marco vighi | Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (original) (raw)

Papers by marco vighi

Research paper thumbnail of Persistent organic pollutant in a fish community of a sub-alpine lake

Environmental Pollution, 2011

Influence of trophic level and physiology on POPs content in a sub-alpine fish community.

Research paper thumbnail of RISK OF POP MIXTURES ON THE ARCTIC FOOD CHAIN

The exposure of the Arctic ecosystem to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was assessed through... more The exposure of the Arctic ecosystem to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was assessed through a review of literature data. Concentrations of 19 chemicals or congeneric groups were estimated for the highest levels of the Arctic food chain (Arctic cod, ringed seals, and polar bears). The ecotoxicological risk for seals, bears, and bear cubs was estimated by applying the concentration addition (CA) concept. The risk of POP mixtures was very low in seals. By contrast, the risk was 2 orders of magnitude higher than the risk threshold for adult polar bears and even more (3 orders of magnitude above the threshold) for bear cubs fed with contaminated milk. Based on the temporal trends available for many of the chemicals, the temporal trend of the mixture risk for bear cubs was calculated. Relative to the 1980s, a decrease in risk from the POP mixture is evident, mainly because of international control measures. However, the composition of the mixture substantially changes, and the contribution of new POPs (particularly perfluorooctane sulfonate) increases. These results support the effectiveness of control measures, such as those promulgated in the Stockholm Convention, as well as the urgent need for their implementation for new and emerging POPs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;9999:1–12. # 2016 SETAC

Research paper thumbnail of Bioconcentration of organic chemical vapors in plant leaves: experimental measurements and correlation

Environ Sci Technol, 1990

... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi&... more ... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi' ... Following the indications of Travis and Hattemer-Frey (8), the Henry's law constant H and the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient KO, were considered. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Site-specific risk assessment for birds: critical issues in current risk assessment procedure

Field studies with non-target arthropods (NTA) are increasingly used in the higher-tier of the pe... more Field studies with non-target arthropods (NTA) are increasingly used in the higher-tier of the pesticide risk assessment to assess the risk of pesticide use for NTA both in-crop and off-crop. Because recovery is a critical endpoint field studies often generate long term time series involving a myriad of taxa. Sophisticated statistical techniques are needed to analyze such complex data sets. Whereas guidance for conducting NTA field studies is limitedly available, guidance for summarising and interpretation of study results is lacking. Therefore the Dutch Platform for the Assessment of Higher Tier Studies (PHTS) has drafted a guidance document for summarising and evaluating higher tier studies with NTA. The poster presents the main items of the guidance document, and will discuss the questions that have to be solved for a sound evaluation of NTA field studies.

Research paper thumbnail of 112 Birds 2010 SI

Research paper thumbnail of Opinion on the Environmental and Health Risks Posed by Depleted Uranium

The SCHER adopted this opinion at its 7th plenary on 18 May 2010 after public consultation 2 Abou... more The SCHER adopted this opinion at its 7th plenary on 18 May 2010 after public consultation 2 About the Scientific Committees Three independent non-food Scientific Committees provide the Commission with the scientific advice it needs when preparing policy and proposals relating to consumer safety, public health and the environment. The Committees also draw the Commission's attention to the new or emerging problems which may pose an actual or potential threat. They are: the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) and are made up of external experts. In addition, the Commission relies upon the work of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA), the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). SCHER Opinions on risks related...

