain the prohibition of deterioration and the requirement for improvement, with the aim of maintaining or achieving good ecological and chemical status. However, before the target mine water level is reached, the water does not need to comply, since although the pumps are switched off, no mine water is being discharged. This also rules out permit requirements, which only go into effect when the target mine water level has been reached and mine water is discharging. Obviously, however, detailed planning before then is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory human and veterinary medicine widely detected in European surface waters, especially downstream from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Veterinary uses of diclofenac in Europe are greatly restricted, so wastewater is the key exposure route for wildlife. Proposed Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) which include an assessment of toxicity to aquatic organisms are under consideration by the European Commission (EC) to support the aims of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The EC approach favours the use of a deterministic (single test value and an assessment factor) approach to the derivation of a direct toxicity EQS for diclofenac, resulting in an EQS of 0.040 µg L−1 based on a single mesocosm study. In this paper, we discuss potential issues with this approach with respect to the EC's own guidance on EQS derivation and derive an evidence-driven alternative EQS of 0.126 µg L−1 using a probabilistic (species sensitivity distribution) approach that accounts for all of the reliable and relevant data and is in accordance with the guidance. Europe-wide freshwater monitoring data for diclofenac are used in an indicative compliance assessment using the EC and the alternative evidence-driven EQS. The implications of using only some data to derive an EQS that does not adhere to the guidance, compared to a guidance-compliant approach that uses all the data available are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanide compounds are naturally emitted into the environment in low levels by degradation processes or emitted from anthropogenic sources. In surface water, complex cyanide compounds as well as "free cyanide" are present. The latter term covers hydrogen cyanide and cyanide compounds which easily liberate hydrogen cyanide under slightly acidic conditions. Especially free cyanide may cause adverse effects in the environment. To exclude negative impacts on freshwater systems, in the context of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), preventive regulatory activities for free cyanide are currently under discussion. However, established analytical methods for quantification of free cyanide only obtain limits of quantification (LOQs) in the range of 1 μg L−1. Thus, these methods are not sufficiently sensitive for a potential environmental quality standard (EQS) compliance monitoring at water concentrations below the current predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) level of free cyanide. In the present study, a standardized continuous flow analysis (CFA) method for quantification of low free cyanide concentrations was adapted by applying a special system which allows an ultra-sensitive photometric detection of a colored cyanide derivative. By this means, LOQs in a range of one magnitude below the PNEC are achievable. The method was validated according to ISO/IEC 17025 requirements. Free cyanide concentrations in tested surface water samples from a small river and a barrier lake with low anthropogenic influences were very low and clearly below the PNEC. The results prove that the adapted CFA method is suitable for the analysis of low concentration free cyanide in freshwaters and appropriate for a possible EQS compliance monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Union risk assessment report on nickel, nickel sulphate, nickel carbonate, nickel chloride, nickel dinitrate. For the widely used metal nickel (Ni), these are particularly important considerations at the current time because several jurisdictions around the globe are in the process of revising Ni water quality guidelines. [Extracted from the article]

Effect‐based trigger (EBT) values for in vitro bioassays are important for surface water quality monitoring because they define the threshold between acceptable and poor water quality. They have been derived for highly specific bioassays, such as hormone‐receptor activation in reporter gene bioassays, by reading across from existing chemical guideline values. This read‐across method is not easily applicable to bioassays indicative of adaptive stress responses, which are triggered by many different chemicals, and activation of nuclear receptors for xenobiotic metabolism, to which many chemicals bind with rather low specificity. We propose an alternative approach to define the EBT from the distribution of specificity ratios of all active chemicals. The specificity ratio is the ratio between the predicted baseline toxicity of a chemical in a given bioassay and its measured specific endpoint. Unlike many previous read‐across methods to derive EBTs, the proposed method accounts for mixture effects and includes all chemicals, not only high‐potency chemicals. The EBTs were derived from a cytotoxicity EBT that was defined as equivalent to 1% of cytotoxicity in a native surface water sample. The cytotoxicity EBT was scaled by the median of the log‐normal distribution of specificity ratios to derive the EBT for effects specific for each bioassay. We illustrate the new approach using the example of the AREc32 assay, indicative of the oxidative stress response, and 2 nuclear receptor assays targeting the peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor gamma and the arylhydrocarbon receptor. The EBTs were less conservative than previously proposed but were able to differentiate untreated and insufficiently treated wastewater from wastewater treatment plant effluent with secondary or tertiary treatment and surface water. