Dataset Information

Toward the Development and Application of an Environmental Risk Assessment Framework for Microplastic.

ABSTRACT: Emissions of plastic waste to the environment and the subsequent degradation into microplastic particles that have the potential to interact with biological organisms represent a concern for global society. Current understanding of the potential impacts on aquatic and terrestrial population stability and ecosystem structure and function associated with emissions of microplastic particles is limited and insufficient to fully assess environmental risks. Multistakeholder discussions can provide an important element in helping to identify and prioritize key knowledge gaps in assessing potential risks. In the present review, we summarize multistakeholder discussions from a 1-d International Council of Chemical Associations-sponsored symposium, which involved 39 scientists from 8 countries with representatives from academia, industry, and government. Participants were asked to consider the following: discuss the scientific merits and limitations of applying a proposed conceptual environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework for microplastic particles and identify and prioritize major research needs in applying ERA tools for microplastic particles. Multistakeholder consensus was obtained with respect to the interpretation of the current state of the science related to effects and exposure to microplastic particles, which implies that it is unlikely that the presence of microplastic in the environment currently represents a risk. However, the quality and quantity of existing data require substantial improvement before conclusions regarding the potential risks and impacts of microplastic particles can be fully assessed. Research that directly addresses the development and application of methods that strengthen the quality of data should thus be given the highest priority. Activities aimed at supporting the development of and access to standardized reference material were identified as a key research need. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2087-2100. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

SUBMITTER: Gouin T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6852392 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Toward the Development and Application of an Environmental Risk Assessment Framework for Microplastic.

Gouin Todd T Becker Richard A RA Collot Anne-Gaelle AG Davis John W JW Howard Brett B Inawaka Kunifumi K Lampi Mark M Ramon Blanca Serrano BS Shi Jay J Hopp Philipp W PW

Environmental toxicology and chemistry 20190827 10

Emissions of plastic waste to the environment and the subsequent degradation into microplastic particles that have the potential to interact with biological organisms represent a concern for global society. Current understanding of the potential impacts on aquatic and terrestrial population stability and ecosystem structure and function associated with emissions of microplastic particles is limited and insufficient to fully assess environmental risks. Multistakeholder discussions can provide an ...[more]

