Toxicity Testing and Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance for Benthic Invertebrates

Whole sediment toxicity testing is now being routinely required as part of pesticide registration actions (registration review, new pesticide registrations).

The following documents include guidance, a case study and attachments used together as the current guidance to EFED ecological risk assessors on when to require whole sediment toxicity tests and how to integrate sediment toxicity tests results into EFED ecological risk assessments. This guidance document was developed by the EFED sediment toxicity workgroup over the past several years and incorporates input from multiple EFED technical teams, senior scientists and management team briefings. Elements of this guidance have also been presented at international scientific meetings including the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Importantly, this guidance is intended to support interpretation of the sediment toxicity testing requirements set forth in 40 CFR Part 158 (Subpart G) and is not intended as a replacement or alteration of these regulations.

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