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Outcome of the OECD workshop on metals specificities in environmental risk assessment

On 7-8 September 2011, the OECD organized a workshop in Paris on metals specificities in environmental risk assessment.

The goals of the workshop were to :

• Share regional experience in dealing with metal specific environmental hazard assessment 
• Review proposed/existing guidance for metals/inorganic specific hazard assessment concepts 
• Provide examples and encourage exchange of experience in dealing with metals environmental assessment 
• Understand and apply metal and inorganic specific tools and approaches
• Collect feedback on the proposed concepts and identify opportunities for harmonisation of approaches across countries/regions

Concepts of bioavailability, effects assessments, fate and bioaccumulation specific to metals were presented with illustrative examples. Participants generally agreed with proposed concepts and recommended the development of further guidance on BLM application, on statistical approaches for SSD derivation, the application of more stringent relevancy criteria for the selection of test data, and further discussion on the interpretation of bioconcentration and bioaccumulation for metals.

Below are the presentations from speakers at the workshop:

Generic presentations :

• Needs for specific approaches for Environmental hazard and exposure assessment for metals and inorganics (Hugo Waeterschoot, BIAC)
• Existing regional generic frameworks for metals and inorganics:
  • European Union  (Marta Sobanska)
  • Canada (Joël Gauthier)
  • United States (Randy Wenstel)
  • UK DEFRA: MERAG project (Lucy Gilliam)
  • Japan  (Takehiko Hayashi)
    

Session A- Bioavailability

• How to correct for background and acclimatisation?
  (Frank Van Assche, IZA/BIAC)
• Bioavailability correction: general principles and techniques;
  (Patrick Van Sprang, ARCHE consulting/BIAC) 
• Illustrative examples: Antimony in soil, Nickel in soil, copper in freshwater, BLM for data poor metals

Session B- Effects assessment

• Assessment of very large effects data sets and read-across techniques relevant for poorer data sets (Katrien Delbeke, ECI/BIAC)
• Illustrative examples: Lead in soil, Silver in STP effects assessment, zinc in water

Session C- Bioaccumulation and fate

• Bioaccumulation requiring specific attention for metals and inorganics (part 1, part 2) (Bill Adams, Rio Tinto/BIAC) 
• Secondary poisoning assessment to aquatic and terrestrial organisms (Chris Schlekat, Nipera/BIAC)
• Illustrative examples: Background correction for zinc, bioaccumulation of cobalt

Workshop report (will be available towards the end of 2011)