Euro Chlor risk assessment for the marine environment OSPARCOM region: North sea - Trichloroethylene

This risk assessment on trichloroethylene (TRI) was carried out specificall y for the marine environment, according to the methodology laid down in the EU risk assessment Regulation (1488/94) and the Guidance Document of the E U New and Existing Substances Regulation (TGD, 1997). The study consists of the collection and evaluation of data on effects and environmental concent rations from analytical monitoring programs in large rivers and estuaries i n the North Sea area. The risk is indicated by the ratio of the "predicted environmental concentrations" (PEC) and the "predicted no effect concentrat ions" (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total, 19 studies for f ish, 30 studies for invertebrates and 14 studies for algae have been evalua ted. Both acute and chronic toxicity studies have been taken into account a nd the appropriate assessment factors have been used to define a PNEC value of 150 mu g/l. Most of the available monitoring data apply to rivers and e stuaries and were used to calculate PECs. The most recent data (1991-1995) support a typical PEC of 0.1 mu g TRI/I water and a worst case PEC of 3.5 m u g TRI/l water. The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios give a safety margin of 40 to 1,500 between the predicted no effect concentration and the exposure con centration. Additional evaluation of environmental fate and bioaccumulation characteristics showed that no concern for food chain accumulation is expe cted.