ESTIMATING THE HAZARD OF CHEMICAL-SUBSTANCES TO AQUATIC LIFE

The assessment of the hazard associated with the introduction of chemical substances into the environment is receiving considerable attention in current ecological, political, and public forums. The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the basic concepts involved in assessing the hazard of chemical substances to aquatic life. A conceptual framework for conducting a hazard assessment is elaborated. In addition, several proposed procedures for conducting aquatic hazard assessment are compared and contrasted. A discussion of the decision criteria currently utilized in hazard assessment procedures is included. The use of safety factors or 'uncertainty factors' as a central concept in a sequential testing approach is presented. An assessment of the 'state-of-the-art' in aquatic hazard assessment and recommendations for suceeding stpes in the development of procedures constitute the conclusion of the paper. © 1979 Dr. W. Junk b.v. Publishers.