PH11 Global Perspectives on Soil Ecotoxicology
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday
(PH148) Derivation of Wildlife Toxicity Reference Values for Ecological Soil Screening Levels (Eco-SSLs).
Burris, J1, Hoff, D2, Russom, C3, Charters, D4, Ells, S5, 1 Syracuse Research Corporation, Denver, CO, USA2 U.S. EPA Region 8, Denver, CO, USA3 U.S. EPA ORD NHEERL Mid-Continent Ecology Division, Duluth, MN, USA4 U.S. EPA, Edison, NJ, USA5 U.S. EPA OSRTI, Washington, DC, USA
ABSTRACT- Wildlife Toxicity Reference Values were developed by the USEPA Superfund for the calculation of Ecological Soil Screening Levels (Eco-SSLs) protective of terrestrial wildlife. The wildlife Eco-SSL is the soil contaminant concentration where the Effect Dose (TRV) and Exposure Dose are equal (amount of contaminant in the diet that is taken up from soil). The TRV is defined as the dose above which ecologically relevant effects might occur to wildlife species following chronic dietary exposure and below which it is reasonably expected that effects will not occur. A four-step process was used to derive TRVs: 1) Literature search, 2) Literature review and data extraction, 3) Data evaluation, and 4) TRV derivation. This presentation provides the interim final TRVs and subsequent Eco-SSLs for arsenic, chromium, pentachlorphenol, vanadium, PAHs, copper, DDT and manganese. The extracted toxicological data is classified by effect type for six classes of endpoints including mortality, reproduction, growth, biochemical, behavioral, and physiological. Each extracted result is assigned a data evaluation score ranging from 30 to 100 indicating the quality of the study. Studies with scores above 65 are then plotted by effect type and used to derive the wildlife TRV (Step 4) according to a pre-established selection and calculation hierarchy. The derivation process and results (both TRV and associated Eco-SSL) are discussed for each contaminant.
Key words: Arsenic, PAHs, Copper, DDT