| 1. |
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Coria, Jessica, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Kemikalieskatter bidrar till en giftfri miljö
- 2015
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Ingår i: Svenska Dagbladet - Debatt. - 1101-2412. ; :2015-07-01
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Förslagen om att beskatta kemikalier är ett steg i rätt riktning. Den lagstiftning som finns idag är alltför svag, särskilt när det gäller så kallade blandningar av olika kemikalier. Det skriver en grupp forskare på Göteborgs universitet som arbetar med styrning av miljöeffekterna från kemikalier. Olika slags kemikalier hamnar i avloppsvattnet, och skribenterna varnar för just blandningen av olika ämnen, en så kallad cocktaileffekt.
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| 4. |
- de Zwart, Dick, et al.
(författare)
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Toward Harmonizing Ecotoxicity Characterization in Life Cycle Impact Assessment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 37:12, s. 2955-2971
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecosystem quality is an important area of protection in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Chemical pollution has adverse impacts on ecosystems on a global scale. To improve methods for assessing ecosystem impacts, the Life Cycle Initiative hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme established a task force to evaluate the state-of-the-science in modeling chemical exposure of organisms and the resulting ecotoxicological effects for use in LCIA. The outcome of the task force work will be global guidance and harmonization by recommending changes to the existing practice of exposure and effect modeling in ecotoxicity characterization. These changes will reflect the current science and ensure the stability of recommended practice. Recommendations must work within the needs of LCIA in terms of 1) operating on information from any inventory reporting chemical emissions with limited spatiotemporal information, 2) applying best estimates rather than conservative assumptions to ensure unbiased comparison with results for other impact categories, and 3) yielding results that are additive across substances and life cycle stages and that will allow a quantitative expression of damage to the exposed ecosystem. We describe the current framework and discuss research questions identified in a roadmap. Primary research questions relate to the approach toward ecotoxicological effect assessment, the need to clarify the method's scope and interpretation of its results, the need to consider additional environmental compartments and impact pathways, and the relevance of effect metrics other than the currently applied geometric mean of toxicity effect data across species. Because they often dominate ecotoxicity results in LCIA, we give metals a special focus, including consideration of their possible essentiality and changes in environmental bioavailability. We conclude with a summary of key questions along with preliminary recommendations to address them as well as open questions that require additional research efforts.
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| 5. |
- Muncke, Jane, et al.
(författare)
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A vision for safer food contact materials: Public health concerns as drivers for improved testing
- 2023
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Ingår i: ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Food contact materials (FCMs) and food contact articles are ubiquitous in today's globalized food system. Chemicals migrate from FCMs into foodstuffs, so called food contact chemicals (FCCs), but current regulatory requirements do not sufficiently protect public health from hazardous FCCs because only individual substances used to make FCMs are tested and mostly only for genotoxicity while endocrine disruption and other hazard properties are disregarded. Indeed, FCMs are a known source of a wide range of hazardous chemicals, and they likely contribute to highly prevalent non-communicable diseases. FCMs can also include non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), which often are unknown and therefore not subject to risk assessment. To address these important shortcomings, we outline how the safety of FCMs may be improved by (1) testing the overall migrate, including (unknown) NIAS, of finished food contact articles, and (2) expanding toxicological testing beyond genotoxicity to multiple endpoints associated with non-communicable diseases relevant to human health. Toidentify mechanistic endpoints for testing, we group chronic health outcomes associated with chemical exposure into Six Clusters of Disease (SCOD) and we propose that finished food contact articles should be tested for their impacts on these SCOD. Research should focus on developing robust, relevant, and sensitive in-vitro assays based on mechanistic information linked to the SCOD, e.g., through Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) or Key Characteristics of Toxicants. Implementing this vision will improve prevention of chronic diseases that are associated with hazardous chemical exposures, including from FCMs.
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| 6. |
- Muncke, Jane, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of food contact chemicals on human health : a consensus statement
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1476-069X. ; 19:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Food packaging is of high societal value because it conserves and protects food, makes food transportable and conveys information to consumers. It is also relevant for marketing, which is of economic significance. Other types of food contact articles, such as storage containers, processing equipment and filling lines, are also important for food production and food supply. Food contact articles are made up of one or multiple different food contact materials and consist of food contact chemicals. However, food contact chemicals transfer from all types of food contact materials and articles into food and, consequently, are taken up by humans. Here we highlight topics of concern based on scientific findings showing that food contact materials and articles are a relevant exposure pathway for known hazardous substances as well as for a plethora of toxicologically uncharacterized chemicals, both intentionally and non-intentionally added. We describe areas of certainty, like the fact that chemicals migrate from food contact articles into food, and uncertainty, for example unidentified chemicals migrating into food. Current safety assessment of food contact chemicals is ineffective at protecting human health. In addition, society is striving for waste reduction with a focus on food packaging. As a result, solutions are being developed toward reuse, recycling or alternative (non-plastic) materials. However, the critical aspect of chemical safety is often ignored. Developing solutions for improving the safety of food contact chemicals and for tackling the circular economy must include current scientific knowledge. This cannot be done in isolation but must include all relevant experts and stakeholders. Therefore, we provide an overview of areas of concern and related activities that will improve the safety of food contact articles and support a circular economy. Our aim is to initiate a broader discussion involving scientists with relevant expertise but not currently working on food contact materials, and decision makers and influencers addressing single-use food packaging due to environmental concerns. Ultimately, we aim to support science-based decision making in the interest of improving public health. Notably, reducing exposure to hazardous food contact chemicals contributes to the prevention of associated chronic diseases in the human population.
