To be or not to be degraded: in defense of persistence assessment of chemicals

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F22%3A00126765" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/22:00126765 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/EM/D2EM00213B" target="_blank" >https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/EM/D2EM00213B</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d2em00213b" target="_blank" >10.1039/d2em00213b</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

To be or not to be degraded: in defense of persistence assessment of chemicals

Original language description

Characterizing the degradation behavior of chemicals in the environment is a key component of chemical hazard and risk assessment. Persistence has been successfully characterized for readily and for slowly degradable chemicals using standardized tests, but for the third group of chemicals with intermediate degradability ("middle group"), the assessment is less straightforward. Whether chemicals of this group behave as persistent or not in a given environment depends on environmental factors such as the presence of sorbents that can limit the bioavailability of chemicals. Uncertainties associated with current persistence assessments of chemicals in the middle group do not imply that persistence assessment is generally inconsistent, too ambiguous for regulatory use, and not useful in chemical hazard and risk assessment. Given the complexity of the environmental factors influencing chemical degradation, and the diversity of commercial chemicals, it has to be accepted though that for chemicals in the middle group even improved testing methods will not remove all of the immanent heterogeneity in their persistence data. For cases with widely different but technically valid persistence data, a weight-of-evidence approach is necessary and the "benefit of the doubt" should follow the precautionary principle in order to protect human and ecosystem health. We maintain that technically valid persistence data, although they might be considered dissatisfying from a scientific point of view because of high variability or even inconclusiveness, can well be sufficient for regulatory purposes. As with anything, also in persistence assessment, the scientific logic aims for a mechanistic description of the processes involved, low uncertainty, and a comprehensive understanding derived from a broad empirical basis. If the scientific logic is used as a benchmark in the regulatory context, this may easily lead to "paralysis by analysis". While regulatory decisions should be based on sound science, discrepancies between scientific goals and regulatory needs and, consequently, different levels of requirements (must-have versus nice-to-have) for degradation studies need to be recognized and appreciated. We further advocate for enhancing consistency between regulatory persistence assessments ("one substance-one assessment"), which is currently not the case.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10511 - Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts

ISSN

2050-7887

e-ISSN

2050-7895

Volume of the periodical

24

Issue of the periodical within the volume

8

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

6

Pages from-to

1104-1109

UT code for WoS article

000823775400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85134669985