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Ongoing Environmental Research

Nickel Forum

This site is managed on behalf of the European Nickel Group by the Nickel Institute

Ongoing Environmental Research

Notes:
(1) Does not include completed projects.
(2) These descriptions refer to the source of the funding of the project although NiPERA is managing all of the work.
(3) These dates are the scheduled final report dates for the projects. However, to meet regulatory needs, long-term projects (beyond August 2003) have been designed with interim deliverables in order to deliver important data as soon as possible.
(4) Provided the appropriate data can be found to complete the assessment.
(5) Draft final received March 27, 2003 and under NiPERA review.

Project (2)	Title	Contractor	Objectives	Relevance to RAR	Project End Date(3)	Recent Developments
NiPERA project	Mechanisms of Ni toxicity in aquatic organisms	C. Wood - McMaster University	Itentify the mechanisms of acute and chronic Ni toxicity in fish and invertebrates and importance of route of exposure.	Supports information for biotic ligand model (BLM) development.	Dec 2005	Manuscript (Pane et al 2003) received on 4 July 2003
NiPERA project	Probabilistic environmental risk assessment	Multiple: Parametrix Others under negotiation	Express exposure to nickel in a probablistic manner.	Provides information on ambient concentrations of nickel using statistically-derived methods. Potentially used to adjust the PEC.	June 2003	Reports have been received on the probabilistic distribution of Ni in surface waters and in sediments
NiPERA project	Modifying factors of chronic Ni toxicity in C. dubia	B. Stubblefield - Parametrix Inc.	Identify the important factors and their influence on chronic nickel toxicity to C. dubia (aquatic invertebrate).	Provides additional chronic data and information on the importance of bioavailability; provides supporting information for BLM. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	June 2003	Work on 1: Effects of pH, hardness, alkalinity and NOM and 2: Effects of natural waters is finishing up. Reports should be received shortly.
Joint NiPERA and Existing Substances Fund Project	Toxicty of Ni to aquatic plants	S. Klaine - Clemson University	Examine the long-term toxicity of Ni to floating aquatic plants under standard laboratory conditions and compare with toxicity to resident species in natural waters.	Provides additional chronic data; provides important information on bioavailability and tolerance of resident species. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	June 2003	Preliminary work on Ni speciation in growth media completed; toxicity testing to be complete by September 2003
Existing Substances Fund Project	Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC), local and regional	ECOLAS, EURAS	Gather and analyse the data in order to generate the most realistic PEC.	PEC is needed to complete the risk assessment.	Local - April 2003. Regional June 2003	Draft reports received in May (local) and June (regional). Final reports depend upon integration with ECOLAS report on diffuse and point sources.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Probabilistic distribution of nickel in European surface waters	EURAS	Derive Ni PEC values from monitoring data in European surface waters. This PEC allows a comparison of the modelled effort versus values measured in the environment.	PEC is needed to complete the risk assessment. Provides measured PECs for comparison to the modelled PECs. Potentially used to adjust the PEC.	June 2003	Report received in June 2003
Existing Substances Fund Project	Waste assessment	EURAS	Analyse the waste life stage of Ni for inclusion into the overall risk assessment process.	Waste PEC is needed to complete the risk assessment.	June 2003(4)	Draft report received in June 2003
Existing Substances Fund Project	Field colonization ctudy	A. Burton - Wright State University	Investigate the fate and effects of Ni to sediment-dwelling organisms in field exposures.	Provides important fate and bioavailability information on Ni in field sediments and provides field-based effects data. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	June 2004	Field sites have been selected; laboratory range finder test completed; field sediments have been collected for spiking. Spiking will be complete and sediments will be deployed by 27 July 2003. First sampling will take place in late Aug. 2003.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Bioavailability and ecotoxicity of Ni in natural sediments	C. Janssen - Ghent University	Investigate the fate and effects of Ni in sediment-dwelling organisms in laboratory exposures.	Provides sufficient data to base a sediment PNEC on empirically-derived data. Provides important fate and bioavailability information on Ni in sediments. Potentially used adjust the PEC and PNEC.	June 2004	Selection of species for testing underway.