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ESTIMATION OF AQUATIC SPECIES SENSITIVITY USING INTERSPECIES CORRELATION AND ACUTE TO CHRONIC TOXICITY MODELS
Citation:
BARRON, M. G., SANDY RAIMONDO, AND F. L. MAYER. ESTIMATION OF AQUATIC SPECIES SENSITIVITY USING INTERSPECIES CORRELATION AND ACUTE TO CHRONIC TOXICITY MODELS. Presented at SETAC, Baltimore, MD, November 13 - 17, 2005.
Description:
Abstract for presentation
Estimation of aquatic species sensitivity using interspecies correlation and acute to chronic toxicity models
Determining species sensitivity of aquatic organisms to contaminants is a critical component of criteria development and ecological risk assessment.
To address data gaps in species sensitivity, the U.S. EPA, in collaboration with the University of Missouri, developed the Interspecies Correlation Estimation (ICE) program to predict acute toxicity to under-represented taxa, and the Acute to Chronic Estimation (ACE) program to predict chronic toxicity. Version 1.0 of ICE was based on existing acute toxicity data for 143 aquatic and terrestrial species, and estimates acute toxicity using least squares regression and over 4000 interspecies correlations. ACE uses linear regression and accelerated life testing to predict no-effect and low-effect concentrations for chronic mortality. Expanded wildlife datasets result in improved interspecies correlations for birds and mammals. Mode of action categorizations provide some improvement in interspecies correlations, but with a commensurate loss in predictive power caused by smaller datasets. Uncertainty analyses of ICE and ACE predictions provide bounds where these toxicity estimation tools provide robust estimates of toxicity. These modeling approaches provide a more defensible approach to toxicity estimation than the traditional use of uncertainty factors when toxicity data for an endangered or other species is limited.