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| 7. |
- Slunge, Daniel, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Farliga kemikalier måste fasas ut snabbare
- 2016
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Ingår i: Svenska Dagbladet. - 1101-2412. ; :2016-04-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Avvecklingen av giftiga och cancerframkallande ämnen är orimligt långsam. Det visar erfarenheterna av lösningsmedlet TRI som idag blir förbjudet i Europa. Kemikaliepolitiken i EU måste bli mer ambitiös, skriver forskare i nationalekonomi och ekotoxikologi vid Göteborgs universitet.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Alpizar, Francisco, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Global Chemicals Outlook II. From Legacies to Innovative Solutions: Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- 2019
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 1. The size of the global chemical industry exceeded United States dollars 5 trillion in 2017. It is projected to double by 2030. Consumption and production are rapidly increasing in emerging economies. Global supply chains, and the trade of chemicals and products, are becoming increasingly complex. 2. Driven by global megatrends, growth in chemical-intensive industry sectors (e.g. construction, agriculture, electronics) creates risks, but also opportunities to advance sustainable consumption, production and product innovation. 3. Hazardous chemicals and other pollutants (e.g. plastic waste and pharmaceutical pollutants) continue to be released in large quantities. They are ubiquitous in humans and the environment and are accumulating in material stocks and products, highlighting the need to avoid future legacies through sustainable materials management and circular business models. 4. The benefits of action to minimize adverse impacts have been estimated in the high tens of billions of United States dollars annually. The World Health Organization estimated the burden of disease from selected chemicals at 1.6 million lives in 2016 (this is likely to be an underestimate). Chemical pollution also threatens a range of ecosystem services. 5. International treaties and voluntary instruments have reduced the risks of some chemicals and wastes, but progress has been uneven and implementation gaps remain. As of 2018, more than 120 countries had not implemented the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. 6. Addressing legislation and capacity gaps in developing countries and emerging economies remains a priority. Also, resources have not matched needs. There are opportunities for new and innovative financing (e.g. through cost recovery and engagement of the financial sector). 7. Significant resources can be saved by sharing knowledge on chemical management instruments more widely, and by enhancing mutual acceptance of approaches in areas ranging from chemical hazard assessment to alternatives assessment. 8. Frontrunner companies – from chemical producers to retailers – are introducing sustainable supply chain management, full material disclosure, risk reduction beyond compliance, and human rights-based policies. However, widespread implementation of these initiatives has not yet been achieved. 9. Consumer demand, as well as green and sustainable chemistry education and innovation (e.g. though start-ups), are among the important drivers of change. They can be scaled up through enabling policies, reaping the potential benefits of chemistry innovations for sustainable development. 10. Global knowledge gaps can be filled. This can be achieved, for example, by taking steps to harmonize research protocols, considering health or environmental impact information and harm caused to set and address priorities (e.g. emerging issues), and strengthening the science-policy interface through enhanced collaboration of scientists and decision-makers.
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| 10. |
- Altenburger, R., et al.
(författare)
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Ecotoxicological combined effects from chemical mixtures Part 1: Relevance and adequate consideration in environmental risk assessment of plant protection products and biocides
- 2014
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Bok (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Project deals with the possibilities of performing mixture toxicity assessment within the environmental risk assessment of the authorization of biocide and plant protection products. To this end a review on the state of scientific knowledge about the predictivity of combined effects is collated. Central in this context is the reference model of Concentration Addition which allows extrapolating combined effects for mixtures based on knowledge about the effects of the components. Building on this, options for risk regulation are developed. Their applicability is considered in the context of those data that are currently available within the authorization process for biocide and plant protection products. Deficits with respect to a – scientifically sensible – homogeneous data base can often be overcome with pragmatic decisions if additional requirements for the authorization process are not an option. Tiered schemes to specifically account for combined effects during environmental risk assessment of biocide and plant protection product authorization are suggested, accompanied with a software tool for its implementation.
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| 11. |
- Altenburger, R., et al.