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:487–499. © 2020 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key step in deriving an Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) is assessing the reliability and relevance of the underpinning ecotoxicity data. While the assessment of data reliability is relatively well established, the detailed evaluation of data relevancy is a more recent development. We applied broadly accepted relevancy criteria to a series of non-standard ecotoxicity studies on diclofenac, focusing on some aspects that should be accounted for in studies used in EQS derivation. Specific relevancy issues include potential experimental bias, claimed 'significant effects' that are indistinguishable from controls, or within the range of normal, and lack of environmental applicability. We highlight that rigorous, comprehensive and, where necessary, specialist assessment of data relevancy for studies potentially applicable for EQS setting is critical if studies are to be appropriately used regulatory decision-making. We provide recommendations for researchers and environmental practitioners to ensure robust accounting of relevancy in non-standard studies is undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bioaccumulating contaminants in surface waters are preferably monitored in fish for assessing the related risks to and via the aquatic environment. Consequently, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires a monitoring of certain priority substances such as mercury, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDD) and polychlorinated dioxins/dioxin-like compounds (dioxins) in freshwater and coastal fish. Tissue levels have to comply with biota environmental quality standards (EQSs) given in Directive 2013/39/EU. EQSs are justified either by risks for human health (assessed on the basis of fillet) or secondary poisoning of wildlife (based on whole fish). To support the practical implementation of the WFD biota monitoring in Germany, comparative investigations of target fish species caught at six sites were performed. Results: At each site, at least three fish species listed in a national guidance document were sampled (e.g., chub, roach, bream, perch). Beside biometric data, concentrations of seven priority substances were determined in pooled fillet and carcass samples and whole fish data were calculated. The EQSs for PBDE and mercury were exceeded in nearly all fillet and whole fish samples. PFOS was above the EQS at several sites especially in perch, while HCB exceeded the EQS only at one site (Elbe River). All fillet and whole fish samples complied with the EQSs for dioxins and HBCDD. Based on wet weight concentrations of a homogeneous set of 20 composite sample pairs of 3–5 year-old fish, the following fillet-to-whole fish conversion factors were derived: mercury 0.81, PBDE 5.4, HCB 3.6, PFOS 2.7, dioxins 5.3, and HBCDD 1.8. Conclusions: Recommendations on selection of target fish species, age or tissue given by EU and national guidance documents are practical and feasible. However, further adjustments of the samplings such as the determination of site-specific length–age relationships are required from both ecological and risk assessment perspectives. The derived conversion factors allow the translation of fillet-to-whole fish concentrations (and vice versa), and thus the EQS compliance assessment for the appropriate tissue (fillet for human health, whole fish for wildlife risks) if only one tissue is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work the occurrence and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalic acid esters (PAEs), mono and diethoxylate alkylphenols (AP 1–2 EOs) and alkylphenols (APs) have been investigated during a two-weeks period in a facility treating mixed textile-domestic wastewater (Prato, Italy). The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) consists of primary sedimentation, activated sludge biological oxidation, secondary sedimentation, clariflocculation and ozonation. The sludge is treated within the facility by thickening, dewatering and final incineration, thus providing the almost quantitative removal of the adsorbed micropollutants. Naphthalene (50%), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (74%) and branched 4-nonylphenols (59%) were the individual main representative compounds of each class in the influent wastewater, which showed concentration ranges of 5.6–66, 85–290 and 21–133 μg/L for PAHs, PAEs and APs + AP 1–2 EOs, respectively. The WWTP efficiently removed PAHs, PAEs and APs + AP 1–2 EOs, providing effluent concentrations of 0.075–0.16 ng/L 0.38–9.9 μg/L and 0.53–1.4 μg/L. All targeted priority and priority-hazardous micropollutants showed effluent concentrations in line with the European environmental quality standards (EQS), even though for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and benzo(a)pyrene after correction for the dilution factor of the recipient. The WWTP performance was evaluated by mass balance, verifying its accuracy by monitoring Pb and Cd as conservative species. The biological treatment sections provided mass losses of 85.5%, 74.5% and 56.8% for APs + AP 1–2 EOs, PAEs and PAHs, highlighting efficient biotransformation performances of the activated sludge process. However, for the more volatile PAHs (e.g. naphthalene), a significant contribution of stripping cannot be excluded. A remarkable mass loss was also determined in the ozonation stage for PAEs (72.9%) and especially PAHs (97.0%), whereas a lower efficiency was observed for APs + AP 1–2 EOs (41.3%). The whole plant allowed for obtaining an almost quantitative removal (96.7–98.4%) for