ECO1C-TUD: Comparison of Soil and Sediment Ecotoxicity Data and Test Methods

Description

Existing data on ecotoxicity of chemicals for water, sediment and soil varies widely in quality, quantity, validity, and how representative it is. This is due to environmental concerns having initially focused water, with soil and sediment taken into account only recently. Also, aquatic ecotoxicity testing is relatively easy, so there are more data for this compartment. This study will examine how aquatic toxicity data can be extrapolated for hazard assessment in soil and sediment. The study will focus on persistent and bioaccumulative organic chemicals, and on one metal compound. There will be four steps:
1. Review methods for soil and sediment testing
2. Evaluate methods for calculating organism exposure, and compare results from various soils and sediments;
3. Examine existing soil and sediment toxicity data;
4. Design experiments to fill identified data gaps. Methods will be developed to correlate, extrapolate and normalise predictions for water, soil and sediment.