Perchlorate Toxicity Screening Level

Development for Aquatic and

Terrestrial Species

Jody Wireman, PhD

AFIERA/RSRE
17 Oct 02
 Background
• Inter Agency Perchlorate Steering Committee
(IPSC) subcommittees to address critical areas
• Ecological Subcommittee: Jan 98
– Evaluated results and recommendations from
subcommittee, EPA, and external peer review
– Set priorities for data needs
• Studies and Screening Levels
– Biotransport
– Aquatic Species: Ambient Water Quality Criteria
– Terrestrial Species: Wildlife Toxicity Assessment
 Perchlorate Biotransport Studies:

• Purpose: Evaluate movement of perchlorate

through various ecosystems with discrete
sampling of media and biota
• Smith et al., 2001: 1 site
• Parsons ES, 2001: 6 sites
• ClO4- Reporting Limits

Water 4 µg/L
Soil 80 µg/kg
Sediment 80 µg/kg
Tissues 400 µg/kg
(IC vs. LC/MS)
 ClO4 - Biotransport Study Media

Types (Parsons ES)

965 samples; 17 different media types

Environmental Terrestrial Aquatic

Surface Soil Vegetation Vegetation
Soil Insect Insect
Sediment Invertebrate Invertebrate
Sed Pore Water Reptile Reptile
Bird Bird – waterfowl
Mammal Fish
Amphibian
 Concentration Gradient—Las
Vegas
Sample Location 1 Location 2 Location 3
(ppb) (ppb) (ppb)

Water 106,000 458 43.8

Fish 24,000 ND ND

Aquatic 143,000 375 ND

Vegetation

Implications: Perchlorate is found in all media

ppb = parts per billion; ND = non-detect (<400 ppb)
Note: Treatment facility decreases surface water from 106,000 to
13,000 ppb
 Aquatic Organisms

• EPA Risk Characterization: Tier II

water quality values (data insufficient
to derive ambient water
quality criteria)
– Secondary Acute Value: 5 mg/L (ppm)
– Secondary Chronic Value 0.6 mg/L
• Ceriodaphnia dubia (acute: chronic);
Daphnia magna; Pimephales promelas;
Hyalella azteca
 Ambient Water Quality Criteria
(AWQC) Development

• Purpose: DoD initiative to develop an AWQC with

peer review (State/EPA)
• Work plan with additional tests (EPA AWQC
guidance)
• Input solicited from various states (CA, TX, NM,
NV) and EPA Regions VI/IX
• Enable states to incorporate AWQC information
• Final product includes manuscript for publication
 Data Usability
AWQC

• Data available in typed, dated, signed format with sufficient

supporting information
• Test substance concentration measured
• Technical grade OK; not formulations or mixtures
• Test includes a control treatment
• Associated cation not present at toxic concentrations
• Control treatment organisms not affected
• Flow-through tests (except daphnids)
• Test organisms are of appropriate age and test
length/endpoint appropriate
• Unusual dilution waters not used
• Species with wild, reproducing population in North America
• Test organisms not previously exposed to test substance
• Data satisfactory overall
 Acceptable Tests*
AWQC

• Existing and available perchlorate effects

reports were reviewed/compared to
USEPA Guidelines
• Acute tox tests: cladoceran crustaceans
Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia magna,
the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas,
the amphipod Hyalella azteca, and the alga
Selenastrum capricornutum
• Chronic tox tests: Ceriodaphnia dubia and
Pimephales promelas
*Available during EPA’s Review of Perchlorate
 Additional Tests Completed for
AWQC Development

• Acute tox tests performed: rainbow trout

Oncorhynchus mykiss, the bluegill sunfish
Lepomis macrochirus, the fathead minnow, the
green frog Rana clamitans, the freshwater
oligochaete worm Lumbriculus variegatus, the
freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea, and the
midge Chironomus tentans
• Chronic life-cycle toxicity test was performed
with the midge
• Bioconcentration tests were performed with
Lepomis macrochirus and Corbicula fluminea
 Draft AWQC

• Criteria Continuous Concentration (CCC)

of 9.26 mg/L (EPA 0.6 mg/L)
• Criteria Maximum Concentration (CMC) of
20 mg/L (EPA 5 mg/L)
• Bioconcentration Studies
– Geometric mean BCF for clams: 1.85 L/kg
– Geometric mean BCF for bluegill sunfish: 0.70
L/kg
 Other Relevant Studies for AWQC

• Goleman et al., 2002: Effects at ppb levels

– Does not meet basic needs of AWQC guidance
• Flowthrough water
• Native species (uses X. laevis)
• Non-standard water (FETAX solution)
• Atypical endpoints
– EPA  we don’t have anything else
• DOD-sponsored UNLV, Texas Tech, and
Oklahoma State studies, Southern NV
Water Authority
 Outline

