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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/23194
Title: | The relative sensitivity of freshwater species to antimony(III): Implications for water quality guidelines and ecological risk assessments | Contributor(s): | Obiakor, Maximilian Obinna (author); Tighe, Matthew (author) ; Wang, Zhen (author); Ezeonyejiaku, Chigozie Damian (author); Pereg, Lily (author); Wilson, Susan C (author) | Publication Date: | 2017 | DOI: | 10.1007/s11356-017-0168-y | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/23194 | Abstract: | Antimony (Sb) is a pollutant in many jurisdictions, yet its threat to aquatic biota is unclear. Water quality guidelines (WQGs) for Sb are not well established and large uncertainty factors are commonly applied in derivation. We constructed freshwater species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) for Sb(III) using available acute toxicity data sourced from temperate and tropical regional studies. A tiered ecological risk assessment (ERA) approach using risk quotients (RQs) was applied for characterisation of risks presented by Sb(III) concentrations measured in the freshwater environment. Multiple parametric models were fitted for each SSD, with the optimal model used to derive the 5% hazardous concentration (HC5), defined as protective of 95% of species, and the corresponding predicted no effect concentration (PNEC). The HC5 values for whole and temperate SSDs were estimated at 781 and 976 μg L−1 Sb(III), respectively, while the PNECs for both datasets were 156 and 195 μg L−1 Sb(III), respectively. Due to limited tropical data, a temperate-to-tropic extrapolation factor of 10 was used to estimate an interim PNEC for tropical regions of 20 μg L−1 Sb(III). Based on published freshwater Sb(III) concentration values across a range of locations, potential ecological risks posed by Sb(III) in some freshwater systems studied would be classified as medium to high risk, but the majority of locations sampled would fall into the low ecological risk category. Our results facilitate the understanding of toxic effects of Sb(III) to freshwater species but also demonstrate that data for Sb ERA are extremely limited. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(32), p. 25276-25290 | Publisher: | Springer | Place of Publication: | Germany | ISSN: | 1614-7499 0944-1344 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 050205 Environmental Management 050102 Ecosystem Function 050204 Environmental Impact Assessment |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 410203 Ecosystem function 410404 Environmental management 410402 Environmental assessment and monitoring |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 960501 Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Regional or Larger Scales 960506 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Fresh, Ground and Surface Water Environments 960805 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 180501 Assessment and management of benthic marine ecosystems 180403 Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems 180502 Assessment and management of pelagic marine ecosystems |
Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Environmental and Rural Science School of Science and Technology |
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