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Terrestrial toxicity of nickel-based on bioavailability and the concurrent development of a predictive model.	C. Janssen - Ghent University M. McLaughlin - CSIRO H. Allen - University of Delaware S. McGrath - Rothamstead Research E. Smolders - Katholieke University Leuven	Investigate the toxicity of Ni in various soil types with multiple species in order to develop a model to predict toxicity and bioavailability in different soil types.	Increase number of terrestrial chronic tests for the Ni ecotox database. Develop appropriate adjustments to apply literature-derived PNEC derivations to regional or continental scale risk assessments or hazard determination for labelling purposes. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	Dec 2004	Sixteen soils have been collected; physicochemical characterization underway; range finder testing is underway.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Terrestrial re-assessment	M. McLaughlin - CSIRO	Evaluate adequacy, quality of the data used and the methodology of the terrestrial PNEC determination.	May reveal important adjustments that need to be considered for the terrestrial PNEC.	First phase April 2003	Draft report received. Final report expected by middle of August.
Existing Substances Fund Project	BLM fish	C. Janssen - Ghent University	To develop and validate a chronic BLM for the rainbow trout.	Provides additional chronic test data for the Ni ecotox dataset. Provides information on the importance of bioavailability on Ni toxicity. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	March 2004	Range finding tests are to begin shortly.
Existing Substances Fund Project	BLM algae and invertebrates	C. Janssen - Ghent University	To develop and validate chronic BLMs for algae and invertebrates.	Provides additional chronic test data for the Ni ecotox dataset. Provides information on the importance of bioavailability on Ni toxicity. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	Jan 2004	Acute testing with Daphnia magna is complete, and shows mitigating effects of Ca and Mg, with less significant effects of Na and pH. Chromic testing to begin in August. Acute testing with Pseudokirchneriell a subcapitata is ongoing, with preliminary results showing effects of Mg, followed by Ca, Na and pH.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Background analysis	S. Kay - Waterborne Environ.	Evaluate the worldwide distribution of measured Ni values in water, soil and sediment.	Provides important information on the ambient and background concentrations of Ni in environmental media for comparison to PEC and PNEC. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.	June 2003	Report anticipated.
Existing Substances Fund Project	IUCLID	J. Wirtz - Parametrix, Inc.	Provide Denmark with IUCLID dataset on the priority-listed Ni substances.	Required for risk assessment.	May 1, 2003 (5)	Completed
Existing Substances Fund Project	Roadside Ni assessment	H. Blok - Royal Haskoning	Analyze the occurrence and sources of Ni in roadside soils.	Provides important information for the regional PEC evaluation.	June 2003	Draft report received in June 2003
Existing Substances Fund Project	Dissolution testing: 7 days for Ni powder.	CANMET	Acquire Ni powder data under the draft OECD Transformation Dissolution Protocol.	Provides data for input into the acute aquatic classification and risk assessment of nickel powder.	May 1, 2003	Completed.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Dissolution testing: 7 days for Ni granules.	CANMET	Acquire Ni granule data under the draft OECD Transformation Dissolution Protocol.	Provides data for input into the acute aquatic classification and risk assessment of nickel metal massives.	May 1, 2003	Completed.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Dissolution testing: 28 days for Ni powder (pH 5.5)	CANMET	Acquire Ni powder data under the draft OECD Transformation Dissolution Protocol at pH 5.5	Provides data for input into the acute aquatic classification and risk assessment of nickel powder.	June 1, 2003	Completed.
Existing Substances Fund Project	Dissolution testing: 28 days for Ni powder (pH 6)	CANMET	Acquire Ni powder data under the draft OECD Transformation Dissolution Protocol at pH 6 in preparation for a possible change in the protocol pH range.	Provides data for input into the acute aquatic classification and risk assessment of nickel metal powder.	Nov. 1, 2003	Study initiated in September 2003.

World Wide Sites

Nickel Forum

NiPERA project

Mechanisms of Ni toxicity in aquatic organisms

C. Wood - McMaster University

Itentify the mechanisms of acute and chronic Ni toxicity in fish and invertebrates and importance of route of exposure.

Supports information for biotic ligand model (BLM) development.

Dec 2005

Manuscript (Pane et al 2003) received on 4 July 2003

NiPERA project

Probabilistic environmental risk assessment

Multiple: Parametrix Others under negotiation

Express exposure to nickel in a probablistic manner.

