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Probabilistic risk evaluation for triclosan in surface water, sediments, and aquatic biota tissues
Author(s) -
Lyndall Jennifer,
Fuchsman Phyllis,
Bock Michael,
Barber Timothy,
Lauren Darrel,
Leigh Katrina,
Perruchon Elyse,
Capdevielle Marie
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
integrated environmental assessment and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1551-3793
pISSN - 1551-3777
DOI - 10.1897/ieam_2009-072.1
Subject(s) - triclosan , environmental science , sediment , aquatic ecosystem , environmental chemistry , biota , surface water , effluent , water pollution , contamination , ecology , environmental engineering , biology , chemistry , medicine , paleontology , pathology
Triclosan, an antimicrobial compound used in personal care products, occurs in the aquatic environment due to residual concentrations in municipal wastewater treatment effluent. We evaluate triclosan‐related risks to the aquatic environment, for aquatic and sediment‐dwelling organisms and for aquatic‐feeding wildlife, based on measured and modeled exposure concentrations. Triclosan concentrations in surface water, sediment, and biota tissue are predicted using a fugacity model parameterized to run probabilistically, to supplement the limited available measurements of triclosan in sediment and tissue. Aquatic toxicity is evaluated based on a species sensitivity distribution, which is extrapolated to sediment and tissues assuming equilibrium partitioning. A probabilistic wildlife exposure model is also used, and estimated doses are compared with wildlife toxicity benchmarks identified from a review of published and proprietary studies. The 95th percentiles of measured and modeled triclosan concentrations in surface water, sediment, and biota tissues are consistently below the 5th percentile of the respective species sensitivity distributions, indicating that, under most scenarios, adverse affects due to triclosan are unlikely. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2010;6:419–440. © 2010 SETAC