(författare)
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Future water quality monitoring - Adapting tools to deal with mixtures of pollutants in water resource management
- 2015
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 512, s. 540-551
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental quality monitoring of water resources is challenged with providing the basis for safeguarding the environment against adverse biological effects of anthropogenic chemical contamination from diffuse and point sources. While current regulatory efforts focus on monitoring and assessing a few legacy chemicals, many more anthropogenic chemicals can be detected simultaneously in our aquatic resources. However, exposure to chemical mixtures does not necessarily translate into adverse biological effects nor clearly shows whether mitigation measures are needed. Thus, the question which mixtures are present and which have associated combined effects becomes central for defining adequate monitoring and assessment strategies. Here we describe the vision of the international, EU-funded project SOLUTIONS, where three routes are explored to link the occurrence of chemical mixtures at specific sites to the assessment of adverse biological combination effects. First of all, multi-residue target and non-target screening techniques covering a broader range of anticipated chemicals co-occurring in the environment are being developed. By improving sensitivity and detection limits for known bioactive compounds of concern, new analytical chemistry data for multiple components can be obtained and used to characterise priority mixtures. This information on chemical occurrence will be used to predict mixture toxicity and to derive combined effect estimates suitable for advancing environmental quality standards. Secondly, bioanalytical tools will be explored to provide aggregate bioactivity measures integrating all components that produce common (adverse) outcomes even for mixtures of varying compositions. The ambition is to provide comprehensive arrays of effect-based tools and trait-based field observations that link multiple chemical exposures to various environmental protection goals more directly and to provide improved in situ observations for impact assessment of mixtures. Thirdly, effect-directed analysis (EDA) will be applied to identify major drivers of mixture toxicity. Refinements of EDA include the use of statistical approaches with monitoring information for guidance of experimental EDA studies. These three approaches will be explored using case studies at the Danube and Rhine river basins as well as rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. The synthesis of findings will be organised to provide guidance for future solution-oriented environmental monitoring and explore more systematic ways to assess mixture exposures and combination effects in future water quality monitoring. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 12. |
- Altenburger, R., et al.
(författare)
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Future water quality monitoring: improving the balance between exposure and toxicity assessments of real-world pollutant mixtures
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Sciences Europe. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2190-4715 .- 2190-4707. ; 31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental water quality monitoring aims to provide the data required for safeguarding the environment against adverse biological effects from multiple chemical contamination arising from anthropogenic diffuse emissions and point sources. Here, we integrate the experience of the international EU-funded project SOLUTIONS to shift the focus of water monitoring from a few legacy chemicals to complex chemical mixtures, and to identify relevant drivers of toxic effects. Monitoring serves a range of purposes, from control of chemical and ecological status compliance to safeguarding specific water uses, such as drinking water abstraction. Various water sampling techniques, chemical target, suspect and non-target analyses as well as an array of in vitro, in vivo and in situ bioanalytical methods were advanced to improve monitoring of water contamination. Major improvements for broader applicability include tailored sampling techniques, screening and identification techniques for a broader and more diverse set of chemicals, higher detection sensitivity, standardized protocols for chemical, toxicological, and ecological assessments combined with systematic evidence evaluation techniques. No single method or combination of methods is able to meet all divergent monitoring purposes. Current monitoring approaches tend to emphasize either targeted exposure or effect detection. Here, we argue that, irrespective of the specific purpose, assessment of monitoring results would benefit substantially from obtaining and linking information on the occurrence of both chemicals and potentially adverse biological effects. In this paper, we specify the information required to: (1) identify relevant contaminants, (2) assess the impact of contamination in aquatic ecosystems, or (3) quantify cause-effect relationships between contaminants and adverse effects. Specific strategies to link chemical and bioanalytical information are outlined for each of these distinct goals. These strategies have been developed and explored using case studies in the Danube and Rhine river basins as well as for rivers of the Iberian Peninsula. Current water quality assessment suffers from biases resulting from differences in approaches and associated uncertainty analyses. While exposure approaches tend to ignore data gaps (i.e., missing contaminants), effect-based approaches penalize data gaps with increased uncertainty factors. This integrated work suggests systematic ways to deal with mixture exposures and combined effects in a more balanced way, and thus provides guidance for future tailored environmental monitoring.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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A novel bioassay for evaluating the efficacy of biocides to inhibit settling and early establishment of marine biofilms
- 2014
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Ingår i: Marine Pollution Bulletin. - : Elsevier BV. - 0025-326X. ; 87:1-2, s. 292-299
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a novel assay that allows a quick and robust assessment of the effects of biocides on the initial settling and establishment of marine photoautotrophic biofilms including the multitude of indigenous fouling organisms. Briefly, biofilms are established in the field, sampled, comminuted and re-settled on clean surfaces, after 72 h chlorophyll a is measured as an integrating endpoint to reflect both settling and growth. Eight antifoulants were used to evaluate the assay. Efficacy ranking, based on EC98 values from most to least efficacious compound is: copper pyrithione > TPBP > DCOIT > tolylfluanid > zinc pyrithione > medetomidine > copper (Cu2+), while ecotoxicological ranking (based on EC10 values) is irgarol, copper pyrithione > zinc pyrithione > TPBP > tolylfluanid > DCOIT > copper (Cu2+)>medetomidine. The algaecide irgarol did not cause full inhibition. Instead the inhibition leveled out at 95% effect at 30 nmol l−1, a concentration that was clearly lower than for any other of the tested biocides.
