Developing experimental data for multi-metal biotic ligand model framework - back to basics

金属开采和冶炼在加拿大经济中扮演着关键角色，占全国GDP的5%，提供32万个就业岗位，创造了765亿美元的出口，占加拿大总出口的22%。加拿大是铜、铅、镍和锌的主要生产国，也是镉的次要生产国，所有这些都主要用于出口。所有这些金属都可能对环境有害，监管压力（尤其是在欧洲和美国）正威胁着这些市场。目前，这些金属和其他金属是单独监管的，但在国外市场上将它们作为混合物进行监管的压力越来越大。在缺乏关于金属混合物对水生环境影响的可靠数据的情况下，欧洲和其他司法管辖区的监管机构将依赖预防原则，而不是可靠的科学，并对金属工业施加不适当的负担。迫切需要开发基于科学的工具来调节水生环境中的金属混合物。我们的团队由两名水生毒理学家组成，他们在金属对水生生物的积累和影响方面具有专业知识。该团队为生物配体模型的发展做出了贡献，这是一种用于单一金属风险评估的预测工具，已被政府和行业广泛接受。我们现在已经招募了四个行业支持的金属研究组织（铜发展协会、国际铜协会、国际锌协会和镍生产商环境研究协会），这些组织都有许多加拿大工业成员，以及一家在加拿大运营的国际矿业公司（里约热内卢Tinto），为金属混合物blm的开发提供实验数据。该研究将集中于对金属特别敏感的生物（虹鳟鱼和蜗牛），并将研究五种金属（Cd, Cu, Pb， Ni和Zn）在金属积累，组织内金属形态，作用机制和毒性方面的相互作用。最终产品将是新的基于科学的金属混合物生物配体模型，可用于风险评估，并作为全球政府和行业的监管工具。

Metal mining and smelting plays a key role in the Canadian economy comprising 5% of the national GDP, providing 320,000 jobs, and generating $76.5 bn in exports which represents 22% of total Canadian exports. Canada is a major producer of Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn, and a minor producer of Cd, all of which are sold primarily for export. All of these metals may be hazardous to the environment and regulatory pressures, particularly in Europe and the US, are threatening these markets. Currently these and other metals are regulated individually, but there is increasing pressure to regulate them as mixtures in foreign markets. In the absence of reliable data on the effects of metal mixtures in the aquatic environment, regulators in Europe and other jurisdictions will rely on the Precautionary Principle rather than sound science and impose undue burdens on the metals industry. There is an urgent need for the development of science-based tools to regulate metal mixtures in aquatic environments. Our team consists of two aquatic toxicologists with expertise in the accumulation and effects of metals on aquatic organisms. This team contributed to the development of the Biotic Ligand Model, a predictive tool for risk assessment of single metals that has found widespread acceptance by government and industry. We have now recruited by four industry-supported metal research organizations (Copper Development Association, International Copper Association, International Zinc Association, and Nickel Producers Environmental Research Associaton) all with many Canadian industrial members, and one international mining company (Rio Tinto) with operations in Canada, to generate experimental data for development of metal mixture BLMs. The research will focus on organisms that are particularly sensitive to metals (rainbow trout and snails), and will examine the interactions of five metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn) on metal accumulation, metal speciation within tissues, mechanisms of action, and toxicity. The ultimate products will be new science-based Biotic Ligand Models for metal mixtures that can be used in risk assessment and as regulatory tools by government and industry on a worldwide basis.