PMID: 31233238

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Project description:Regulatory requirements exist to assess the potential impacts of pesticides on insect pollinators, but "inert," coformulants to pesticide formulations are not included in standard regulatory risk assessments. Some publications in the open literature have suggested that the agricultural uses of "inert" ingredients, including trisiloxane polyether surfactants, may result in adverse effects on pollinators. We conducted a screening-level risk assessment to evaluate the potential risk to insect pollinators, using honey bees (Apis mellifera) as a surrogate, from exposure to three trisiloxane polyether surfactants based on agricultural application scenarios following the current US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidance. The exposure assessment included data from two sources: (1) use data reported in California's (USA) Pesticide Use Registry (PUR) database for all crops, and (2) an almond orchard residue study conducted using the three trisiloxane polyether surfactants. Honey bee laboratory studies with each of the trisiloxane polyether surfactants reported 50% lethal doses (LD50s) or no adverse effect levels, which were used as the effects inputs to BeeREX. The exposure and toxicity data were combined to estimate potential honey bee risk based on the determination of acute and chronic risk quotients (RQs) for larval and adult life stages. The RQs calculated using both the PUR use rates as well as the application rates and peak measured residues from the almond orchard residue study were below the USEPA acute and chronic levels of concern (acute, 0.4; chronic, 1.0). Based on these results, the use of these three trisiloxane polyether surfactants in agricultural use settings can be considered minimal risk to insect pollinators, and higher tier assessment is unnecessary for the characterization of risk. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:3084-3094. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Project description:Microplastics have been documented in drinking water, but their effects on human health from ingestion, or the concentrations at which those effects begin to manifest, are not established. Here, we report on the outcome of a virtual expert workshop conducted between October 2020 and October 2021 in which a comprehensive review of mammalian hazard studies was conducted. A key objective of this assessment was to evaluate the feasibility and confidence in deriving a human health-based threshold value to inform development of the State of California's monitoring and management strategy for microplastics in drinking water. A tiered approach was adopted to evaluate the quality and reliability of studies identified from a review of the peer-reviewed scientific literature. A total of 41 in vitro and 31 in vivo studies using mammals were identified and subjected to a Tier 1 screening and prioritization exercise, which was based on an evaluation of how each of the studies addressed various quality criteria. Prioritized studies were identified largely based on their application and reporting of dose-response relationships. Given that methods for extrapolating between in vitro and in vivo systems are currently lacking, only oral exposure in vivo studies were identified as fit-for-purpose within the context of this workshop. Twelve mammalian toxicity studies were prioritized and subjected to a Tier 2 qualitative evaluation by external experts. Of the 12 studies, 7 report adverse effects on male and female reproductive systems, while 5 reported effects on various other physiological endpoints. It is notable that the majority of studies (83%) subjected to Tier 2 evaluation report results from exposure to a single polymer type (polystyrene spheres), representing a size range of 0.040 to 20 µm. No single study met all desired quality criteria, but collectively toxicological effects with respect to biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress represented a consistent trend. While it was possible to derive a conservative screening level to inform monitoring activities, it was not possible to extrapolate a human-health-based threshold value for microplastics, which is largely due to concerns regarding the relative quality and reliability of current data, but also due to the inability to extrapolate data from studies using monodisperse plastic particles, such as polystyrene spheres to an environmentally relevant exposure of microplastics. Nevertheless, a conservative screening level value was used to estimate a volume of drinking water (1000 L) that could be used to support monitoring activities and improve our overall understanding of exposure in California's drinking water. In order to increase confidence in our ability to derive a human-health-based threshold value in the future, several research recommendations are provided, with an emphasis towards strengthening how toxicity studies should be conducted in the future and an improved understanding of human exposure to microplastics, insights critically important to better inform future risk assessments.Graphical abstractSupplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43591-022-00030-6.

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Project description:BackgroundAdolescence is a developmental period during which youth experience vulnerability to psychopathology. To build the foundation for a parsimonious psychopathology risk calculator while capturing the complexity and dynamic nature of the environment, the current study aimed to identify distinct risk and resilience profiles with a wide range of environmental factors guided by Bronfenbrenner's biopsychosocial ecological system theory. The association between the early-mid childhood risk profiles and psychopathology in adolescence were examined. Moreover, the predictive utility of early childhood irritability was evaluated in addition to the risk profiles.MethodsThe data from Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study a nation-wide longitudinal study, were used in the latent profile analyses to identify the risk profiles with family, school, and neighborhood characteristics from 3 to 9 years old. To capture the socio-environmental and cultural nuances, we extracted three subsamples, including Black/African American (n = 2587), Hispanic/Latinx (n = 1577), and White (n = 776) for separate analyses. Risk profile memberships were used to predict adolescence psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, attention deficits, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder symptoms. The predictive utility of early childhood irritability above and beyond environmental risk profiles was evaluated using stepwise regression.ResultsThree risk profiles were identified in the Hispanic/Latinx and Black/African American subsamples, while four profiles were identified in White subsample. Almost all risk profile membership predicted both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, while some profiles are predictive of externalizing symptoms only. Higher level of irritability predicted higher symptomatology in all five mental health outcomes above and beyond the environmental profiles.ConclusionsDistinct risk and resilience profiles primarily driven by parent and family characteristics were identified for all three major race/ethnicity groups. Our findings lay the foundation for a more efficient multi-tiered information gathering process in mental health clinical settings to aid the decision making for intervention and prevention.

Dataset Information

Toward the Development and Application of an Environmental Risk Assessment Framework for Microplastic.

Publications

Toward the Development and Application of an Environmental Risk Assessment Framework for Microplastic.

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