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| 15. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Combined effects of antifoulants – synergistic, additive or antagonistic effects?
- 2010
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Ingår i: the 15th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling, 25-29 July 2010, Newcastle.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Antifoulants are often used in combinations in paints. A survey of the scientific literatures shows that the effects of such antifoulant combinations are often predictable with a reasonable accuracy by the classical mixture toxicity concepts of Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA). However, some studies also reported mixture effects that were substantially higher (synergistic) or lower (antagonistic) than predicted by either CA or IA. We therefore systematically explored the frequency and quantitative importance of such interactions within a group of 6 antifoulants using settling and growth of marine periphytic communities as the endpoint. All 15 possible 2-compound combinations that can be composed from the pool of six antifoulants were experimentally tested in three different ratios per mixture and their observed toxicity was compared to the predictions by CA and IA. The results show that the toxicities of the mixtures in most cases are at least roughly in agreement with the predictions, but that in several cases antagonistic effects occurred, which were related to the mixture-ratio and concentrations applied. No cases of synergism were observed for any of the investigated combinations. Implications for paint production as well as for the environment will be discussed. This study is part of the Marine Paint research programme funded by MISTRA, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of antimycotics and fungicides to limnic microbial biofilms – a case study of the run-off from a golf course
- 2016
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Ingår i: 4th Biofilm Workshop - Basis and application of biofilms to assess the effects of environmental change in aquatic ecosystems - Girona, 7-8 April 2016.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Antimycotic pharmaceuticals and fungicides are widely used for treating fungal infections in humans and animals and control pests in different areas and applications. They enter the aquatic environment either after passage through the body, or after being rinsed off from areas of application (skin, crops, farmland etc.). However, substantial knowledge gaps currently hamper a proper environmental risk assessment of the individual antimycotics and fungicides and their mixtures for marine and freshwater environments. Previously it has been shown that clotrimazole, a marine priority pollutant, affected sterol composition of marine microalgal communities already at 50 pmol/L which indicates effects at environmental concentrations. In this presentation we will discuss results from our work with limnic microbial biofilms and effects from antimycotics and fungicides individually and as mixtures. Endpoints include growth, pigment pattern, sterol composition, and species composition. Special focus will be on a case study from a Swedish golf course with a high usage of fungicides. Based on an analytical survey we prepared a worst-case-mixture study were we exposed biofilms in indoor microcosms for several days. Effects on growth and some shifts in microalgal species composition could be observed at concentrations relevant for the nearby golf area. Analysis of sterol composition and analytical confirmation of exposure concentrations are work in progress. The work is performed within the Swedish Formas-funded project “Aquatic Environmental Risk Assessment of Antimycotics”.
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| 18. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of three antifouling agents on algal communities and algal reproduction: Mixture toxicity studies with TBT, Irgarol, and Sea-Nine
- 2006
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Ingår i: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0090-4341 .- 1432-0703. ; 50:3, s. 335-345
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The toxicity of three antifoulants (Sea-Nine, Irgarol, and TBT) was determined individually and in mixtures in two tests with microalgae. Effects on periphyton community photosynthesis and reproduction of the unicellular green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus were investigated. The tested antifoulants were highly toxic in both tests. Observed mixture toxicities were compared with predictions derived from two concepts: Independent Action (IA), assumed to be more relevant for the tested mixtures that were composed of dissimilarly acting substances, and Concentration Addition (CA), regarded as a reasonable worst-case approach in predictive mixture hazard assessment. Despite the corresponding mechanistic basis, IA failed to provide accurate predictions of the observed mixture toxicities. Results show the same pattern in both assays. Mixture effects at high concentrations were slightly overestimated and effects at low concentrations were slightly underestimated. Maximum observed deviations between observed and IA-predicted concentrations amount to a factor of 4. The suggested worst-case approach using CA was protective only in effect regions above 20%. Nevertheless, the application of any concept that accounts for possible mixture effects is more realistic than the present chemical-by-chemical assessment
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| 19. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Marine Paint Optimisation: settling assays with marine periphyton communities and sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca)
- 2008
