 Data
source for ecotoxicity information
The source data set for
aquatic ecotoxicity information is the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency AQUIRE Database, which is maintained by the U.S. EPA. This
database contains over 170,000 records and is a compilation of individual
studies conducted on the acute and chronic toxicity of selected
pesticides to a variety of aquatic organisms. These data are drawn
from a variety of sources, with peer-reviewed journal articles being
the primary source.
The AQUIRE dataset only
includes single-ingredient toxicity tests. In some cases, a 'single
ingredient' might be a pesticide product with both active and "inert"
ingredients. Not included in the AQUIRE dataset are in vitro
toxicity tests or tests on pesticide mixtures containing more than
one active ingredient. The AQUIRE dataset is the largest aquatic
ecotoxicity dataset that we know of. Other datasets on ecotoxicity
are maintained by the U.S. Geological survey (approximately 10,000
records) and the U.S. EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) (approximately
10,000 records). There is some overlap between these datasets, and
the U.S. EPA-OPP data is being incorporated into the AQUIRE dataset.
Also available through the
U.S. EPA Ecotoxicty group is the Terretox data, which includes toxicity
data for terrestrial organisms. The PAN Pesticide Database does
not yet include the Terretox dataset.
The AQUIRE dataset included
in the PAN Pesticide Database is U.S. EPA's June 2010 release;
U.S. EPA updates the dataset two to four
times per year.
References:
- U.S. EPA Ecotox web site. Viewed on December 19, 2010.
- U.S. Geological Survey
Ecotoxicity web
site. Viewed on Viewed on December 19, 2010.
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Last updated
December 19, 2010
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