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Estimation of Wildlife Hazard Levels Using Interspecies Correlation Models and Standard Laboratory Rodent Toxicity Data
Citation:
AWKERMAN, J. A., S. RAIMONDO, AND M. G. BARRON. Estimation of Wildlife Hazard Levels Using Interspecies Correlation Models and Standard Laboratory Rodent Toxicity Data. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH - PART A: CURRENT ISSUES. Taylor & Francis, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 72(24):1604-1609, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
Toxicity data from laboratory rodents are widely available and frequently used in human health assessments as an animal model. We used laboratory mouse and rat toxicity values to estimate toxicity to wildlife and used the predicted values to derive SSD hazard dose levels. Laboratory rodent toxicity data offer an additional source of information that can be used to predict hazard levels for wildlife species, and thus offer a starting point for both health and ecological risk assessment.
Description:
Toxicity data from laboratory rodents are widely available and frequently used in human health assessments as an animal model. We explore the possibility of using single rodent acute toxicity values to predict chemical toxicity to a diversity of wildlife species and to estimate hazard levels from modeled species sensitivity distributions (SSDs). Interspecies Correlation Estimation (ICE) models predict toxicity values for untested species using the sensitivity relationship between measured toxicity values of two species. Predicted toxicity values can subsequently populate SSDs for application in ecological risk assessments. We used laboratory mouse and rat toxicity values to estimate toxicity to wildlife and used the predicted values to derive SSD hazard dose levels. Toxicity values were predicted within 5-fold of measured toxicity values for 78% of ICE models using laboratory rat or mouse toxicity as a surrogate value. Hazard dose levels (HD5) were within 5-fold of measured estimates for 72% of SSDs developed using laboratory rodent ICE models. Rodents were most often in the least sensitive quartile of species sensitivity distributions, and therefore may not adequately represent the toxicity to many species of concern. Laboratory rodent toxicity data offer an additional source of information that can be used to predict hazard levels for wildlife species, and thus offer a starting point for both health and ecological risk assessment.