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Ingår i: The 14th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling, July 27-31, 2008, Kobe, Japan.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the Marine Paint Optimisation project the major groups of fouling organisms will be studied. From each group of organisms one model organism was selected and used in settling assays to assess the efficacy of a number of individual antifoulants. A tentative list of existing and promising compounds include medetomidine, tolylfluanide, copper pyrithione, Sea-Nine, Irgarol, copper, Borocide, and Econea. Based on the produced data we will predict the joint effects of almost all possible combinations in terms of efficacy. The optimisation will be based both on high efficacy and low environmental risk. We will present and summarise the results from two settling assays with marine biofilms (microfouling) and the zoospores of the macroalga sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca). The microfoulers are important parts of the fouling community with a high number of different species and individuals which form the basis for all subsequent settlers. In this periphyton assay a multispecies microbial biofilm established in the field on Plexi glas (PMMA) are used to prepare an inoculum using a scrape, shake and sieve technique. Using this approach we include a large set of the potential species in the microbial fouling community. Ulva lactuca belongs to the most common family of fouling macroalgae. Thalli of Ulva lactuca were sampled in the field in September 2007, cultivated in the laboratory until further testing of the zoospores. Both assays are semistatic and run over three days and include both settling and growth. Efficacy data for a number of antifouling agents will be presented. This study is part of the Marine Paint research programme funded by MISTRA.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Predictability of the mixture toxicity of 12 similarly acting congeneric inhibitors of photosystem II in marine periphyton and epipsammon communities
- 2004
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Ingår i: Aquatic Toxicology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0166-445X. ; 68:4, s. 351-367
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Testing of single chemicals with single species is common ecotoxicological practice in contrast to contaminated environments where highly diverse biological communities are exposed to highly diverse mixtures of chemical compounds. We, therefore, investigated whether mixture toxicity approaches that have been used successfully for single species, might also be applied on a community level of biological complexity. Twelve inhibitors of photosystem II, selected by QSAR and chemometrical approaches as the structurally most similar from a congeneric group of phenylurea herbicides, were tested singly and as mixtures on two types of marine microalgal communities, periphyton and epipsammon. Inhibition of photosynthesis was measured in short-term tests using incorporation of radiolabelled carbon (14C) to estimate photosynthetic rates. Two basic concepts, concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA), were used to predict the toxicities of the mixtures. Congeneric and similar-acting substances such as the phenylureas are expected to comply with CA rather than IA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether these concepts can be used to predict mixture toxicity also to periphyton and epipsammon photosynthesis, i.e. at the level of natural communities. We found that deviations between observed and predicted mixture toxicity were relatively small but that CA predictions were the more accurate ones. The predictions proved to be robust, when based on single substance information even from different seasons, years, and sites. We conclude that the concept of CA for predicting mixture toxicity applies also at the community level of algal testing; at least when a physiological short-term effect indicator is used that matches the mechanism of action of the substances
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Arrhenius, Åsa, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Toxicity of the fungicide ketoconazole to freshwater microalgal communities
- 2015
-
Ingår i: SETAC Europe 25th Annual Meeting, Barcelona Spain.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Antimycotic pharmaceuticals are widely used for treating fungal infections in humans and animals. They enter the aquatic environment either after passage through the body, or after being rinsed off if they are topically applied. However, substantial knowledge gaps currently hamper a proper environmental risk assessment of the individual antimycotics and their mixtures for marine and freshwater environments. Clotrimazole, a marine priority pollutant, affected sterol composition of marine microalgal communities already at 50 pmol/L which indicates effects already at environmental concentrations. In the present study we focus on ketoconazole (also an azole fungicide) and toxicity to freshwater microalgal communities. A concentration response curve was first established using pigment profiles (HPLC) as endpoint which resulted in an EC50 of around 1 micromol/L. During autumn 2014 we repeated the study but focused on the lower concentration range from 0.0001 to 1 micromol/L. Results on chlorophyll a show similar patterns as in the initial study. The experiments were finished during autumn 2014 and are currently under final evaluation and sterol analysis, species determinations and analytical confirmation of exposure concentrations are currently evaluated. The work is performed within the Swedish Formas-funded project “Aquatic Environmental Risk Assessment of Antimycotics”.
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| 24. |
- Ashbolt, N. J., et al.