Provides information on ambient concentrations of nickel using statistically-derived methods. Potentially used to adjust the PEC.

June 2003

Reports have been received on the probabilistic distribution of Ni in surface waters and in sediments

NiPERA project

Modifying factors of chronic Ni toxicity in C. dubia

B. Stubblefield - Parametrix Inc.

Identify the important factors and their influence on chronic nickel toxicity to C. dubia (aquatic invertebrate).

Provides additional chronic data and information on the importance of bioavailability; provides supporting information for BLM. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.

June 2003

Work on 1: Effects of pH, hardness, alkalinity and NOM and 2: Effects of natural waters is finishing up. Reports should be received shortly.

Joint NiPERA and Existing Substances Fund Project

Toxicty of Ni to aquatic plants

S. Klaine - Clemson University

Examine the long-term toxicity of Ni to floating aquatic plants under standard laboratory conditions and compare with toxicity to resident species in natural waters.

Provides additional chronic data; provides important information on bioavailability and tolerance of resident species. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.

June 2003

Preliminary work on Ni speciation in growth media completed; toxicity testing to be complete by September 2003

Existing Substances Fund Project

Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC), local and regional

ECOLAS, EURAS

Gather and analyse the data in order to generate the most realistic PEC.

PEC is needed to complete the risk assessment.

Local - April 2003. Regional June 2003

Draft reports received in May (local) and June (regional). Final reports depend upon integration with ECOLAS report on diffuse and point sources.

Existing Substances Fund Project

Probabilistic distribution of nickel in European surface waters

EURAS

Derive Ni PEC values from monitoring data in European surface waters. This PEC allows a comparison of the modelled effort versus values measured in the environment.

PEC is needed to complete the risk assessment. Provides measured PECs for comparison to the modelled PECs. Potentially used to adjust the PEC.

June 2003

Report received in June 2003

Existing Substances Fund Project

Waste assessment

EURAS

Analyse the waste life stage of Ni for inclusion into the overall risk assessment process.

Waste PEC is needed to complete the risk assessment.

June 2003(4)

Draft report received in June 2003

Existing Substances Fund Project

Field colonization ctudy

A. Burton - Wright State University

Investigate the fate and effects of Ni to sediment-dwelling organisms in field exposures.

Provides important fate and bioavailability information on Ni in field sediments and provides field-based effects data. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.

June 2004

Field sites have been selected; laboratory range finder test completed; field sediments have been collected for spiking. Spiking will be complete and sediments will be deployed by 27 July 2003. First sampling will take place in late Aug. 2003.

Existing Substances Fund Project

Bioavailability and ecotoxicity of Ni in natural sediments

C. Janssen - Ghent University

Investigate the fate and effects of Ni in sediment-dwelling organisms in laboratory exposures.

Provides sufficient data to base a sediment PNEC on empirically-derived data. Provides important fate and bioavailability information on Ni in sediments. Potentially used adjust the PEC and PNEC.

June 2004

Selection of species for testing underway.

Existing Substances Fund Project

Terrestrial toxicity of nickel-based on bioavailability and the concurrent development of a predictive model.

C. Janssen - Ghent University M. McLaughlin - CSIRO H. Allen - University of Delaware S. McGrath - Rothamstead Research E. Smolders - Katholieke University Leuven

Investigate the toxicity of Ni in various soil types with multiple species in order to develop a model to predict toxicity and bioavailability in different soil types.

Increase number of terrestrial chronic tests for the Ni ecotox database. Develop appropriate adjustments to apply literature-derived PNEC derivations to regional or continental scale risk assessments or hazard determination for labelling purposes. Potentially used to adjust the PEC and PNEC.

Dec 2004

Sixteen soils have been collected; physicochemical characterization underway; range finder testing is underway.

Existing Substances Fund Project

Terrestrial re-assessment

M. McLaughlin - CSIRO

Evaluate adequacy, quality of the data used and the methodology of the terrestrial PNEC determination.

May reveal important adjustments that need to be considered for the terrestrial PNEC.

First phase April 2003

Draft report received. Final report expected by middle of August.

Existing Substances Fund Project

BLM fish

C. Janssen - Ghent University
M. McLaughlin - CSIRO
H. Allen - University of
Delaware
S. McGrath - Rothamstead Research
E. Smolders - Katholieke University Leuven