all targeted compounds. Unlabelled Image • PAHs, PAEs, AP 1–2 EOs and APs are studied in a mixed textile-domestic WWTP. • Micropollutants in the effluent meet the European environmental quality standards. • Mass balance of pollutants was calculated and its accuracy checked using Pb and Cd. • The whole WWTP provides a quasi-quantitative mass loss of targeted micropollutants. • Biotransformation is the most important removal process followed by sludge sorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Union Directive 2013/39/EU, which amended and updated the Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) and its daughter directive (2008/105/EC), sets Environmental Quality Standards for biota (EQSbiota) for a number of bioaccumulative chemicals. These chemicals pose a threat to both aquatic wildlife and human health via the consumption of contaminated prey or the intake of contaminated food originating from the aquatic environment. EU member states will need to establish programs to monitor the concentration of 11 priority substances in biota and assess compliance against these new standards for the classification of surface water bodies. An EU‐wide guidance effectively addresses the implementation of EQSbiota. Flexibility is allowed in the choice of target species used for monitoring to account for both diversity of habitats and aquatic community composition across Europe. According to that guidance, the consistency and comparability of monitoring data across member states should be enhanced by adjusting the data on biota contaminant concentrations to a standard trophic level by use of the appropriate trophic magnification factor (TMF), a metric of contaminant biomagnification through the food web. In this context, the selection of a TMF value for a given substance is a critical issue, because this field‐derived measure of trophic magnification can show variability related to the characteristics of ecosystems, the biology and ecology of organisms, the experimental design, and the statistical methods used for TMF calculation. This paper provides general practical advice and guidance for the selection or determination of TMFs for reliable application within the context of the WFD (i.e., adjustment of monitoring data and EQS derivation). Based on a series of quality attributes for TMFs, a decision tree is presented to help end users select a reasonable and relevant TMF. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:266–277. © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) Key Points: The EU Water Framework Directive requires the monitoring of priority substances in biota to assess compliance with Environmental Quality Standards (EQSbiota).For comparisons to the EQSbiota, concentrations of substances are normalized to a common trophic level by use of field‐derived trophic magnification factors (TMFs).However, TMF values for a chemical can vary among ecosystems.Herein, a decision tree is described and examples given to select an appropriate TMF, considering key aspects such as habitat type, experimental design, and appropriate data normalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the levels of compliance of European fresh waters with a bioavailability-based copper Environmental Quality Standard (EQS). A tiered approach for compliance assessment is used at which the first tier compares the dissolved metal concentration to a threshold, estimated using either regional or continental water chemistry data. At the second tier, the bioavailable metal concentration is calculated using the chemistry of the water body, and compared to the EQSbioavailable for copper. The thresholds at Tier 1 must be set at a level to ensure adequate protection of sensitive environments and to ensure efficient use of regulatory resources. Compliance of 99.3% is observed where bioavailability-based thresholds are used for the implementation derived from regionally relevant water chemistry data. Sites where elevated ambient background levels of copper are combined with high bioavailability (waters with low dissolved organic carbon) are those most likely to be at risk from copper exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fish samples of different species (i.e. rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss), barbel (Barbus barbus) and European chub (Squalius cephalus)) were collected from the Sava River Basin for a preliminary investigation of the levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PBDEs and PFAS as a whole. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, in terms of pg WHO-TEQ/g ww, were below the maximum limit established at the Commission Regulation (EU) No 1259/2011. On the contrary, when DL-PCBs were also included, levels increase up to 11.7 pg WHO-TEQ PCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs /g ww in a particular case, with two samples out of a total of ten exceeding the maximum set at this EU Regulation and the EQS established at the European Directive regarding priority substances in the field of water policy (0.0065 ng WHO-TEQ PCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs /g ww). A similar trend was also observed for NDL-PCBs, whit the same two samples, from the lower stretch of the river basin, exceeding the maximum limit allowed at the EU Regulation (125 ng/g ww). For PBDEs, levels found in all the samples exceeded the EQS (0.0085 ng/g ww) up to more than a thousand times and 40% of the samples presented PFOS values above the EQS. Data from this study were compared to values reported at the literature for fish from other geographical areas. