Use of multiple lines of evidence to provide a realistic toxic substances control act ecological risk evaluation based on monitoring data: D4 case study

Highlights: • Use of multiple lines of evidence to evaluate ecological risk of D4 under TSCA. • Data from a national monitoring program of discharges of the cyclic siloxane D4 • Exposure vs. toxicity; critical body burden; chemical activity; macroinvertebrates • Negligible risk from D4 to freshwater ecosystems from WWTP discharges D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane) is a high-production-volume cyclic volatile methyl siloxane with a wide range of industrial and consumer applications. This study conducted a robust ecological risk evaluation for D4 using exposure data collected under a nation-wide environmental monitoring program facilitated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This ecological risk evaluation was conducted consistent with the principles outlined in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Guidance to Assist Interested Persons in Developing and Submitting Draft Risk Evaluations under TSCA (U.S. EPA 2017a). The evaluation examined multiple lines of evidence (LoEs) to determine the potential risks from D4 to aquatic receptors in rivers and streams in the United States from municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges and discharges from manufacturing, processing, and/or formulating (MPF) facilities after onsite wastewater treatment. The LoEs consisted of comparing D4 concentrations measured in water and sediment to toxicity thresholds derived from laboratory studies; comparing D4 concentrations measured in biota tissue to critical target lipid body burdens (CTLBBs); comparing fugacity-based chemical activities between toxicity thresholds and measured environmental concentrations; and assessing benthic macroinvertebrate community structure and habitat suitability. The approach taken moves beyond a standard deterministic hazard quotient approach to incorporate more advanced methods for risk prediction, using distributions rather than conservative point estimates of exposure to obtain a realistic view of the probability of harm, consistent with EPA's stated intent to "strive to utilize probabilistic approaches for exposure assessments included in a risk evaluation" (U.S. EPA 2017b). The risk evaluation concluded there is negligible risk to water column and sediment receptors from D4 discharged from MPF facilities after onsite wastewater treatment or from municipal WWTPs that may treat a mix of industrial and consumer wastewater.