Research paper thumbnail of Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks opinion on: Voluntary Risk Assessment Report on lead and lead compounds, Human Health Part

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a common conceptual framework for chemical footprint bridging Risk Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment: Short review and way forward

Research paper thumbnail of Ecological vulnerability in risk assessment — A review and perspectives

Science of The Total Environment, 2010

This paper reviews the application of ecological vulnerability analysis in risk assessment and de... more This paper reviews the application of ecological vulnerability analysis in risk assessment and describes new developments in methodology. For generic non-site-specific assessments (e.g. for the requirements of most European directives on dangerous chemicals) risk is characterised just on the basis of the ratio between an effect indicator and an exposure indicator. However, when the actual risk for a specific ecosystem is desired, the concept of ecological vulnerability may be more appropriate. This calls for a change in thinking, from sensitivity at the organism level to vulnerability at higher organization levels, and thus forms the link from laboratory toxicology to field effects at population, community or ecosystem level. To do so, biological and ecological characteristics of the ecosystems under concern are needed to estimate the ecological vulnerability. In this review we describe different vulnerability analysis methods developed for populations (of a single species), communities (consisting of different populations of species) and ecosystems (community and habitat combined). We also give some examples of methods developed for socio-ecological systems. Aspects that all methods share are the use of expert judgment, the input of stakeholders, ranking and mapping of the results, and the qualitative nature of the results. A new general framework is presented to guide future ecological vulnerability analysis. This framework can be used as part of ecological risk assessment, but also in risk management. We conclude that the further quantification of ecological vulnerability is a valuable contribution to vulnerability assessment.

Research paper thumbnail of Role of plant biomass in the global environmental partitioning of chlorinated hydrocarbons

Environmental Science & Technology, 1991

... Plant biomass plays a significant role in the global environmental partitioning phenomena and... more ... Plant biomass plays a significant role in the global environmental partitioning phenomena and plants are good indicators of tropospheric contamination levels by chlorinated hydrocarbons. ... the global distribution as well as the air concentrations, the use patterns of the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Bioconcentration of organic chemical vapors in plant leaves: experimental measurements and correlation

Environmental Science & Technology, 1990

... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi&... more ... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi' ... Following the indications of Travis and Hattemer-Frey (8), the Henry's law constant H and the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient KO, were considered. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Altitude profiles of total chlorinated paraffins in humus and spruce needles from the Alps (MONARPOP)

Environmental Pollution, 2009

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are toxic, bioaccumulative, persistent, and ubiquitously present in t... more Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are toxic, bioaccumulative, persistent, and ubiquitously present in the environment. CPs were analyzed in humus and needle samples, which were taken within the Monitoring Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and other Organic Pollutants (MONARPOP) at sampling sites of 7 different altitude profiles in the Alps. Gas chromatography combined with electron ionization tandem mass spectrometry (EI-MS/MS) was used for the determination of total CPs (sum of short, medium and long chain CPs). CPs were found in all samples; the concentrations varied between 7 and 199 ng g À1 dry weight (dw) and within 26 and 460 ng g À1 dw in humus and needle samples, respectively. A clear vertical tendency within the individual altitude profiles could not be ascertained. Within all altitude profiles, elevated concentrations were observed in humus samples taken between 700 and 900 m and between 1300 and 1500 m. In the needle samples no similar correlation could be observed due to higher variation of the data.

Research paper thumbnail of GIS-based procedure for site-specific risk assessment of pesticides for aquatic ecosystems

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2008

The EU Water Framework Directive states that the management of surface water must be based on a s... more The EU Water Framework Directive states that the management of surface water must be based on a site-specific assessment of water quality, that is dependent on land use. As a result, to develop a robust chemical management policy for aquatic ecosystems, the ecotoxicological risk must be strictly related to the local conditions and characteristics of the system. This paper presents a methodology developed to assess the ecotoxicological risk of pesticides to site-specific aquatic ecosystems. Spatial and relational databases, provisional models and risk indices were integrated into Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps of exposure, effect and risk at watershed scale. Each active ingredient is characterised by a data set that includes input data as well as results represented by a risk assessment cartography. The aim of this procedure is to perform a site-specific risk assessment by integrating geographical distribution of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs), ecotoxicological effects and the potential/actual quality of the exposed ecosystem. Examples of pesticide risk maps for surface waters in Lombardia Region (Northern Italy) are shown.