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Fish samples from the lower stretch of the river showed PCDD/F+DL-PCB levels above the EQS. • PCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs and NDL-PCBs exceeded the maximum levels for fish (as food product) in 20% of the samples. • PBDE concentrations exceed the EQS up to more than a thousand times. • Data suggest that anthropogenic impact is observed in the Sava River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of the European Environmental Quality Standards Directive, the biota was recognized as a suitable matrix for monitoring water quality. In the Nalón River basin (North Spain), a catchment subject to historical mining activities, ten macroinvertebrate taxa (4 mayflies, 1 perlid stonefly, 2 caddisflies, 2 oligochaete worms, and 1 blackfly) were collected from unpolluted reference sites in the study area, and the sites were assessed as having High or Good ecological status based on their macroinvertebrate communities to establish a metal bioaccumulation reference condition. For each taxon, tissue concentrations of seven metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Hg, and Zn) and two metalloids (As and Se) were measured and interpreted as natural baseline tissue concentrations that reflected the natural variability of the region. The taxa selected as biomonitors represented 5 different feeding styles in the benthic community: deposit-feeders, scrapers, filterers, generalists and predators, and bioaccumulation was analyzed both by taxon and feeding style as well as general habits (endo- vs epi-benthic) and river type. For each taxon, ecological threshold tissue concentrations (ETTC) were calculated as the 90th percentile (P90) of the baseline data distribution. In most instances, the deposit-feeders (aquatic lumbricid and microdrile oligochaetes) showed the highest ETTCs, except for Cu and Zn, which were mainly bioaccumulated by generalist Ephemerellidae, followed by scraper Heptageniidae in the case of Cu. The P90 values were derived from organisms in unaltered reference conditions as estimates of the no-observed-effect concentrations (NOEC), and should provide an approach to ETTCs for the field macroinvertebrate taxa of the region below which the alteration of the benthic community is unlikely. For each metal and metalloid, the P90s for the 10 taxa were entered in a species-sensitivity-distribution model, and the median hazard concentration (HC 50 ) for the macroinvertebrate community was calculated. The ecological threshold concentrations in the biota calculated in this study are proposed for use as a screening tool in the environmental risk assessment of the Nalón River basin and the Cantabrian region, allowing metal exceedance in the selected biomonitors to further research using other lines of evidence under the European Water Framework directive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect-based methods including cell-based bioassays, reporter gene assays and whole-organism assays have been applied for decades in water quality monitoring and testing of enriched solid-phase extracts. There is no common EU-wide agreement on what level of bioassay response in water extracts is acceptable. At present, bioassay results are only benchmarked against each other but not against a consented measure of chemical water quality. The EU environmental quality standards (EQS) differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable surface water concentrations for individual chemicals but cannot capture the thousands of chemicals in water and their biological action as mixtures. We developed a method that reads across from existing EQS and includes additional mixture considerations with the goal that the derived effect-based trigger values (EBT) indicate acceptable risk for complex mixtures as they occur in surface water. Advantages and limitations of various approaches to read across from EQS are discussed and distilled to an algorithm that translates EQS into their corresponding bioanalytical equivalent concentrations (BEQ). The proposed EBT derivation method was applied to 48 in vitro bioassays with 32 of them having sufficient information to yield preliminary EBTs. To assess the practicability and robustness of the proposed approach, we compared the tentative EBTs with observed environmental effects. The proposed method only gives guidance on how to derive EBTs but does not propose final EBTs for implementation. The EBTs for some bioassays such as those for estrogenicity are already mature and could be implemented into regulation in the near future, while for others it will still take a few iterations until we can be confident of the power of the proposed EBTs to differentiate good from poor water quality with respect to chemical contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generic water quality criteria (WQC) of a chemical are usually set based on results generated from toxicity tests which were conducted using standard laboratory water with well-controlled physiochemical properties. However, in natural aquatic environments, physiochemical characteristics, such as salinity, total suspended solid, total organic carbon and the co-existence of chemical contaminants, often vary spatially and temporally. These parameters can, in turn, alter the bioavailability of target chemicals and, thus, influence their toxicity to marine organisms. To account for site specificity, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s water–effect ratio (WER = site water-LC50 / laboratory water-LC50) procedure can be applied to derive site-specific WQC. Most past studies, however, were conducted for freshwater systems. Here, for the first time, the WER of copper (Cu) was determined for three marine water control zones (WCZs) in Hong Kong: Victoria Harbour, Deep Bay and Southern WCZs. Samples of water were collected from three locations within each WCZ, while acute toxicities to the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum, intertidal copepod Tigriopus japonicus and larvae of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma were determined in site or