Toward a harmonized methodology to analyze field side effects of two pesticide products on earthworms at the EU level.

Before plant protection product (PPP) marketing authorization, a risk assessment for nontarget soil organisms (e.g., earthworms) is required as part of Regulation (EC) No.

Soil dissipation and bioavailability to earthworms of two fungicides under laboratory and field conditions.

The representativeness of laboratory studies of the fate of pesticides in soil in field conditions is questionable. This study aimed at comparing the dissipation and bioavailability to earthworms of two fungicides, dimoxystrobin (DMX) and epoxiconazole (EPX), over 12 months under laboratory and field conditions. In both approaches, the fungicides were applied to the same loamy soil as a formulated mixture at several concentrations.

A two years field experiment to assess the impact of two fungicides on earthworm communities and their recovery.

Recent EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) reports highlighted that the ecological risk assessment of pesticides needed to go further by taking more into account the impacts of chemicals on biodiversity under field conditions. We assessed the effects of two commercial formulations of fungicides separately and in mixture, i.e.

Comparative genotoxic potential of 27 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in three human cell lines.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) form a family of compounds that are generally found in complex mixtures. PAHs can lead to the development of carcinogenesis. The Toxicity Equivalent Factor (TEF) approach has been suggested for estimating the toxicity of PAHs, however, due to the relative weakness of available data, TEF have not been applied for the risk characterization of PAHs as food contaminants in Europe.

Nanostrain sensitivity in a wire torsion experiment.

The feasibility of a thin-wire torsion stress-strain experiment with nanostrain sensitivity is demonstrated. A gauge length of 50 m was made possible by using The Monument, London, thereby restoring it to its original purpose as a scientific instrument. A wire of 150 μm diameter was studied using the load-unload method, and data were recorded in the elastic regime and through the elastic-plastic transition.

An energy-based model to analyze growth data of earthworms exposed to two fungicides.

The pesticide risk assessment for earthworms is currently performed using standardized tests, the model species Eisenia fetida, and the analyses of the data obtained are performed with ad hoc statistical tools. We assessed the impact of two fungicides on the entire growth pattern of the earthworm species Aporrectodea caliginosa, which is highly representative of agricultural fields. Individuals of three different ages (from hatching to 56 days old) were exposed to Cuprafor micro® (copper oxychloride) and Swing® Gold (dimoxystrobin and epoxiconazole).

Earthworms Mitigate Pesticide Effects on Soil Microbial Activities.

Earthworms act synergistically with microorganisms in soils. They are ecosystem engineers involved in soil organic matter degradation and nutrient cycling, leading to the modulation of resource availability for all soil organisms. Using a soil microcosm approach, we aimed to assess the influence of the earthworm on the response of soil microbial activities against two fungicides, i.

Effects of two common fungicides on the reproduction of Aporrectodea caliginosa in natural soil.

The use of pesticides in agroecosystems can have negative effects on earthworms, which play key roles in soil functioning such as organic matter decomposition. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of two fungicides (Cuprafor micro, composed of copper oxychloride, and Swing Gold, composed of epoxiconazole (EPX) and dimoxystrobin (DMX)) on earthworm reproduction by exposing adults and cocoons. First, adult Aporrectodea caliginosa individuals were exposed for 28 days to 3.

Outcomes of Craniofacial Open Surgery in Octogenarians.

 The steady increase in average life expectancy has led to a rise in the number of referrals of elderly patients for major operations. It is not clear whether age itself is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality after skull base operations. We investigated a possible link among a cohort of patients older than 80 years of age who underwent those surgeries in our department.

Aporrectodea caliginosa, a relevant earthworm species for a posteriori pesticide risk assessment: current knowledge and recommendations for culture and experimental design.

Ecotoxicological tests with earthworms are widely used and are mandatory for the risk assessment of pesticides prior to registration and commercial use. The current model species for standardized tests is Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei. However, these species are absent from agricultural soils and often less sensitive to pesticides than other earthworm species found in mineral soils.

How to assess the feeding activity in ecotoxicological laboratory tests using enchytraeids?

The risk assessment of pesticides on soil fauna is an issue to protect agroecosystem sustainability. Enchytraeids are recognized as relevant soil bioindicators of chemical stress in agroecosystems. In laboratory, the reproduction test was found to be sensitive to reveal chemical impacts on enchytraeids.

Short-term effects of two fungicides on enchytraeid and earthworm communities under field conditions.

Because of the wide use of pesticides in agriculture, there is still a need of higher-tier field studies to assess ecotoxicological effects of commercial formulations on a wider variety of non-target soil organisms such as soil annelids. We here tested the effects of different concentrations of two fungicide formulations, i.e.

Refining uptake and depuration constants for fluoroalkyl chemicals in Chironomus riparius larvae on the basis of experimental results and modelling.

The aims of this study were to determine depuration rates for a range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) using Chironomus riparius, and to test a concentration-dependency hypothesis for the long-chain perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) for this species. Midge larvae were exposed to field sediments collected downstream of a fluorotelomer plant, and to the same sediment spiked with PFTrDA. Elimination kinetics results indicated complete elimination of all PFASs by chironomids after 42h.

