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EnviroTox database: Overview and applications
Citation:
Otter, R., M. Embry, M. Barron, A. Beasley, S. Belanger, M. Bonnell, J. Brill, D. Chang, K. Connors, D. DeZwart, K. Fay, M. Halder, S. Hughes, A. Kienzler, T. Norberg-King, H. Sanderson, N. Vallotton, AND P. Wilson. EnviroTox database: Overview and applications. SETAC North America, Toronto, ON, CANADA, November 03 - 07, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
Predictive methods that address aquatic hazards of chemicals remain essential as thousands of compounds have yet to be tested. The Threshold for Toxicological Concern (TTC) is well-established for assessing human safety but has only recently been explored in the ecological context. TTC establishes an exposure level for chemicals, below which no appreciable risk is expected based on toxicity values for related chemicals. This approach has been extended to encompass ecological resources via ecoTTCs. These are summaries of the distribution of a large array of aquatic species level toxicity data on diverse chemical substances as ecosystem Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs). EcoTTCs enable the prediction of untested chemicals based on similarly acting chemicals that share a structural attribute, mode of action, or functional use. An ecotoxicological database has been recently developed based on an assessment of published data and international chemical management programs. The ecoTTC concept may be useful for assessing chemicals at early tiers of the risk assessment process, providing hazard perspective on chemicals that toxicity data, guiding product development discussions, and assisting read across or category justifications. Several case-studies are underway to explore the feasibility of the eco-TTC approach based on several decision-contexts including prioritization and screening, chemical risk assessment, site specific risk assessment, mixtures, product development, criteria development.
Description:
Flexible, rapid, and predictive approaches that do not require the use of large numbers of vertebrate test animals are essential, as the chemical universe remains largely untested. Development of robust new approach methodologies (NAMs) and non-testing approaches requires the use of existing information via curated, integrated datasets. A large, diverse dataset was developed from a range of sources, with harmonization and characterization steps to ensure that the information could be effectively organized and mined. The resulting EnviroTox database (www.envirotoxdatabase.org) contains 91,217 aquatic toxicity records representing 1,563 species, and 4,016 unique chemical CAS#s. Chemical-specific information is linked to each record and includes physical chemical information, chemical descriptors, and mode of action classifications. Toxicity data are associated with the physical chemistry data, mode of action classifications, and curated taxonomic information for the organisms tested. To make these data accessible and useful to stakeholders, the dataset was transitioned from Microsoft Excel and Access into a modern MySQL format, allowing for a format that is relational and scalable, facilitating easy access, sharing, and integration with other datasets and tools. The dataset is accessed via a web-based query system that is integrated with a predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) calculator, an ecological threshold of toxicological concern (eco-TTC) distribution tool, and a chemical toxicity distribution (CTD) tool. The novel interface allows users to explore the data, upload additional datasets, derive threshold values based on specific criteria, and explore the potential use and applications. This presentation will provide an overview of the EnviroTox Database and examples of how the database and its associated tools can be used to inform chemical evaluation and alternative method development.