A Framework for Environmental Toxicology

Chapter 2, A Framework for Environmental Toxicology, provides an overview of the field of environmental toxicology and introduces the progression from the initial introduction of the toxicant to the environment, its effect upon the site of action, and finally the impacts upon an ecosystem. Many of the terms used throughout this book are introduced in this section. After an introduction to toxicity testing, the remainder of the book is organized from the molecular chemistry of receptors to the ecological effects seen at the system level. 

The authors and editors of this book wish to acknowledge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Electric Power Research Institute, who sponsored a Society of Enviromnental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) workshop in September 2003 in Pensacola, Florida. More than 30 international experts gathered to discuss and propose a framework for a national mercury monitoring program to evaluate the effectiveness of mercury emissions controls on mercury concentrations in the enviromnent. This book and a companion journal publication (Mason et al. 2005) are the products of the workshop and subsequent efforts. 

Salvito DT, Senna RJ, and Federle TW (2002) A framework for prioritizing fragrance materials for aquatic risk assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21 1301-1308. 

J. Fava, R. Denison, B. Jones, M. Curran, B. Vigon, S. Selke, and J. Barnum, A Technical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment. Society for Environmental toxicology and Chemistry, (1991). 

J. Fava, A. Jensen, L. Lindfors, S. Pomper, B. De Smet, J. Warren, and B. Vigon, Life-cycle Assessment Data Quality A Conceptual Framework, Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SEATAC) and SEATAC Foundation for Environmental Education, 1994. 

USEtox calculates characterization factors for human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity. Assessing the toxicological effects of a chemical emitted into the environment implies a cause-effect chain that links emissions to impacts through three steps environmental fate, exposure, and effects. Linking these steps, a systematic framework for toxic impacts modeling based on matrix algebra was developed to some extent within the OMNIITOX project [10]. USEtox covers two spatial scales, the continental and the global scales. 

Fava, J. Denison, R. Jones, B. Curran, M.A. Vigon, B. Selke, S. Barnum, J. (eds.), A Technical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Pensacola, FL, 1991. 

Data derived from comprehensive toxicity testing may be integrated in risk assessment frameworks for a more reliable estimation of the probability that the contaminated site poses environmental harm. Moreover, toxicity tests may be used as screening tools in order to identify polluted soil or water samples, and to reduce the number of samples that require full chemical and/or toxicological analysis. 

Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), A Conceptual Framework for Life Cycle Impact Assessment. SETAE Foundation for Environmental Education,... 

Nocito JA, Walker HA, Paul JF,Menzie CA (1989) Application of a risk assessment framework for marine disposal of sewage sludge at Midshelf and offshelf sites. In Aquatic toxicology and environmental fate vol 11. ASTM STP 1007. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, PA... 

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodological framework for estimating and assessing the environmental impacts attributable to the life cycle of a product, such as climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, tropospheric ozone (smog) creation, eutrophication, acidification, toxicological stress on human health and ecosystems, the depletion of resources, water use, land use, noise, and others [3,4]. 

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