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There is growing awareness that Ecological Risk Assessments (EcoRAs) can be improved if better use of ecological information is incorporated into the process. Improvements in ecotoxicity data that provide the complete concentration-response surface would enable major advances beyond point estimates and Risk Quotients so commonly relied upon to date. The tools to consider population-level or even systems-level endpoints are gaining acceptance. The incorporation of Landscape Ecology into EcoRAs, especially in characterizing features that determine the quality of wildlife habitat are also gaining acceptance. The consideration of species-specific habitat quality can have profound influence on the estimated exposure to stressors that animals incur as they occupy a particular area. In addition to the advances in the basic and applied fields of the natural sciences, considerable effort is being directed in the social sciences. These efforts include emphasis on improved communications with stakeholders and methods to integrate traditionally non-monetized ecological goods and services into the environmental decision-making process. Collectively, these efforts on many fronts are likely to lead to greater ecological realism and better social relevance in EcoRAs leading to more informed management decisions.

Ecotoxicology belongs to one of the new ecological branches, which emerged as a consequence of the adverse effects of pollution on various ecosystems. These ecosystems are complex and it is difficult to fully understand all their details. Therefore, the description of ecosystems and their processes inevitably has a certain degree of uncertainty, due to their enormous complexity.

Stimulated by the apparition of large-scale environmental problems, the protection of the environment is becoming increasingly prominent within current concerns of human societies. Industrial and economical activities are experiencing detrimental impacts, which sometimes only become apparent after some delay, making it difficult or illusory to set corrective measures. Hence, a better capacity for anticipation needs to be targeted with a concomitant emphasis on regulation efforts to promote “sustainable development”, where there is a balance achieved between technological innovation and the potential for mastering the associated environmental risk.Since 2000, the ICRP has therefore worked at constructing a general framework for the radiological protection of non-human biota which is currently based on 4 main elements: 1) an approach channelled through the definition of “reference organisms” to circumvent the difficulty of tackling the overall biodiversity of life forms, and the variety of their life spans, habitats, and metabolisms, 2) units and reference dosimetry models scaled to these reference organisms to be able to estimate radiation doses received by various biota, 3) a set of endpoints that would both ensure fulfilling the protection goals, and be accessible to quantification, and 4) a scale of risk based on the best interpretation of the information available on dose-effects relationships at the level of individuals. These concepts will be reviewed and discussed.

Ecosystem services are required to sustain human life and enhance its quality. Hence, environmental security must come from protecting and managing those services. Ecological risk assessment can predict and estimate effects of proposed actions, but it is insufficient alone for two reasons. First, it can fail because of inadequate application, unforeseen stressors, or unpredictable effects. Second, in many cases ecosystem services that sustain life are already impaired, resulting in reduced human welfare. For these reasons, environmental security requires the development of ecoepidemiology, a science that will identify impaired ecosystem services and determine the causes of impairment so that remediation and restoration can occur. A method for causal analysis, developed to identify causes of impairment in aquatic ecosystems, may provide a template that can be adapted to identify the causes of diminished ecosystem services and the resulting reductions in human welfare. Some of the challenges for adapting the existing method include explicitly defining ecosystem services required to sustain human life, appropriately matching the scale of the analysis to the ecological processes that deliver those services, and possibly customizing the logical considerations used in causal analysis. Advancing the science of ecoepidemiology holds the promise of helping scientists frame and guide rational debate, providing a sound basis from which to launch risk assessment and risk management scenarios, and ultimately informing environmental decision-making that affects human welfare, development and environmental security within acceptable risks.

Perchlorate is an anion that originates from the solid salts of ammonium, potassium, or sodium perchlorate. It is naturally occurring in nitrate-rich mineral deposits used in fertilizers and a man-made chemical as the primary ingredient of solid rocket propellant, or n salts used as components of airbag inflators and in the manufacture of pyrotechnics and explosives. It is also a laboratory waste by-product of perchloric acid. It can be found in groundwater, surface water, soil, vegetation, and/or crops. Its potential toxicity to ecological receptors is under active research. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a synopsis of ecotoxicity data. The potential toxicity of perchlorate in humans is currently under widespread debate. A short overview of the human health effects issues related to exposure to perchlorate will also be presented. Key points with regard to comparative risk and risk management issues related to both ecological and human health effects will also be discussed.

The possibility of using marine organisms as sentinels to provide early warning of potential threats to man is examined. Recognition of the genotoxic disease syndrome in lower animals highlights the need to explore the relationships between DNA damage and its phenotypic consequences. Within a given population, not all individuals are equally susceptible to pollutant toxicity (including genotoxicity). The potential for using similarities in phenotypic traits to recognize subsets of individuals within populations possessing similar genotypes is discussed.

In Canada, human and ecological risk assessments are supported by administrative and policy foundations which include strong field and laboratory exposure and toxicology components. Canada’s risk assessment approach allows and even encourages the use of new scientific data and new techniques. However, while conservative human health risk assessments may lead to implementation of risk management measures, risk managers require that ecological risk assessment findings be strongly supported by high quality and reliable technical methods and data before the results will be considered seriously and result in action to mitigate or minimize ecological impacts. Defining acceptable ecological risks is one factor in determining methods, goals, and potential risk management intervention strategies. Whether an ecological risk assessment (ERA) is predictive (will this airport or housing development adversely impact the surrounding ecosystem?) or retrospective (what remedial measures are needed to restore the ecosystem from adverse effects from this refinery or smelter?), many of the same methods can be used. Also, the level of acceptable risk and acceptable level of habitat alteration must be defined in each case. This paper will present examples of Canadian ERAs, under various regulatory programs, to illustrate how ecology, ecotoxicology (in both the laboratory and the field) and ecological risk assessment have advanced to contribute to meaningful risk management decision-making. These techniques will be discussed relative to their application to critical infrastructure projects, and will focus on ecological methods (e.g., assessment of multiple stressors), and the definition of acceptable ecological risk and habitat alteration.

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is an integral part of the environmental policy assumed by the Romanian Government, according to the standards of the European Union, to which our country hopes to be admitted in 2007. Even though very difficult, the negotiations chapter on environment protection was closed not long ago, the norms the Government has passed, inspired by the Community ones, being quite convincing.

Assessment of effects on the environment is an integral part of the process of pesticide development and registration. This assessment should be designed to identify potential hazards, and thus enable 9 risks of adverse effects on the environment to be quantified and evaluated in relation to benefits.The nature and amount of data required for pesticide registration depends on the properties and use of each substance. Research resources should be focused on the identification and evaluation of major risks, and data requirements which are excessive and stifle innovation must be avoided. A stepwise sequence allows an efficient selection of tests essential to each individual risk analysis.Following each step, a preliminary assessment of risks and benefits allows decisions to be made on the need for further testing. Tests closer to practical use conditions may be required if there are doubts that benefits clearly outweigh risks.

Methods of calculations of the effective doses accepted in Ukraine and used for the administrative decisions making show that overexceeding of the dose limit, 1 mSv/y, is observed in more then 400 settlements. Results of direct measurements of the radionuclides content in a human body point to significant conservatism of these calculation methods. At the same time, the established dose limitations from Chernobyl radionuclides are noticeably lower then ones forming by the natural radionuclides. Estimates of the collective doses values on population of Ukraine are given. High extent of conservatism at the estimation of risk of the radioactive irradiation action guarantees the human protection and leads to increase of expenses during elimination of the consequences of radioactive technogenic contamination of the environment.