Percholorate Ecological Risk Studies - A Report on Literature Reviews and Studies Conducted by the Ecological Impact/Transport and Transformation Subcommittee of the Interagency Perchlorate Steering Committee
Abstract
The Ecological Impact/Transport and Transformation Subcommittee of the Interagency Perchlorate Steering Committee was created in January 1998 to evaluate environmental fate and transport of perchlorate, an oxidizer found in solid rocket systems, and its potential effects on ecological receptors. A literature search was conducted to identify completed studies of various perchlorate salts (potassium, sodium, ammonium, etc) to evaluate dose levels that might cause adverse health effects in ecological receptors. Following the literature search, data gaps were identified to address the generally weak database on these effects. A battery of screening level ecological tests was selected based on their availability, rapid turnaround, interpretation power, and representativeness of a spectrum of organism classes. The test species selected were Daphnia magna and Ceriodaphnia dubia (free swimming freshwater aquatic invertebrates commonly called water fleas), Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow), Eisenia foetida (the redworm), and Lactuca sativa (a leaf lettuce). These five organisms encompass two invertebrate species (aquatic and terrestrial), an aquatic vertebrate, and a plant. An ecological risk assessment was then conducted following the Superfund paradigm for conducting ecological risk assessments, incorporating a toxicity evaluation, exposure analysis, and risk characterization. Effects, measured as growth and mortality, ranged from a NOEC of 10 mg/L in Ceriodaphnia dubia to a NOEC of 155 mg/L in Pimephales promelas. The range of LC50s was 66 mg/L in Ceriodaphnia dubia to 4450 mg/L in Eisenia foetida. Results were shared with the U.S. EPA National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) for their perchlorate risk characterization document.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA397933
Entities
People
- Clarence Callahan
- Guy C. Long
- Mark Sprenger
- Ronald C. Porter