Research paper thumbnail of Spatially explicit method for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides for birds

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2010

Current methods for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides on birds take into account pes... more Current methods for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides on birds take into account pesticide properties and the bio-ecological characteristics of birds. However, there is a need to develop a spatially explicit method to refine the RA at different scales. A spatially explicit procedure has been developed to be applied at both field and sub-regional scales. An example of application on a pilot area characterised by intensive agriculture is provided. Focal species were selected as indicators of the different feeding habits and ecological role, considering the real presence in the area. Risk assessment and mapping were performed by integrating the existing toxicological data on birds from the literature with site-specific information providing maps for all pesticides used in the area. A software package was developed to automate the exposure assessment of pesticides on birds. A discussion on main critical issues related to actual risk assessment procedure is presented.

Research paper thumbnail of SSD-based rating system for the classification of pesticide risk on biodiversity

Ecotoxicology, 2012

A novel approach, based on Species sensitivity distribution (SSD), is proposed for the developmen... more A novel approach, based on Species sensitivity distribution (SSD), is proposed for the development of an index for classifying ecotoxicological pesticide risk in surface waters. In this approach, the concept of TER (Toxicity Exposure Ratio), commonly used in traditional risk indices, is substituted by the concept of PAF (Potentially Affected Fraction), which takes into account several species within the biological community of interest, rather than just a small number of indicator species assumed as being representative of the ecosystem. The procedure represents a probabilistic tool to quantitatively assess the ecotoxicological risk on biodiversity considering the distribution of toxicological sensitivity. It can be applied to assess chemical risk on generic aquatic and terrestrial communities as well as on site-specific natural communities. Examples of its application are shown for some pesticides in freshwater ecosystems. In order to overcome the problem of insufficient reliable ecotoxicological data, a methodology and related algorithms are proposed for predicting SSD curves for chemicals that do not have sufficient available data. The methodology is applicable within congeneric classes of chemicals and has been tested and statistically validated on a group of organophosphorus insecticides. Values and limitations of the approach are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Exposure of pollinators to plant protection products

Ecotoxicology, 2012

As a general rule, environmental risk for chemicals is characterised by comparing an expected exp... more As a general rule, environmental risk for chemicals is characterised by comparing an expected exposure level (e.g. PEC) with an ecotoxicological endpoint. The same approach is generally used for plant protection products (PPPs). However, in some cases, suitable procedures for a precise quantification of exposure are not available. The common risk assessment procedure for pollinators based on the hazard quotient, where the agronomic application rate is assumed as an exposure indicator, is an example. In this work, a semi-quantitative index to assess exposure to PPPs for organisms with a large forage area is presented. The proposed index was already applied in a previous work on risk assessment for pollinators, for this reason the validation steps (sampling area, collected samples, samples distribution) were planned bearing in mind the characteristic and the behaviour of these organisms and using Apis mellifera as representative of pollinators. The starting point for the development of the index is the assumption that exposure depends not only on environmental fate of pesticides but also on the feeding behaviour of the target organisms (in this context meant as target of the assessment). The developed index was applied and validated in different experimental areas of 4 9 4 km located in North-East Italy (Veneto region) characterised by a different level of impact. A sensitivity analysis of the index was performed evaluating the influence of the dataset resolution on the predictive efficiency. The obtained results indicate a good agreement between predicted and measured concentrations, supporting the suitability of the index to improve exposure assessment for pollinators.

Research paper thumbnail of QSAR approach for the selection of congeneric compounds with a similar toxicological mode of action

Chemosphere, 2001

The selection of compounds with a similar toxicological mode of action is a key problem in the st... more The selection of compounds with a similar toxicological mode of action is a key problem in the study of chemical mixtures. In this paper, an approach for the selection of chemicals with similar mode of action, based on the analysis of structural similarities by means of QSAR and chemometric methods, is described. As a ®rst step, a complete representation of chemical structures for examined chemicals (phenylureas and triazines) by dierent sets of molecular descriptors allows a preliminary exploration of similarity using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS). The use of genetic algorithm (GA) to select the most relevant molecular descriptors in modeling toxicity data makes it possible to develop predictive toxicity models. The ®nal step is a similarity analysis, based again on MDS, using selected molecular descriptors, really relevant in describing the toxicological eect. Ó