• USACHPPM Wildlife Toxicity

Assessments (WTAs)
– Background
– Approach
– Completed WTAs
• Perchlorate WTA
– Background
– Important Studies
– Timeline
 Standard Practice for Wildlife
Toxicity Reference Values
(TG254 USACHPPM, 2000)

Purpose:
• Generate consistent, defensible TRVs
– Transparent methodology
– Presentation of all relevant toxicity data
– Presentation of specific TRV derivation
procedures
– Submit WTAs for peer review
• Increase productivity and efficiency
– Reduce the ―reinvent the wheel‖ phenomenon
• Reduce factors for negotiation
 WTAs

• Toxicity Profile
– Summarizes most, if not all, relevant toxicity
data
• Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibian
– Fate and transport information
– Physicochemical properties
• Studies Relevant to TRV development
• Wildlife TRVs
– High, low TRVs
– Derivation methods and outputs (BMDS)
– Confidence rating (low, medium, high)
• References
 TRV Derivation

• Toxicity data summarized in Tox Profile

• Ecologically relevant endpoints chosen for TRV
– Chronic studies preferred
– Effects focused on growth, reproduction,
survival, etc.
• Several methods used to derive TRVs, including
the use of EPA’s Benchmark Dose Software
• Confidence rating applied based on several
criteria
• Peer reviewers asked to focus on the validity of
the TRV
 WTAs Completed by USACHPPM

• Finalized • External • In Progress

– RDX Review – Chlordane
– HMX – Phenanthrene – HCH
– Tetryl – Acetylene – Mustard
– PETN – Ethylene – Lewisite
– 2a, 4a-DNT – Propylene – Thallium
– TNT – Aldrin – B(a)P
– TNB – 2,4&2,6-DNT – NQ
– DNB – Hg
– NG – TAT
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/erawg/
 Perchlorate WTA

• Tox profile will summarize all wildlife (non-

human) toxicity information available
• Thoroughly review primary toxicity
studies to determine suitability for TRV
derivation
• Presently:
– Mammalian TRV – relevant studies available
– Avian TRV – potentially relevant studies
– Terrestrial Amphibian TRV – further review
– Reptilian TRV – no known studies
 Vegetation

EPA Risk Characterization

– Freshwater Alga (Selenastrum capricornutum)
– 96-Hour Exposure: NOEC (500 mg/L) & LOEC (1200
mg/L)
• BCF range 0 to 330; Estimate used by EPA 100:1
• EPA/NERL research (Lactuca sativa)
– Uptake
– Early Studies Incomplete
(30 vs. 90 days)
– EPA assumed complete growth
cycle (full maturity)
• Biotransport study: BCF equal to
or > 100 at 10-1000 ppb in water
 Terrestrial Invertebrates

• Soil Invertebrates: Eisenia foetida

(earthworm),acute study (LC50 =
4450 mg/kg)
• EPA suggests 1mg/kg as screening level
with Uncertainty Factor (UF) of 18
• Subchronic earthworm: LC50 = 4940
mg/kg  reduce UF
 Terrestrial Herbivores

• Use rodent studies from human health

• Focus on ERA relevant endpoints: growth
to reproducing age, repro, & survivability
– CHPPM will develop TRV
– Thuett et al., 2002: Only available tox info on
native species
• Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mice)
• Changes in body and organ wt (not dose related)
 Perchlorate WTA Timeline

• Toxicity Profile – Feb 2003

• First Draft WTA – Mar 2003
• Internal Review/Revisions – Mar 2003
• External Review – Apr 2003
• Final Perchlorate WTA – May 2003
 Conclusions/Next Steps

• Accumulation occurs in vegetation

• Additional data gaps
– Method: IC vs LC(IC)/MS
– Toxicity Studies Ongoing:
• Fish. SNWA/TTU: thyroid activity & repro endocrine
function in field collected and lab controlled catfish
• Birds. VTU/TTU: thyroid activity in bobwhite and mallard
chicks
• Rodents. TTU: ClO4-contaminated food
• Amphibians. OSU/TTU: long-term exposures on morph,
repro, and sex ratios; effects from iodide:ClO4 interaction
• Refine AWQC and WTAs as data becomes
available
 Contact

Jody R. Wireman, PhD, MSPH, CIH

AFIERA/RSRE
2513 Kennedy Circle
Brooks AFB, TX 78235-5123
T: (210)536-6123
F: (210)536-1130
jody.wireman@brooks.af.mil
https://www.afms.mil/afiera/rsr/rsre.html