Terrestrial Toxicity

As mentioned above, if soil experimental toxicity data of a certain substance is not available, data on aquatic organisms can be used to estimate terrestrial toxicity. 

REACH suggests performing long-term toxicity tests for substances that have a high potential to adsorb to soil or that are very persistent [11]. 

Toxicity tests exist which have been carried out on bacteria that are specific to the soil compartment. They investigate the long-term adverse effects of substances on carbon (OECD 217, [58]) or nitrogen (OECD 216, [59]) transformation processes over a period of no less than 28 days. 

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Terrestrial toxicity (to plants, earthworms, bees, birds)... 

Burch, S. W. et al., In vitro earthworm coelomocyte assay for use in terrestrial toxicity identification evaluation, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 62, 547. 1999. 

With the aid of IPCC 2007 characterization factors over a 100-year time horizon, the global warming potential (GWP) of shopping bag alternatives were assessed, and using CML 2001 method, the different impact categories were quantified, namely depletion of abiotic resources, photo-oxidant formation, eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity and aquatic and terrestrial toxicity. 

EU criteria for the classification of substances hazardous to the non-aquatic environment are developing from terrestrial toxicity tests in higher plants and earthworms. The R-phrases R56 (toxic to soil organisms), R54 (toxic to flora) and R55 (toxic to fauna) have been established and test methods are under development. 

Toxicity testing of soil—where HCB is more likely to be found than in water—is less common. As described in Chapters 2 and 3, terrestrial toxicity testing is often not a part of formal risk characterization. Some scientists have tested the effect of exposure to HCB-contaminated soil on earthworms and found that HCB can bioaccumulate (see, e.g., [105]). 

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