laboratory (artificial seawater) waters. Results of this study showed that conservative final WER relative coefficients for Cu ranged from 0.57 to 0.73 for the three WCZs, and water from some locations caused >30% mortality in the fish larvae in the controls (without Cu addition). These results suggested that current generic WQC for Cu are likely under-protective for marine organisms in the three areas, and it should be tightened by multiplying it with site-specific WER to offer better protection to marine biodiversity and integrity of the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guidance Document 25/2010, suggests sediment and biota are the most suitable matrices for the trend monitoring purpose, because they integrate the pollution over time and space. So, from 2005 to 2014, the sediment and biota concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb) were analysed in the Vallona Lagoon (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy), widely used for intensive and extensive bivalve farming. The contamination levels in sediment and biota were compared with Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) and threshold levels (TL) for human health. The results identified critical issues related to Cd in sediment samples as well as to Hg and Pb in biota which were not only ascribable to the physiological and seasonal variability of organisms. The Cr and Ni levels in sediment were higher than the EQS. However, the concentration increases at biota stations close to sites where EQS excesses were observed in sediment were not verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evidence that in Northern Italy significant sources of perfluoroalkylacids (PFAA) are present induced the Italian government to establish a Working Group on Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) for PFAA in order to include some of them in the list of national specific pollutants for surface water monitoring according to the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). The list of substances included perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and related short chain PFAA such as perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), perfluoropentanoate (PFPeA), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA) and perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), which is a substitute of perfluorooctanesulfonate. For each of them a dossier collects available data on regulation, physico-chemical properties, emission and sources, occurrence, acute and chronic toxicity on aquatic species and mammals, including humans. Quality standards (QS) were derived for the different protection objectives (pelagic and benthic communities, predators by secondary poisoning, human health via consumption of fishery products and water) according to the European guideline. The lowest QS is finally chosen as the relevant EQS. For PFOA a QS for biota was derived for protection from secondary poisoning and the corresponding QS for water was back-calculated, obtaining a freshwater EQS of 0.1 μg L −1 . For PFBA, PFPeA, PFHxA and PFBS threshold limits proposed for drinking waters were adopted as EQS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bioavailability-based environmental quality standard (EQS) was established for nickel in freshwaters under the European Union's Water Framework Directive. Bioavailability correction based on pH, water hardness, and dissolved organic carbon is a demonstrable improvement on existing hardness-based quality standards, which may be underprotective in high-hardness waters. The present study compares several simplified bioavailability tools developed to implement the Ni EQS (biomet, M-BAT, and PNECPro) against the full bioavailability normalization procedure on which the EQS was based. Generally, all tools correctly distinguished sensitive waters from insensitive waters, although with varying degrees of accuracy compared with full normalization. Biomet and M-BAT predictions were consistent with, but less accurate than, full bioavailability normalization results, whereas PNECpro results were generally more conservative. The comparisons revealed important differences in tools in development, which results in differences in the predictions. Importantly, the models used for the development of PNECpro use a different ecotoxicity dataset, and a different bioavailability normalization approach using fewer biotic ligand models (BLMs) than that used for the derivation of the Ni EQS. The failure to include all of the available toxicity data, and all of the appropriate NiBLMs, has led to some significant differences between the predictions provided by PNECpro and those calculated using the process agreed to in Europe under the Water Framework Directive and other chemicals management programs (such as REACH). These considerable differences mean that PNECpro does not reflect the behavior, fate, and ecotoxicity of nickel, and raises concerns about its applicability for checking compliance against the Ni EQS. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2397-2404. © 2016 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the German environmental specimen bank programme bream ( Abramis brama ) were sampled in six German rivers and analysed for the priority hazardous substances dicofol, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), heptachlor + heptachlor epoxide (HC + HCE), polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The aim was to assess compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive environmental quality standards for biota (EQS Biota ) for the year 2013, and to analyse temporal trends for those substances that are of special concern. General compliance was observed for dicofol, HBCDD and HCBD whereas PBDEs exceeded the EQS Biota at all sites. For all other substances compliance in 2013 varied between locations. No assessment was possible for HC + HCE at some sites where the analytical sensitivity was not sufficient to cover the EQS Biota . Trend analysis showed decreasing linear trends for HCB and PFOS at most sampling sites between 1995 and 2014 indicating that the emission reduction measures are effective. Mostly decreasing trends or constant levels were also observed for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs. In contrast, increasing trends were detected for PBDEs and HBCDD which were especially pronounced at one Saar site located downstream of the industries and conurbation of Saarbrücken and Völklingen. This finding points to new sources of emissions which should be followed in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River ecosystems are of immense ecological and social importance. Despite the introduction of wastewater treatment plants and advanced chemical authorization procedures in Europe, chemical pollution is still a major threat to freshwater ecosystems. Here, large-scale monitoring data was exploited to identify taxon-specific chemical concentrations beyond which benthic invertebrate taxa are unlikely to occur using Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN). 365 invertebrate taxa and 25 organic chemicals including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plasticisers, flame retardants, complexing agents, a surfactant and poly- and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from a total of 399 sites were analysed. The number of taxa that responded to each of these chemicals varied between 0% and 21%. These sensitive taxa belonged predominantly to the groups Plecoptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Turbellaria, Megaloptera, Crustacea, and Diptera. Strong effects were observed in response to wastewater-associated compounds, confirming that wastewater is an important cause of biological degradation. The majority of change points identified for each compound were well below predicted no-effect concentrations derived from laboratory toxicity studies. Thus, the results show that chemicals are likely to induce effects in the environment at concentrations much lower than expected based on laboratory experiments. Overall, it is confirmed that chemical pollution is still an important factor shaping the distribution of invertebrate taxa, suggesting the need for continued efforts to reduce chemical loads in rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Levels and trends of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) compounds in bream ( Abramis brama ) from different European sites were compared. Bream were collected between 2007 and 2013 in the estuaries of the rivers Scheldt (Netherlands), Rhône (France), Göta älv (Sweden), Tees (United Kingdom), and Mersey (UK), and in Lake Belau (Germany). A direct mercury analyzer was used to determine THg concentrations while MeHg was measured by gas chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry applying stable isotope dilution. THg and MeHg in annual pool samples of bream ranged between 15.9 and 251 μg kg −1 wet weight (ww) with lowest concentrations found at the reference site Lake Belau and highest in samples from the river Rhône. The EU environmental quality standard (EQS) of 20 μg kg −1 ww was exceeded at all sites and in all years except at Lake Belau in 2012. Significantly decreasing trends over time were observed only in bream from the Rhône, while THg increased in bream from the Western Scheldt. The MeHg fractions of THg were always >80% and a significant difference between sites was detected only in one case (Rhône vs . Lake Belau). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variability of mercury (Hg) levels in Swedish freshwater fish during almost 50 years was assessed based on a compilation of 44 927 observations from 2881 waters. To obtain comparable values, individual Hg concentrations of fish from any species and of any size were normalized to correspond to a standard 1-kg pike [median: 0.69 mg kg wet weight (ww), mean ± SD: 0.84 ± 0.67 mg kg ww]. The EU Environmental Quality Standard of 0.02 mg kg was exceeded in all waters, while the guideline set by FAO/WHO for Hg levels in fish used for human consumption (0.5-1.0 mg kg) was exceeded in 52.5 % of Swedish waters after 2000. Different trend analysis approaches indicated an overall long-term decline of at least 20 % during 1965-2012 but trends did not follow any consistent regional pattern. During the latest decade (2003-2012), however, a spatial gradient has emerged with decreasing trends predominating in southwestern Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, to reduce the health risks associated with hazardous air pollutants, Environmental Quality Standards have been set for certain chemicals in ambient air, and national or local government and industry are required to ensure that the concentrations of those chemicals remain below the Environmental Quality Standards. Guideline Values have also been set to reduce health risks resulting from hazardous air pollutants in the atmosphere. Whether carcinogenicity has a threshold or not is an important factor for risk assessments and for setting Environmental Quality Standards and Guideline Values for carcinogens. In the ``Guidelines on Health Risk Assessment Methods for Hazardous Air Pollutants'', carcinogenic air pollutants are proposed to be grouped according to judgment of whether carcinogenicity has a threshold. However, factors for determining the existence, and actual value of threshold of carcinogenicity have not yet been identified. Our research group believes that susceptibility to genotoxic carcinogens is a determinant of carcinogenic threshold, and that metabolic activation of mutagens, excision DNA repair, translesional DNA synthesis, and apoptosis are the main factors determining susceptibility. We have