Research paper thumbnail of 3D-modelling and prediction by WHIM descriptors. Part 9. Chromatographic relative retention time and physico-chemical properties of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 1998

. Physico-chemical properties of polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs congeners have been extensively s... more . Physico-chemical properties of polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs congeners have been extensively studied searching for Ž . quantitative structure-property relationships QSPR . The chemical description of PCBs structure is made in terms of WHIM descriptors, which are 3D molecular descriptors taking into account size, shape, symmetry and atom distribution of the molecules. The regression models have been obtained by optimizing their prediction power and by selecting the best subset of descriptors by genetic algorithm. The results confirm the capability of this approach to give predictive models for important physico-chemical properties, such as relative retention time, log K , melting point, total surface area, Henry's law conow stant, solubility, and aqueous activity coefficients. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Research paper thumbnail of Models, field studies, laboratory experiments: An integrated approach to evaluate the environmental fate of atrazine (s-triazine herbicide)

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 1989

Bacci, E., Renzoni, A., Gaggi, C., Calamari, D., Franchi, A., Vighi, M. and Severi, A., 1989. Mod... more Bacci, E., Renzoni, A., Gaggi, C., Calamari, D., Franchi, A., Vighi, M. and Severi, A., 1989. Models, field studies, laboratory experiments: an integrated approach to evaluate the environmental fate of atrazine (s-triazine herbicide). Agric. Ecosystems Environ., 27: 513-522.

Research paper thumbnail of POP bioaccumulation in macroinvertebrates of alpine freshwater systems

Environmental Pollution, Jul 1, 2009

Influence of POP release in glacial-fed streams, enhanced by global warming, on pristine aquatic ... more Influence of POP release in glacial-fed streams, enhanced by global warming, on pristine aquatic ecosystems.

Research paper thumbnail of Persistent organic pollutant in a fish community of a sub-alpine lake

Environmental Pollution, 2011

Influence of trophic level and physiology on POPs content in a sub-alpine fish community.

Research paper thumbnail of RISK OF POP MIXTURES ON THE ARCTIC FOOD CHAIN

The exposure of the Arctic ecosystem to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was assessed through... more The exposure of the Arctic ecosystem to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was assessed through a review of literature data. Concentrations of 19 chemicals or congeneric groups were estimated for the highest levels of the Arctic food chain (Arctic cod, ringed seals, and polar bears). The ecotoxicological risk for seals, bears, and bear cubs was estimated by applying the concentration addition (CA) concept. The risk of POP mixtures was very low in seals. By contrast, the risk was 2 orders of magnitude higher than the risk threshold for adult polar bears and even more (3 orders of magnitude above the threshold) for bear cubs fed with contaminated milk. Based on the temporal trends available for many of the chemicals, the temporal trend of the mixture risk for bear cubs was calculated. Relative to the 1980s, a decrease in risk from the POP mixture is evident, mainly because of international control measures. However, the composition of the mixture substantially changes, and the contribution of new POPs (particularly perfluorooctane sulfonate) increases. These results support the effectiveness of control measures, such as those promulgated in the Stockholm Convention, as well as the urgent need for their implementation for new and emerging POPs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;9999:1–12. # 2016 SETAC

Research paper thumbnail of Bioconcentration of organic chemical vapors in plant leaves: experimental measurements and correlation

Environ Sci Technol, 1990

... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi&... more ... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi' ... Following the indications of Travis and Hattemer-Frey (8), the Henry's law constant H and the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient KO, were considered. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Site-specific risk assessment for birds: critical issues in current risk assessment procedure

Field studies with non-target arthropods (NTA) are increasingly used in the higher-tier of the pe... more Field studies with non-target arthropods (NTA) are increasingly used in the higher-tier of the pesticide risk assessment to assess the risk of pesticide use for NTA both in-crop and off-crop. Because recovery is a critical endpoint field studies often generate long term time series involving a myriad of taxa. Sophisticated statistical techniques are needed to analyze such complex data sets. Whereas guidance for conducting NTA field studies is limitedly available, guidance for summarising and interpretation of study results is lacking. Therefore the Dutch Platform for the Assessment of Higher Tier Studies (PHTS) has drafted a guidance document for summarising and evaluating higher tier studies with NTA. The poster presents the main items of the guidance document, and will discuss the questions that have to be solved for a sound evaluation of NTA field studies.

