The use of the multivariate Principal Response Curve (PRC) for community analysis: a case study on the effects of carbendazim on enchytraeids in Terrestrial Model Ecosystems (TME).

The effects of the fungicide carbendazim (formulation Derosal®) on enchytraeids were determined in Terrestrial Model Ecosystem (TME) tests. TMEs consisted of intact soil columns (diameter 17.5 cm; length 40 cm) taken from three grassland sites (Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Bangor (Wales, England) and Flörsheim (Germany)) or an arable site (Coimbra (Portugal)). Results for each TME site were evaluated using the multivariate Principal Response Curve (PRC) method. The resulting No-Observable Effect Concentrations (NOECs) for the community were compared with the NOECs generated by univariate statistical methods. Furthermore, the E

Environmental risk assessments for transgenic crops producing output trait enzymes

The environmental risks from cultivating crops producing output trait enzymes can be rigorously assessed by testing conservative risk hypotheses of no harm to endpoints such as the abundance of wildlife, crop yield and the rate of degradation of crop residues in soil. These hypotheses can be tested with data from many sources, including evaluations of the agronomic performance and nutritional quality of the crop made during product development, and information from the scientific literature on the mode-of-action, taxonomic distribution and environmental fate of the enzyme. Few, if any, specific ecotoxicology or environmental fate studies are needed. The effective use of existing data means that regulatory decision-making, to which an environmental risk assessment provides essential information, is not unnecessarily complicated by evaluation of large amounts of new data that provide negligible improvement in the characterization of risk, and that may delay environmental benefits offered by transgenic crops containing output trait enzymes

Untersuchungen zum Einfluss der Verfahrenstechnik in Klaeranlagen auf die Eliminierung ausgewaehlter Oestrogene und Xenooestrogene aus dem Abwasser. Teilprojekt 3: Wirkungsuntersuchungen Abschlussbericht

Originator's rep. no. B99006Available from TIB Hannover: F03B1329+a / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung, Berlin (Germany)DEGerman

Zur Entwicklung einer Prüfstrategie auf sexual-endokrine Wirksamkeit einer chemischen Substanz bei Fischen

Hintergrundinformation Umweltbundesamt (2007). Abschlussbericht des Forschungsprojektes "Charakterisierung endokrin vermittelter Wirkungen in Fischen: Relevante Parameter für die Entwicklung einer neuen OECD-Testmethode und in der Anwendung in der gesetzlichen Umweltrisikobewertung" im Auftrag des Umweltbundesamtes (Förderkennzeichen 206 67 470). Online erhältlich unter http://www.umweltdaten.de/publikationen/fpdf-l/3483.pd

Use of terrestrial model ecosystem data in environmental risk assessment for industrial chemical, biocides and plant protection products in the EU.

Risk assessment approaches within the regulatory framework of the European Union (EU) based on single species tests were compared to those using data from terrestrial model ecosystems (TMEs). In a case study with the fungicide carbendazim, single species data led to ratios of the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) and predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) of above 1000, depending on available data and related assessment factors, indicating concern for the terrestrial environment. Considering the high degree of realism of the TME studies with multiple endpoints measured, but also residual uncertainty related to higher variability of endpoints, an assessment factor of 5 was applied on TME data. The most sensitive reliable endpoint was earthworm biomass. With the TME studies yielding slightly higher effect thresholds compared to laboratory data, and due to the lower assessment factor, the PEC/PNEC ratio was lowered to 5. This means that there would be concern for high application rates of carbendazim