Differences in sensitivity between earthworms and enchytraeids exposed to two commercial fungicides.

The use of pesticides in crop fields may have negative effects on soil Oligochaeta Annelida, i.e., earthworms and enchytraeids, and thus affect soil quality.

Analysis of real-time mixture cytotoxicity data following repeated exposure using BK/TD models.

Cosmetic products generally consist of multiple ingredients. Thus, cosmetic risk assessment has to deal with mixture toxicity on a long-term scale which means it has to be assessed in the context of repeated exposure. Given that animal testing has been banned for cosmetics risk assessment, in vitro assays allowing long-term repeated exposure and adapted for in vitro - in vivo extrapolation need to be developed.

Multiscale modelling approaches for assessing cosmetic ingredients safety.

The European Union's ban on animal testing for cosmetic ingredients and products has generated a strong momentum for the development of in silico and in vitro alternative methods. One of the focus of the COSMOS project was ab initio prediction of kinetics and toxic effects through multiscale pharmacokinetic modeling and in vitro data integration. In our experience, mathematical or computer modeling and in vitro experiments are complementary.

Zebrafish-based reporter gene assays reveal different estrogenic activities in river waters compared to a conventional human-derived assay.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) act on the endocrine system through multiple mechanisms of action, among them interaction with estrogen receptors (ERs) is a well-identified key event in the initiation of adverse outcomes. As the most commonly used estrogen screening assays are either yeast- or human-cell based systems, the question of their (eco)toxicological relevance when assessing risks for aquatic species can be raised. The present study addresses the use of zebrafish (zf) derived reporter gene assays, both in vitro (i.

Prediction of the metabolic clearance of benzophenone-2, and its interaction with isoeugenol and coumarin using cryopreserved human hepatocytes in primary culture.

Benzophenone-2 (BP2) is widely used as a UV screen in both industrial products and cosmetic formulations, where it is frequently found associated with fragrance compounds, such as isoeugenol and coumarin. BP2 is now recognized as an endocrine disruptor, but to date, no information has been reported on its fate in humans. The intrinsic clearance (Clint) and metabolic interactions of BP2 were explored using cryopreserved human hepatocytes in primary cultures.

Perspectives for integrating human and environmental exposure assessments.

Integrated Risk Assessment (IRA) has been defined by the EU FP7 HEROIC Coordination action as "the mutual exploitation of Environmental Risk Assessment for Human Health Risk Assessment and vice versa in order to coherently and more efficiently characterize an overall risk to humans and the environment for better informing the risk analysis process" (Wilks et al., 2015). Since exposure assessment and hazard characterization are the pillars of risk assessment, integrating Environmental Exposure assessment (EEA) and Human Exposure assessment (HEA) is a major component of an IRA framework.

Microscale Ecotoxicity Testing of Moselle River Watershed (Lorraine Province, France) Sediments.

The ecotoxic potential of seven Moselle river watershed sediments was assessed with a battery of bioassays comprised of rapid phototrophic [LuminoTox solid phase (L-SPA) and elutriate (L-ELU) assays] and bacterial [Microtox solid phase assay (M-SPA)] exposure tests, as well as with two micro-invertebrate solid phase tests conducted with (lethal and sublethal effects solid phase assay, H-SPA and H-SPA) and . Measured effects of sediments and their elutriates were varied and reflected responses that were ecotoxicity test-, endpoint- and site-dependent, suggesting some degree of risk toward benthic and water column organisms, respectively, at specific sites. Correlation analysis demonstrated that L-SPA and M-SPA ecotoxicity responses were significantly linked with the Hydra H-SPA assay, indicating their ability to predict ecotoxicity towards an invertebrate taxonomic group representing secondary consumers.

An individual-based model of zebrafish population dynamics accounting for energy dynamics.

Developing population dynamics models for zebrafish is crucial in order to extrapolate from toxicity data measured at the organism level to biological levels relevant to support and enhance ecological risk assessment. To achieve this, a dynamic energy budget for individual zebrafish (DEB model) was coupled to an individual based model of zebrafish population dynamics (IBM model). Next, we fitted the DEB model to new experimental data on zebrafish growth and reproduction thus improving existing models.

BK/TD models for analyzing in vitro impedance data on cytotoxicity.

The ban of animal testing has enhanced the development of new in vitro technologies for cosmetics safety assessment. Impedance metrics is one such technology which enables monitoring of cell viability in real time. However, analyzing real time data requires moving from static to dynamic toxicity assessment.

Energy-based modelling to assess effects of chemicals on Caenorhabditis elegans: a case study on uranium.

The ubiquitous free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful animal model for measuring the evolutionary effects of pollutants which is increasingly used in (eco) toxicological studies. Indeed, toxicity tests with this nematode can provide in a few days data on the whole life cycle. These data can be analysed with mathematical tools such as toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic modelling approaches.