Background
Persistence is not necessarily an inherent property of a chemical, it is dependent upon the diversity of a wide variety of external environmental parameters. For the correct assessment of the potential environmental impact, the partitioning of the chemical between the various environmental compartments must be understood. It is essential that the rate at which that chemical may change, degrade or inter-react, with various environmental parameters, is evaluated within each compartment.
Objectives
Proposals
Proposals submitted for consideration should follow the format of the application form'Application for a CEFIC-LRI Grant' and should address the following areas under individual sub-headings:
- The title of the research proposal
- The name and affiliation of the principal investigator and the laboratory or laboratories in which the research will be conducted
- Evidence of the principal investigator's knowledge of, and contribution to, current understandings of persistence and how it may be measured.
- A clear definition of the research objectives, including a description of the mechanistic basis for the proposed research.
- A clear plan of investigation, including a clearly defined milestone plan which identifies all critical decision points in the research programme.
- A detailed breakdown of costs
Monitoring
he successful applicant(s) will be required to submit a progress report every 6 months during the course of the programme. At the end of the project a detailed review of the project and the achievements made will be provided by the principal investigator. The successful applicant or applicants will also be required to prepare for publication a manuscript describing the work undertaken and the results achieved.
Scope
Review information on bioavailability and degradation of chemicals, including evidence for microbial adaptation and evolution of new microbial competencies. Design new laboratory test methods for assessing abiotic and biotic degradation at environmentally realistic concentrations and determine how closely the tests simulate marine and terrestrial environments. Prepare a matrix of properties which are expected to have an impact on the extent of degradation and partitioning in the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Select a set of test chemicals including some which partition mainly into soil, water or air. The set should cover natural and xenobiotic chemicals. Determine, using the new methodologies, the rates of degradation of the selected chemicals, and develop an understanding of the extent of degradation of these chemicals and how it varies with environmental physical and physico-chemical parameters. Using the outputs from the models, and the data generated above, define a monitoring programme that assesses the primary compartments within the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Carry out a monitoring programme to assess the model outputs. Review the monitoring data and the model outputs and assess where further work may be necessary.