investigated metabolic activation (especially the level of phase II-drug metabolizing enzymes) as a factor in susceptibility to genotoxic carcinogens. Our studies of mice deficient in Nrf2 (a gene of a transcription factor for inducing phase II enzymes ) suggest that expression of phase II enzymes prevents the induction of certain mutations caused by genotoxic carcinogens such as benzo[a]pyrene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mercury concentrations have been analysed in bream (Abramis brama L.) and zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) collected at 17 freshwater sites in Germany from 1993–2009 and 1994–2009, respectively, within the German Environmental Specimen programme. Mercury concentrations in bream ranged from 21 to 881ngg−1 wet weight with lowest concentrations found at the reference site Lake Belau and highest in fish from the river Elbe and its tributaries. Statistical analysis revealed site-specific differences and significant decreasing temporal trends in mercury concentrations at most of the sampling sites. The decrease in mercury levels in bream was most pronounced in fish from the river Elbe and its tributary Mulde, while in fish from the river Saale mercury levels increased. Temporal trends seem to level off in recent years. Mercury concentrations in zebra mussels were much lower than those in bream according to their lower trophic position and varied by one order of magnitude from 4.1 to 42ngg−1 wet weight (33–336ngg−1 dry weight). For zebra mussels, trend analyses were performed for seven sampling sites at the rivers Saar and Elbe of which three showed significant downward trends. There was a significant correlation of the geometric mean concentrations in bream and zebra mussel over the entire study period at each sampling site (Pearson’s correlation coefficient=0.892, p =0.00002). A comparison of the concentrations in bream with the environmental quality standard (EQS) of 20ngg−1 wet weight set for mercury in biota by the EU showed that not a single result was in compliance with this limit value, not even those from the reference site. Current mercury levels in bream from German rivers exceed the EQS by a factor 4.5–20. Thus, piscivorous top predators are still at risk of secondary poisoning by mercury exposure via the food chain. It was suggested focusing monitoring of mercury in forage fish (trophic level 3 or 4) for compliance checking with the EQS for biota and considering the age dependency of mercury concentrations in fish in the monitoring strategy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copper poses a risk to the integrity of the Thames Estuary and Marshes special protection area (SPA) as bioaccumulation within the food chain takes place. This article describes some of the investigations carried out for the Habitats Directive Review of Consents including a review of the methods used to analyse copper samples; analysis of the long-term data sets gathered by the Environment Agency; and modelling work. Mean dissolved copper levels for 2002-2006 are below the 5 μg/l Environmental Quality Standard. Catchment modelling was used to establish total copper budgets both for sources discharging directly to the Tideway and for sources throughout the Thames catchment including sewage treatment works (STWs), industries, non-urban, and urban runoff. The total copper load to the Tideway was estimated to be 36 tonnes/year with 52% of this attributed to STWs. Modelling was used to explore the mixing, transport and fate of copper throughout the estuary taking account of partitioning and the interaction with sediments. The modelling showed how the fourth Water Industry Asset Management Programme (AMP4) improvements to the main London STWs would affect copper concentrations throughout the estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Environmental quality standards (EQSs) have been established as desirable levels to be maintained for protection of human health and the conservation of the living environment by Basic Environment Law. EQSs in ambient air had been set for 10 substances (sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), suspended particulate matter (SPM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and photochemical oxidants (Ox), benzene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, dioxins and dichloromethane) and guideline values for 7 (acrylonitorile, vinyl chloride monomer, mercury, nickel compounds, 1,3-butadiene, chloroform and 1,2-dichloromethane) in Japan by 2009. EQSs for the classical (or traditional) air pollutants, SO2, CO, SPM, NO2 and Ox, were set according to the minimal requirement to protect human health, based on evidence from epidemiological studies conducted before the 1970s. In 1996, the Central Environment Council designated substances which may be hazardous air pollutants and substances requiring priority action, and adopted the concept of risk assessment to set EQSs and guideline values. A life-long risk level (virtually safe dose) of 10−5 was used to set EQS for benzene, and guideline values for vinyl chloride monomer, nickel compounds, and 1,3-butadiene. EQSs for trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene and dichloromethane, and guideline values for acrylonitorile and mercury were set using uncertain factors and lowest observed adverse effect (LOAEL)/no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL). The results of animal experiments were utilized to set guideline values for chloroform and 1,2-dichloroethane. The benchmark approach and human equivalent concentration (HEC) were adopted for 1,2-dichloroethane. The history of setting EQSs and guideline values for hazardous air pollutants is one of adopting new concepts into risk assessment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The dynamical behaviour of an aquatic ecosystem stressed by