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Acritical review and weight of evidence approach for assessing the bioaccumulation of phenanthrene in aquatic environments.

ABSTRACT: Bioaccumulation (B) assessment is challenging because there are various B-metrics from laboratory and field studies, multiple criteria and thresholds for classifying bioaccumulative (B), very bioaccumulative (vB), and not bioaccumulative (nB) chemicals, as well as inherent variability and uncertainty in the data. These challenges can be met using a weight of evidence (WoE) approach. The Bioaccumulation Assessment Tool (BAT) provides a transparent WoE assessment framework that follows Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) principles for performing a WoE analysis. The BAT guides an evaluator through the process of data collection, generation, evaluation, and integration of various lines of evidence (LoE) (i.e., B-metrics) to inform decision-making. Phenanthrene (PHE) is a naturally occurring chemical for which extensive B and toxicokinetics data are available. A B assessment for PHE using the BAT is described that includes a critical evaluation of 74 measured in vivo LoE for fish and invertebrate species from laboratory and field studies. The number of LoE are reasonably well balanced across taxa (i.e., fish and invertebrates) and the different B-metrics. Additionally, in silico and in vitro biotransformation rate estimates and corresponding model-predicted B-metrics are included as corroborating evidence. Application of the BAT provides a consistent, coherent, and scientifically defensible WoE evaluation to conclude that PHE is not bioaccumulative (nB) because the overwhelming majority of the bioconcentration, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification metrics for both fish and invertebrates are below regulatory thresholds. An analysis of the relevant data using fugacity ratios is also provided, showing that PHE does not biomagnify in aquatic food webs. The critical review identifies recommendations to increase the consistency of B assessments, such as improved standardization of B testing guidelines, data reporting requirements for invertebrate studies, and consideration of temperature and salinity effects on certain B-metrics. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:911-925. © 2021 Concawe. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

SUBMITTER: Armitage JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8451923 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Cylindrospermopsin (CYN), a cyanotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms, has been reported worldwide; however, there remains limited understanding of its potential risks to surface water quality. In the present study, we critically reviewed available literature regarding the global occurrence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity of CYN in aquatic systems with a particular focus on freshwater. We subsequently developed environmental exposure distributions (EEDs) for CYN in surface waters and performed probabilistic environmental hazard assessments (PEHAs) using guideline values (GVs). PEHAs were performed by geographic region, type of aquatic system, and matrix. CYN occurrence was prevalent in North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific, with lakes being the most common system. Many global whole water EEDs exceeded guideline values (GV) previously developed for drinking water (e.g., 0.5 μg L-1) and recreational water (e.g., 1 μg L-1). GV exceedances were higher in the Asia/Pacific region, and in rivers and reservoirs. Rivers in the Asia/Pacific region exceeded the lowest drinking water GV 73.2% of the time. However, lack of standardized protocols used for analyses was alarming, which warrants improvement in future studies. In addition, bioaccumulation of CYN has been reported in mollusks, crustaceans, and fish, but such exposure information remains limited. Though several publications have reported aquatic toxicity of CYN, there is limited chronic aquatic toxicity data, especially for higher trophic level organisms. Most aquatic toxicity studies have not employed standardized experimental designs, failed to analytically verify treatment levels, and did not report purity of CYN used for experiments; therefore, existing data are insufficient to derive water quality guidelines. Considering such elevated exceedances of CYN in global surface waters and limited aquatic bioaccumulation and toxicity data, further aquatic monitoring, environmental fate and mechanistic toxicology studies are warranted to robustly assess and manage water quality risks to public health and the environment.

Project description:Understanding the bioaccumulation of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is essential for making regulatory decisions on potential environmental risks. Research in the field of ENM bioaccumulation has increased in recent years, but the compilation and statistical analysis of the available experimental data have not been updated. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of the existing literature on the bioaccumulation of eight types of nondissolvable ENMs (titanium dioxide [TiO2 ], aluminum oxide [Al2 O3 ], gold [Au], fullerene [C60 ], carbon nanotubes, iron oxide [FeOx ], graphene, and polystyrene) in nonmammalian freshwater aquatic organisms across three trophic levels including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish. Three typical endpoints were used to assess the bioaccumulation potential: the bioconcentration factor (BCF), the bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and the biomagnification factor (BMF). Our results suggest that zooplankton has greater mean logarithmic BCF and BAF values than phytoplankton (3.31 vs. 1.42) and fish (2.04). The ENMs are biomagnified in zooplankton, with a mean BMF of 17.4, whereas trophic transfer from primary consumers (zooplankton) to secondary consumers (fish) was not observed (mean BMF of 0.13). No clear dependency was identified between the physicochemical characteristics of ENMs (e.g., primary particle size, zeta potential, or shape) and bioaccumulation, except for coated versus uncoated particles accumulated in phytoplankton. Carbonaceous ENMs were found to be more bioaccumulated than the other ENMs we considered, except for TiO2 . A meta-analysis of bioaccumulation data can (1) deepen the understanding of bioconcentration, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of ENMs, (2) be used to support grouping strategies as a basis for a safer-by-design approach for ENMs, (3) be integrated into comprehensive hazard and risk assessments, (4) promote the standardization of testing guidelines, and (5) enhance future kinetic bioaccumulation modeling. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1202-1214. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

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Acritical review and weight of evidence approach for assessing the bioaccumulation of phenanthrene in aquatic environments.

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