Cumulative ecological risk assessment considering mixture toxicity of multiple pesticides

Abstract

This paper describes the method and application of cumulative ecological risk assessment of multiple pesticides. Species sensitivity distribution (SSD) is a statistical distribution of difference in sensitivity to the toxicant among species. By utilizing SSD to compute the “potentially affected fraction of species” (PAF), a metric for assessing the impact on biodiversity, and applying mixture toxicity models, it is possible to calculate the cumulative risk posed by multiple pesticides. The paper also details the development a risk assessment tool based on Microsoft Excel, NIAES-CERAP, to facilitate the calculation process. In addition, the validation of risk assessment using laboratory toxicity testing and field ecological surveys was introduced, as well as the application of NIAES-CERAP in constructing a national ecological risk map in Japan and evaluating the effectiveness of eco-friendly agriculture.