Research paper thumbnail of 112 Birds 2010 SI

Research paper thumbnail of Opinion on the Environmental and Health Risks Posed by Depleted Uranium

The SCHER adopted this opinion at its 7th plenary on 18 May 2010 after public consultation 2 Abou... more The SCHER adopted this opinion at its 7th plenary on 18 May 2010 after public consultation 2 About the Scientific Committees Three independent non-food Scientific Committees provide the Commission with the scientific advice it needs when preparing policy and proposals relating to consumer safety, public health and the environment. The Committees also draw the Commission's attention to the new or emerging problems which may pose an actual or potential threat. They are: the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) and are made up of external experts. In addition, the Commission relies upon the work of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA), the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). SCHER Opinions on risks related...

Research paper thumbnail of Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks opinion on: Voluntary Risk Assessment Report on lead and lead compounds, Human Health Part

Research paper thumbnail of Towards a common conceptual framework for chemical footprint bridging Risk Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment: Short review and way forward

Research paper thumbnail of Ecological vulnerability in risk assessment — A review and perspectives

Science of The Total Environment, 2010

This paper reviews the application of ecological vulnerability analysis in risk assessment and de... more This paper reviews the application of ecological vulnerability analysis in risk assessment and describes new developments in methodology. For generic non-site-specific assessments (e.g. for the requirements of most European directives on dangerous chemicals) risk is characterised just on the basis of the ratio between an effect indicator and an exposure indicator. However, when the actual risk for a specific ecosystem is desired, the concept of ecological vulnerability may be more appropriate. This calls for a change in thinking, from sensitivity at the organism level to vulnerability at higher organization levels, and thus forms the link from laboratory toxicology to field effects at population, community or ecosystem level. To do so, biological and ecological characteristics of the ecosystems under concern are needed to estimate the ecological vulnerability. In this review we describe different vulnerability analysis methods developed for populations (of a single species), communities (consisting of different populations of species) and ecosystems (community and habitat combined). We also give some examples of methods developed for socio-ecological systems. Aspects that all methods share are the use of expert judgment, the input of stakeholders, ranking and mapping of the results, and the qualitative nature of the results. A new general framework is presented to guide future ecological vulnerability analysis. This framework can be used as part of ecological risk assessment, but also in risk management. We conclude that the further quantification of ecological vulnerability is a valuable contribution to vulnerability assessment.

Research paper thumbnail of Role of plant biomass in the global environmental partitioning of chlorinated hydrocarbons

Environmental Science & Technology, 1991

... Plant biomass plays a significant role in the global environmental partitioning phenomena and... more ... Plant biomass plays a significant role in the global environmental partitioning phenomena and plants are good indicators of tropospheric contamination levels by chlorinated hydrocarbons. ... the global distribution as well as the air concentrations, the use patterns of the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Bioconcentration of organic chemical vapors in plant leaves: experimental measurements and correlation

Environmental Science & Technology, 1990

... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi&... more ... Measurements and Correlation Eros Baccl, *vt Davlde Calamarl,t Carlo Gagel,+ and Marco Vlghi' ... Following the indications of Travis and Hattemer-Frey (8), the Henry's law constant H and the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient KO, were considered. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Altitude profiles of total chlorinated paraffins in humus and spruce needles from the Alps (MONARPOP)

