Evaluating chemical exposure and effect models for aquatic species with a focus on crude oil constituents

Abstract

The aim of this PhD thesis is to evaluate a suite of exposure and effect models on their applicability in ecological risk assessment for aquatic species and ecosystems. The focus is on oil constituents, as it is largely unknown whether current ecological models are applicable to crude oil and its constituents. It was concluded that a model for risk assessment of crude oil constituents has to include uptake via water, the biotransformation within organisms, simplified migration processes of individuals within a population, and the interaction between different species (prey and predator). Lisette de Hoop also found out that certain toxicity data on temperate species can be used to predict the sensitivity of polar species to crude oil (constituents). The conclusions of this thesis can lead to improvements of the models, thereby enabling an improved risk assessment of crude oil in the aquatic environment