(författare)
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Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) for Environmental Development and Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance
- 2013
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Ingår i: Environmental Health Perspectives. - : Environmental Health Perspectives. - 0091-6765 .- 1552-9924. ; 121:9, s. 993-1001
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Only recently has the environment been clearly implicated in the risk of antibiotic resistance to clinical outcome, but to date there have been few documented approaches to formally assess these risks. OBJECTIVE: We examined possible approaches and sought to identify research needs to enable human health risk assessments (HHRA) that focus on the role of the environment in the failure of anti-biotic treatment caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. METHODS: The authors participated in a workshop held 4-8 March 2012 in Quebec, Canada, to define the scope and objectives of an environmental assessment of antibiotic-resistance risks to human health. We focused on key elements of environmental-resistance-development "hot spots," exposure assessment (unrelated to food), and dose response to characterize risks that may improve antibiotic-resistance management options. DISCUSSION: Various novel aspects to traditional risk assessments were identified to enable an assessment of environmental antibiotic resistance. These include a) accounting for an added selective pressure on the environmental resistome that, over time, allows for development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB); b) identifying and describing rates of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the relevant environmental " hot spot" compartments; and c) modifying traditional dose-response approaches to address doses of ARB for various health outcomes and pathways. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that environmental aspects of antibiotic-resistance development be included in the processes of any HHRA addressing ARB. Because of limited available data, a multi-criteria decision analysis approach would be a useful way to undertake an HHRA of environmental antibiotic resistance that informs risk managers.
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| 25. |
- Asmonaité, Giedré, et al.
(författare)
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Microplastics as a Vector for Exposure to Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals in Fish: A Comparison of Two Polymers and Silica Particles Spiked With Three Model Compounds
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Environmental Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-665X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The role of microplastics as chemical vectors delivering environmental contaminants into biota has been proposed, but their environmental relevance remains an issue of a debate. In this paper we compared the propensity and relative importance of synthetic polymer microparticles [glassy polystyrene (PS) and rubbery polyethylene (PE)] and silica glass particles (SG) to act as vectors for hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) into fish after ingestion. Particles were spiked with three HOCs [17 alpha-ethinylestradiol, chlorpyrifos and benzo(alpha)pyrene], which differ in hydrophobicity and induce well-known biomarker responses. Three-spined stickleback were exposed to 8 different diets: control diets (1), diets with non-spiked particles (2-4), diets containing a mixture of particles spiked with 3 model contaminants (5-7) and, finally, diets loaded with only the chemical mixture (8), for 14 days. Chemical sorption onto the particles was quantified and chemical transfer into the fish was investigated via biomarkers (CYP1a, ER alpha, VTG, and AChE) in fish intestine, liver and brain and quantification of HOCs in fish muscle. Results demonstrated particle-mediated chemical transfer of moderately hydrophobic contaminants into fish. While PS and PE particles mediated higher chemical transfer and tissue accumulation of 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol and chlorpyrifos than SG, the overall chemical transfer was found to be very low. The present work suggested that chemical sorption, desorption and subsequent transfer of chemicalsin vivodepends on multiple interconnected factors, including physicochemical properties of particles and contaminants, as well as toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic interactions. The biomarker approach was, however, suboptimal for assessing chemical transfer when addressing particle-associated chemical mixtures.
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| 26. |
- Axelman, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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A systems-based analysis to rethink the European environmental risk assessment of regulated chemicals using pesticides as a pilot case
- 2024
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Ingår i: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 948
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A growing body of scientific literature stresses the need to advance current environmental risk assessment (ERA) methodologies and associated regulatory frameworks to better address the landscape-scale and long-term impact of pesticide use on biodiversity and the ecosystem. Moreover, more collaborative and integrative approaches are needed to meet sustainability goals. The One Health approach is increasingly applied by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to support the transition towards safer, healthier and more sustainable food. To this end, EFSA commissioned the development of a roadmap for action to establish a European Partnership for next- generation, systems-based Environmental Risk Assessment (PERA). Here, we summarise the main conclusions and recommendations reported in the 2022 PERA Roadmap. This roadmap highlights that fragmentation of data, knowledge and expertise across regulatory sectors results in suboptimal processes and hinders the implementation of integrative ERA approaches needed to better protect the environment. To advance ERA, we revisited the underlying assumptions of the current ERA paradigm; that chemical risks are generally assessed and managed in isolation with a substance-by-substance, realistic worst-case and tiered approach. We suggest optimising the use of the vast amount of information and expertise available with pesticides as a pilot area. It is recommended to as soon as possible adopt a systems-based approach, i.e. within the current regulatory framework, to spark a step-wise transition towards an ERA framed at a system level of ecological and societal relevance. Tangible systems-based and integrative steps are available. For instance, the rich sources of existing data for prospective and retrospective ERA of pesticides could be used to reality-benchmark existing and new ERA methods. To achieve these goals, collaboration among stakeholders across scientific disciplines and regulatory sectors must be strengthened.