Environmental Pollution, 2009

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are toxic, bioaccumulative, persistent, and ubiquitously present in t... more Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are toxic, bioaccumulative, persistent, and ubiquitously present in the environment. CPs were analyzed in humus and needle samples, which were taken within the Monitoring Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and other Organic Pollutants (MONARPOP) at sampling sites of 7 different altitude profiles in the Alps. Gas chromatography combined with electron ionization tandem mass spectrometry (EI-MS/MS) was used for the determination of total CPs (sum of short, medium and long chain CPs). CPs were found in all samples; the concentrations varied between 7 and 199 ng g À1 dry weight (dw) and within 26 and 460 ng g À1 dw in humus and needle samples, respectively. A clear vertical tendency within the individual altitude profiles could not be ascertained. Within all altitude profiles, elevated concentrations were observed in humus samples taken between 700 and 900 m and between 1300 and 1500 m. In the needle samples no similar correlation could be observed due to higher variation of the data.

Research paper thumbnail of GIS-based procedure for site-specific risk assessment of pesticides for aquatic ecosystems

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2008

The EU Water Framework Directive states that the management of surface water must be based on a s... more The EU Water Framework Directive states that the management of surface water must be based on a site-specific assessment of water quality, that is dependent on land use. As a result, to develop a robust chemical management policy for aquatic ecosystems, the ecotoxicological risk must be strictly related to the local conditions and characteristics of the system. This paper presents a methodology developed to assess the ecotoxicological risk of pesticides to site-specific aquatic ecosystems. Spatial and relational databases, provisional models and risk indices were integrated into Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to produce maps of exposure, effect and risk at watershed scale. Each active ingredient is characterised by a data set that includes input data as well as results represented by a risk assessment cartography. The aim of this procedure is to perform a site-specific risk assessment by integrating geographical distribution of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs), ecotoxicological effects and the potential/actual quality of the exposed ecosystem. Examples of pesticide risk maps for surface waters in Lombardia Region (Northern Italy) are shown.

Research paper thumbnail of Spatially explicit method for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides for birds

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2010

Current methods for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides on birds take into account pes... more Current methods for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides on birds take into account pesticide properties and the bio-ecological characteristics of birds. However, there is a need to develop a spatially explicit method to refine the RA at different scales. A spatially explicit procedure has been developed to be applied at both field and sub-regional scales. An example of application on a pilot area characterised by intensive agriculture is provided. Focal species were selected as indicators of the different feeding habits and ecological role, considering the real presence in the area. Risk assessment and mapping were performed by integrating the existing toxicological data on birds from the literature with site-specific information providing maps for all pesticides used in the area. A software package was developed to automate the exposure assessment of pesticides on birds. A discussion on main critical issues related to actual risk assessment procedure is presented.

Research paper thumbnail of SSD-based rating system for the classification of pesticide risk on biodiversity

Ecotoxicology, 2012

A novel approach, based on Species sensitivity distribution (SSD), is proposed for the developmen... more A novel approach, based on Species sensitivity distribution (SSD), is proposed for the development of an index for classifying ecotoxicological pesticide risk in surface waters. In this approach, the concept of TER (Toxicity Exposure Ratio), commonly used in traditional risk indices, is substituted by the concept of PAF (Potentially Affected Fraction), which takes into account several species within the biological community of interest, rather than just a small number of indicator species assumed as being representative of the ecosystem. The procedure represents a probabilistic tool to quantitatively assess the ecotoxicological risk on biodiversity considering the distribution of toxicological sensitivity. It can be applied to assess chemical risk on generic aquatic and terrestrial communities as well as on site-specific natural communities. Examples of its application are shown for some pesticides in freshwater ecosystems. In order to overcome the problem of insufficient reliable ecotoxicological data, a methodology and related algorithms are proposed for predicting SSD curves for chemicals that do not have sufficient available data. The methodology is applicable within congeneric classes of chemicals and has been tested and statistically validated on a group of organophosphorus insecticides. Values and limitations of the approach are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Exposure of pollinators to plant protection products