limiting nutrients and exposure to a conservative toxicant is investigated. The ecosystem downstream of a pollution source consists of: nutrients, biotic pelagic and benthic communities, and detritus pools in the water body and on the sediment. The long-term dynamic behaviour of this system is analysed using bifurcation theory. A reference state is defined and our aim is to quantify the effects of toxicological (toxic exposure), ecological (feeding, predation, competition) and environmental stressors (nutrient supply, dilution rate). To that end we calculate the ranges of stress levels where the long-term dynamics (equilibrium, oscillatory or chaotic behaviour) is qualitatively the same. In this way we obtain levels of toxicological loading where the abundances of all populations are the same as in the reference case, the no-effect region. We will also calculate toxic exposure levels that do not lead to a change in the composition of the ecosystem, and therefore its structure, with respect to the reference unexposed situation, but where population abundances and internal toxicant concentrations may have been changed quantitatively. The model predicts that due to indirect effects even low sublethal toxic exposure can lead to catastrophic changes in the ecosystem functioning and structure, and that the long-term sensitivities of oligotrophic and eutrophic systems to toxic stress are different. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The possible use of chemical concentrations measured in mussels (Mytillus galloprovincialis) for compliance checking against Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) established for biota is analyzed with the help of an integrated model. The model consists of a 3D planktonic module that provides biomasses in the different compartments, i.e., phytoplankton, zooplankton and bacteria; a 3D fate module that provides the concentrations of contaminants in the water column and in the sediments; and a 3D bioaccumulation module that calculates internal concentrations in relevant biotic compartments. These modules feed a 0D growth and bioaccumulation module for mussels, based on the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) approach. The integrated model has been applied to study the bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Thau lagoon (France). The model correctly predicts the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in mussels as a function of the concentrations in the water column and in phytoplankton. It also sheds light on the origin of the complexity associated with the use of EQS for biota and their conversion to water column concentrations. The integrated model is potentially useful for regulatory purposes, for example in the context of the European Water Framework (WFD) and Marine Strategy Framework Directives (MSFD). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes the use of time to event and Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) analyses to derive environmental quality standards (EQS) for the synthetic pyrethroid deltamethrin when used to treat lice in marine finfish aquaculture. Long-term EQS are of limited applicability for parasiticides used in coastal aquaculture because initially high concentrations are rapidly dissipated and diluted. Short-term EQS related to likely exposure duration are a more useful management tool. Accelerated Life Testing was used to analyse high-quality, time-specific survival data (LC10 values) for saltwater fish and crustacean species for which observations on survival over several time periods were available. These data were then plotted as SSDs, allowing the estimation of time-specific median HC5 values, protective of 95% of organisms in saltwater assemblages if the test data are representative of species in the field. These analyses show that after 3 h, the HC5 of LC10 values for deltamethrin in saltwater is 9.3 ng L, declining to 1.4 ng L after 48 h of continuous exposure. Such values are consistent with data on effect concentrations from other lines of evidence, including mesocosm and field studies, and can be used as time-specific EQS when monitoring discharges from aquaculture facilities immediately after the treatment of fish with deltamethrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In Japan, the Environmental Quality Standard for zinc, established in 2003, was the first standard for the protection of aquatic species. To achieve this environmental criterion, the National Effluent Standard was lowered from 5mgL–1 to 2mgL–1 in 2006. However, some industries were permitted to apply a provisional effluent standard until 2011, when the provisional standard will revert to the national standard. Therefore, discussion about the environmental management of and countermeasures for the risk of zinc continues in Japan. The aim of this paper is to present the current status of the risk of zinc. Using long-term monitoring data for zinc from more than 3000 monitoring sites in Japan, both freshwater and marine, we found that the geometric mean concentration of zinc at freshwater sites was about 10.8μgL–1 and that the annual mean concentrations have been generally decreasing. We identified sites where zinc concentrations were high, and we also identified the most likely sources of zinc responsible for the high concentrations. The ecological risk of zinc was estimated at the conventional individual level and at the population level. Individual-level risk was detected at about 20% of freshwater sites, and population-level risk at about 2%. The risks were lower in more recent years; however, they remain at unacceptable levels. Our results show the necessity of risk reduction strategies. We propose a new approach for risk management and countermeasures that consider both individual- and population-level risks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]