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| 28. |
- Backhaus, Thomas, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing the ecological impact of chemical pollution on aquatic ecosystems requires the systematic exploration and evaluation of four lines of evidence
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Sciences Europe. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2190-4707 .- 2190-4715. ; 31:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the European Water Framework Directive is to ensure good ecological status for all European surface waters. However, although current monitoring strategies aim to identify the presence and magnitude of ecological impacts, they provide little information on the causes of an ecosystem impairment. In fact, approaches to establish causal links between chemical pollution and impacts on the ecological status of exposed aquatic systems are largely lacking or poorly described and established. This is, however, crucial for developing and implementing appropriately targeted water management strategies. In order to identify the role of chemical pollution on the ecological status of an aquatic ecosystem, we suggest to systematically combine four lines of evidence (LOEs) that provide complementary evidence on the presence and potential ecological impact of complex chemical pollution: (1) component-based methods that allow a predictive mixture risk modeling; (2) effect-based methods; (3) in situ tests; (4) field-derived species inventories. These LOEs differ systematically in their specificity for chemical pollution, data demands, resources required and ecological relevance. They complement each other and, in their combination, allow to assess the contribution of chemical pollution pressure to impacts on ecological structure and function. Data from all LOEs are not always available and the information they provide is not necessarily consistent. We therefore propose a systematic, robust and transparent approach to combine the information available for a given study, in order to ensure that consensual conclusions are drawn from a given dataset. This allows to identify critical data gaps and needs for future testing and/or options for targeted and efficient water management.
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| 34. |
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| 38. |
- Backhaus, Thomas, 1967
(författare)
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Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceutical Mixtures: Demands, Gaps, and Possible Bridges
- 2016
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Ingår i: Aaps Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1550-7416. ; 18:4, s. 804-813
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ecotoxicological risk of pharmaceutical mixtures typically exceeds the risk of each individual compound, which calls specific attention to the fact that monitoring surveys routinely find complex pharmaceutical mixtures in various environmental compartments. However, although the body of evidence on the ecotoxicology of pharmaceutical mixtures is quite consistent, the current guidelines for the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals often do not explicitly address mixture effects. Data availability and acceptable methods often limit such assessments. A tiered approach that begins with summing up individual risk quotients, i.e., the ratio between the predicted or measured environmental concentration and the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) is therefore suggested in this paper, in order to improve the realism of the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the use of a mixture-specific assessment factor, as well as the classical mixture toxicity concepts of concentration addition and independent action is explored. Finally, specific attention is given to the exposure-based waiving of environmental risk assessments, as currently implemented in screening or pre-screening phases (tier 0 in Europe, categorical exclusion in the USA), since even low, individually non-toxic concentrations might combine to produce substantial mixture effects.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Backhaus, Thomas, 1967
(författare)
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Exploring the mixture assessment or allocation factor (MAF): A brief overview of the current discourse
- 2024
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Ingår i: CURRENT OPINION IN TOXICOLOGY. - 2468-2020. ; 37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability requests to include a mixture assessment factor (MAF) into the safety assessment of chemicals, in order to account for the elevated risks of chemical mixtures. This text first reflects on the conceptual background of the MAF, and then provides an overview of current stakeholder positions and of the studies attempting to quantify an appropriate size of the MAF. Stakeholders from industry, civil society organizations (NGOs), and regulatory authorities have already put forth statements regarding the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the MAF approach, sometimes without providing detailed arguments. A consensus seems to emerge that the so-called MAFfactor is not a suitable instrument, due to its indiscriminatory nature that penalizes even chemicals that contribute only marginally to the mixture risk. Members of the larger MAFceiling family, in particular the MAFexact, overcome this limitation and are therefore suggested as the way forward.
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- Backhaus, Thomas, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Hazard and Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures under REACH - State of the Art, Gaps and Options for Improvement. Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate , Report PM/3 2010
- 2010
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As demonstrated by several examples, humans and all other organisms in the environment are exposed to multi-component chemical mixtures. Empirical evidence on the toxicity and ecotoxicity of such chemical cocktails shows one common pattern, independent on the specific chemical composition of a particular mixture, the exposed organism or biological endpoint under observation: the joint toxicity of a chemical mixture is always higher than the individual toxic effect of even the most potent compound present. In particular, even low, individually non-toxic concentrations might result in a significant toxicity, if they co-occur as a chemical mixture. Given the actual exposure situation it has hence to be concluded that ecological or human-health standards for individual chemicals are only a first step. In addition, the toxicity of chemical mixtures has to be adequately considered in the regulatory risk assessment of chemicals. However, despite these facts and despite its professed aim to “ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment” (article 1), REACH does not provide a mandate for considering the toxicity of so-called “coincidental” mixtures of industrial