Ecotoxicology, 2012

As a general rule, environmental risk for chemicals is characterised by comparing an expected exp... more As a general rule, environmental risk for chemicals is characterised by comparing an expected exposure level (e.g. PEC) with an ecotoxicological endpoint. The same approach is generally used for plant protection products (PPPs). However, in some cases, suitable procedures for a precise quantification of exposure are not available. The common risk assessment procedure for pollinators based on the hazard quotient, where the agronomic application rate is assumed as an exposure indicator, is an example. In this work, a semi-quantitative index to assess exposure to PPPs for organisms with a large forage area is presented. The proposed index was already applied in a previous work on risk assessment for pollinators, for this reason the validation steps (sampling area, collected samples, samples distribution) were planned bearing in mind the characteristic and the behaviour of these organisms and using Apis mellifera as representative of pollinators. The starting point for the development of the index is the assumption that exposure depends not only on environmental fate of pesticides but also on the feeding behaviour of the target organisms (in this context meant as target of the assessment). The developed index was applied and validated in different experimental areas of 4 9 4 km located in North-East Italy (Veneto region) characterised by a different level of impact. A sensitivity analysis of the index was performed evaluating the influence of the dataset resolution on the predictive efficiency. The obtained results indicate a good agreement between predicted and measured concentrations, supporting the suitability of the index to improve exposure assessment for pollinators.

Research paper thumbnail of QSAR approach for the selection of congeneric compounds with a similar toxicological mode of action

Chemosphere, 2001

The selection of compounds with a similar toxicological mode of action is a key problem in the st... more The selection of compounds with a similar toxicological mode of action is a key problem in the study of chemical mixtures. In this paper, an approach for the selection of chemicals with similar mode of action, based on the analysis of structural similarities by means of QSAR and chemometric methods, is described. As a ®rst step, a complete representation of chemical structures for examined chemicals (phenylureas and triazines) by dierent sets of molecular descriptors allows a preliminary exploration of similarity using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS). The use of genetic algorithm (GA) to select the most relevant molecular descriptors in modeling toxicity data makes it possible to develop predictive toxicity models. The ®nal step is a similarity analysis, based again on MDS, using selected molecular descriptors, really relevant in describing the toxicological eect. Ó

Research paper thumbnail of 3D-modelling and prediction by WHIM descriptors. Part 9. Chromatographic relative retention time and physico-chemical properties of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 1998

. Physico-chemical properties of polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs congeners have been extensively s... more . Physico-chemical properties of polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs congeners have been extensively studied searching for Ž . quantitative structure-property relationships QSPR . The chemical description of PCBs structure is made in terms of WHIM descriptors, which are 3D molecular descriptors taking into account size, shape, symmetry and atom distribution of the molecules. The regression models have been obtained by optimizing their prediction power and by selecting the best subset of descriptors by genetic algorithm. The results confirm the capability of this approach to give predictive models for important physico-chemical properties, such as relative retention time, log K , melting point, total surface area, Henry's law conow stant, solubility, and aqueous activity coefficients. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Research paper thumbnail of Models, field studies, laboratory experiments: An integrated approach to evaluate the environmental fate of atrazine (s-triazine herbicide)

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 1989

Bacci, E., Renzoni, A., Gaggi, C., Calamari, D., Franchi, A., Vighi, M. and Severi, A., 1989. Mod... more Bacci, E., Renzoni, A., Gaggi, C., Calamari, D., Franchi, A., Vighi, M. and Severi, A., 1989. Models, field studies, laboratory experiments: an integrated approach to evaluate the environmental fate of atrazine (s-triazine herbicide). Agric. Ecosystems Environ., 27: 513-522.

Research paper thumbnail of POP bioaccumulation in macroinvertebrates of alpine freshwater systems

Environmental Pollution, Jul 1, 2009

Influence of POP release in glacial-fed streams, enhanced by global warming, on pristine aquatic ... more Influence of POP release in glacial-fed streams, enhanced by global warming, on pristine aquatic ecosystems.