Poorly Water Soluble Organic Compounds: Guidance for the Interpretation ofResults from Aquatic Ecotoxicity Tests and a Proposal for a Modified Classification and Risk Evaluation

摘要

Circa 30% of the new substances that have to be notified within the framework ofthe European Community (EC) and the Dutch Chemical Substances Act for an evaluation of the potential hazards/risks have a poor water solubility (<1 mg/l). A problem is recognized in the interpretation of results of aquatic ecotoxicity tests carried out with these compounds since the current Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and EC guidelines give only little guidance to the testing of these compounds. This document intends to give guidance for the interpretation of results obtained from toxicity tests with poorly water soluble organic compounds. A modification of the current EC classification of compounds on the basis of environmental effects for the aquatic environment is proposed. In this proposal the classification is based on the toxicity of a compound rather than on its water solubility. Some recommendations for the ecotoxicological risk evaluation of compounds with a poor water solubility are presented.