chemicals – multicomponent cocktails that are found in the environment or the human body as a result from the concurrent use of different chemicals in a given area. That the inclusion of such a mandate for mixture risk assessments provides a feasible option, at least for a certain regulatory groups of chemicals, is demonstrated by the forthcoming new legislation on plant protection products (PPP) (Common Position (EC) No 25/2008 adopted by the EP on 13 January 2009), which requests that PPP’s “shall not have any harmful effects on human health, including vulnerable groups, or animal health, taking into account known cumulative and synergistic effects”. However, comprehensive assessments of the (eco)toxicological impact from the plethora of all the chemicals that humans and the environment are exposed to would require more far-reaching regulatory efforts. There is the need to cut across the existing pieces of chemicals legislation, and not limited the assessment by substance- and product- oriented regulations such as REACH and PPP. Process- and media-oriented forms of legislation, such as for instance the Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control Directive (IPPC) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) need to be included. Approaches that directly address cumulative exposure scenarios, as put forward for example in the WFD, might provide particularly valuable options for improved protection of humans and the environment from risks from mixtures of chemicals. Several approaches for the assessment of mixture (eco)toxicities have been described in the scientific literature, each with its own specific pros and cons. For prospective assessments in regulatory contexts (e.g. within REACH), the classic toxicological concepts of Concentration Addition and Independent Action seem to be the most promising methods. Especially Concentrations Addition has proven to provide generally good approximations of expectable mixture toxicities for a wide range of mixtures, exposed organisms and biological endpoints. In particular, synergistic (considerably more than concentration-additive) mixture toxicities seem to be rare. Concentration Addition also allows to predict the expected mixture toxicity (EC50 values) using the toxicological and ecotoxicological data that may be available by the registration of a compound under REACH. Two options for the risk assessment of “coincidental mixtures” within the context of REACH are discussed on this basis: (a) a default mixture assessment factor (MAF) and (b) scenario specific cumulative risk assessments. The actual implementation of these options are currently hampered 8 by substantial knowledge gaps, which, however, seem to be mainly empirical in nature. Especially knowledge on “typical” exposure scenarios involving REACH-chemicals is missing. Nevertheless, from a perspective beyond REACH, the trans-sectorial nature of mixtures of toxic compounds that coincidentally co-occur in an environmental compartment, the organisms living there, food and the human body poses a substantial challenge for the current system of chemical risk assessment and management.
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Backhaus, Thomas, 1967
(författare)
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Interactions and their impact on the applicability of Concentration Addition for environmentally realistic mixtures
- 2011
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Ingår i: Ecosystem Protection in a Sustainable World: A challange for Science and Regulation, Abstract Book.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Regulatory guidelines make heavy use of Concentration Addition (CA) as a tool for predicting and assessing the toxicity of chemical mixtures. CA assumes that the compounds in a mixture do not interact with each other, neither in their toxicokinetic nor in their toxicodynamic phase. However, several of those interactions are described in the scientific literature for almost all major groups of environmental chemicals. These result in essentially synergistic or antagonistic mixture toxicities, i.e. higher, respectively lower mixture toxicities than expected by CA. With a view on the regulatory risk assessment of chemical mixtures, it is hence important to quantify the range of expectable synergisms, respectively antagonisms. I discuss the quantitative consequences of interactions for the predictive power of CA using two published studies on the hazards and risks of environmentally realistic mixtures. One case study concerns the human health effects of a mixture of anti-androgens, the other the ecotoxicity of a pesticide mixture. Based on a series of simulation studies in which interactions were gradually assumed to occur in the mixtures, I outline the limiting cases (worst case situations) as well as the fundamental relationship between expectable deviations from CA and number of mixture components, mixture ratio and number of interacting substances in the mixture.
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
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| 49. |
- Backhaus, Thomas, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Joint algal toxicity of phenylurea herbicides is equally predictable by concentration addition and independent action.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Environmental toxicology and chemistry / SETAC. - 0730-7268. ; 23:2, s. 258-64
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photosynthesis-inhibiting phenylurea derivatives, such as diuron, are widely used as herbicides. Diuron concentrations clearly exceeding the predicted-no-effect concentration have been regularly measured in European freshwater systems. The frequently observed exposure to mixtures of phenylureas additionally increases the hazard to aquatic primary producers. Fluctuating numbers and concentrations of individual toxicants make experimental testing of every potential mixture unfeasible. Thus, predictive approaches to the mixture hazard assessment are needed. For this purpose, two concepts are at hand, both of which make use of known toxicities of the individual components but are based on opposite mechanistic suppositions: Concentration addition is based on the idea of similar mechanisms of action, whereas independent action assumes dissimilarly acting mixture components. On the basis of pharmacological reasoning, it was therefore anticipated that the joint algal toxicity of phenylurea mixtures would be predictable by concentration addition. Indeed, we could demonstrate a high predictive power of concentration addition for these combinations. Surprisingly, however, the opposite concept of independent action proved to be equally valid, because both concepts predicted virtually identical mixture toxicities. This exceptional case has previously been derived from theoretical considerations. Now, the tested phenylurea mixtures serve as an example for the practical relevance of this situation for multicomponent mixtures.
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| 50. |
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