Agrochemicals | Services

Environmental Exposure

  • Critical evaluation of the environmental fate of parent compounds, relevant metabolites and co-formulants for all compartments including surveys of metabolic pathways and model calculations for distribution patterns and biodegradation rates
  • Calculations of Predicted Environmental Concentrations (PECs) in soil, groundwater, surface water / sediment and air followed by higher tier exposure assessments where required:
    • PEC calculations and assessments of the accumulation potential in soil
    • Application of ground and surface water models provided by the FOCUS Work Group including modifications to country specific requirements (e.g. implementation of specific weather data)
    • Use of country specific exposure models (e.g. EXPOSIT, EVA, FROGS, GeoPEARL)
    • Implementation of lysimeter data in the groundwater exposure assessment and refinement of input parameter (e.g. aging of KOC values, re-evaluation of degradation rates)
    • Implementation of risk mitigation measures (e.g. non-spraying buffer zones, technical drift reduction, vegetative filter strips, )
    • Probabilistic and GIS-based approaches for exposure predictions in close cooperation with the applicant and / or the competent authority
    • Estimates for the short and long-range transport potential of volatiles substances via air
  • Supportive model calculations:
    • Kinetic analysis of degradation and dissipation rates from laboratory soil and field trials as well as water / sediment systems according to guidance of the FOCUS Work Group on Degradation Kinetics
    • Normalisation / standardisation of environmental fate data and decision making on the required endpoint values as input parameters for model calculations
  • Assessment of the relevance of metabolites in groundwater in consideration of predicted residue levels, biological activity, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties
  • Management and monitoring of environmental fate studies in close connection with the test-facilities