Application of biomarkers for improving risk assessments of chemicals under the Water Framework Directive: A case study

To answer the requirement of the European Commission’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) for biological-effects endpoints to classify the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems, we propose the biomarker response index (BRI). The BRI, based on a suite of biomarkers at different levels of biological re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2008-06, Vol.56 (6), p.1111-1118
Main Authors: Hagger, Josephine A., Jones, Malcolm B., Lowe, David, Leonard, D.R. Paul, Owen, Richard, Galloway, Tamara S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Assessment
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarker response index
Biomarkers
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
England
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Environmental Monitoring - standards
Environmental risk
Female
Fertility
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine
Marine and brackish environment
Mytilus edulis
Mytilus edulis - drug effects
Organic Chemicals
Pesticides
Public Health
Public Policy
Risk Assessment - methods
Techniques
Wales
Water Framework Directive
Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
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Summary:To answer the requirement of the European Commission’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) for biological-effects endpoints to classify the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems, we propose the biomarker response index (BRI). The BRI, based on a suite of biomarkers at different levels of biological response at the individual level, provides an integrated relative measure of the general health status of coastal invertebrates. Using the BRI, the health of mussels ( Mytilus edulis) from 10 estuaries classified by the Environment Agency of England and Wales under the WFD was compared. Eight sites were healthier than predicted and two showed a similar health status to that of the predicted point-source pollution risk classification. Results indicate that the BRI offers a potential measure of organism health that can be used in monitoring under the WFD as an additional aid to reduce uncertainty in defining risk classification and to provide better evidence of existing impact.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.03.040