Chapter 1
Introduction
Yuhei Inamori and Ryuhei Inamori
Abstract The importance of the current conditions of environmental pollution from
chemical substances and their environmental impact statement are provided here.
The problems of the current test methods (i.e., examinations of single species) and
the need for having many kinds of organisms examined are expounded. With this in
mind, the summary and effectiveness of the microcosm test are shown and are the
main purpose of this book.
1.1 Background
Testing methods for assessing the impact of chemical substances on an ecosystem are
divided into single-species and multiple-species tests. Single-species testing has hitherto been widely used for assessing the environmental impact of chemical substances,
and various standardized methods have been developed (Beyers and Odum 1993;
Graney et al. 1994). However, it is predictable in natural environments that the
presence or absence of interactions among different species may give rise to the onset
of different toxicity mechanisms caused by chemical substances. The testing of model
ecosystems with multiple species accounts for the interactions among different species;
hence, it is a robust approach for conducting more realistic risk assessments of
ecosystems. Although the need for risk assessment has been acknowledged globally,
the development of a standardized testing method has been delayed. Therefore, the
promotion of an official, standardized, and generalizable method of testing model
ecosystems, with the aim of global applicability, holds great importance.
In Europe and the United States, model ecosystem tests are used in high-risk
assessment processes, such as for exposure to pesticides. Test guidelines developed
by the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) of the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend model ecosystem tests, such
as the “OPPTS 850.1900 Generic freshwater microcosm test, laboratory,” as
methods aimed at understanding the dynamics of chemicals and at measuring their
Y. Inamori (*) · R. Inamori
Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
e-mail: y_inamori@fais.or.jp; r_inamori@fais.or.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Y. Inamori (ed.), Microcosm Manual for Environmental Impact Risk Assessment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6798-4_1
1
Introduction
Yuhei Inamori and Ryuhei Inamori
Abstract The importance of the current conditions of environmental pollution from
chemical substances and their environmental impact statement are provided here.
The problems of the current test methods (i.e., examinations of single species) and
the need for having many kinds of organisms examined are expounded. With this in
mind, the summary and effectiveness of the microcosm test are shown and are the
main purpose of this book.
1.1 Background
Testing methods for assessing the impact of chemical substances on an ecosystem are
divided into single-species and multiple-species tests. Single-species testing has hitherto been widely used for assessing the environmental impact of chemical substances,
and various standardized methods have been developed (Beyers and Odum 1993;
Graney et al. 1994). However, it is predictable in natural environments that the
presence or absence of interactions among different species may give rise to the onset
of different toxicity mechanisms caused by chemical substances. The testing of model
ecosystems with multiple species accounts for the interactions among different species;
hence, it is a robust approach for conducting more realistic risk assessments of
ecosystems. Although the need for risk assessment has been acknowledged globally,
the development of a standardized testing method has been delayed. Therefore, the
promotion of an official, standardized, and generalizable method of testing model
ecosystems, with the aim of global applicability, holds great importance.
In Europe and the United States, model ecosystem tests are used in high-risk
assessment processes, such as for exposure to pesticides. Test guidelines developed
by the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) of the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend model ecosystem tests, such
as the “OPPTS 850.1900 Generic freshwater microcosm test, laboratory,” as
methods aimed at understanding the dynamics of chemicals and at measuring their
Y. Inamori (*) · R. Inamori
Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
e-mail: y_inamori@fais.or.jp; r_inamori@fais.or.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Y. Inamori (ed.), Microcosm Manual for Environmental Impact Risk Assessment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6798-4_1
1