Human and Ecological Risk Assessment of Nonylphenol Polyethoxylate-Based (NPE) Surfactants in Forest Service Herbicide Applications
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Human and Ecological Risk Assessment of Nonylphenol Polyethoxylate-based (NPE) Surfactants in Forest Service Herbicide Applications David Bakke, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) Pesticide Use Specialist May 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary...............................................................................................................v 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................1 2. Program Description 2.1 Overview....................................................................................................................1 2.2 Chemical Description and Commercial Formulations...............................................1 2.3 Application Methods..................................................................................................4 2.4 Mixing and Application Rates ...................................................................................4 3. Human Health Risk Assessment 3.1 Hazard Identification 3.1.1 Overview...........................................................................................................4 3.1.2 Acute Toxicity...................................................................................................5 3.1.3 Subchronic or Chronic Systemic Toxic Effects................................................5 3.1.4 Reproductive and Teratogenic Effects..............................................................9 3.1.5 Carcinogenicity and Mutagenicity....................................................................12 3.1.6 Effects on the Skin and Eyes ............................................................................13 3.1.7 Systemic Toxic Effects from Dermal Exposure ...............................................14 3.1.8 Immunotoxicity.................................................................................................15 3.1.9 Neurotoxicity....................................................................................................16 3.1.10 Impurities, Metabolites, and Inerts .................................................................17 3.2 Exposure Assessment 3.2.1 Overview...........................................................................................................19 3.2.2 Workers.............................................................................................................20 3.2.3 General Public...................................................................................................22 3.3 Dose-Response Assessment 3.3.1 Overview...........................................................................................................29 3.3.2 Existing Guidelines...........................................................................................30 3.3.3 Dose-Response and Dose-Severity Relationships ............................................30 3.4 Risk Characterization 3.4.1 Overview...........................................................................................................33 3.4.2 Workers.............................................................................................................34 3.4.3 Public ................................................................................................................35 3.4.4 Sensitive Subgroups..........................................................................................36 3.4.5 Connected Actions ............................................................................................37 Page ii 3.4.6 Cumulative Effects............................................................................................37 4. Ecological Risk Assessment 4.1 Hazard Assessment 4.1.1 Overview...........................................................................................................39 4.1.2 Toxicity to Terrestrial Organisms.....................................................................39 4.1.3 Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms.........................................................................40 4.2 Exposure Assessment 4.2.1 Overview...........................................................................................................48 4.2.2 Terrestrial Organisms........................................................................................48 4.2.3 Aquatic Organisms............................................................................................51 4.3 Dose-Response Assessment 4.3.1 Terrestrial Organisms........................................................................................52 4.3.2 Aquatic Organisms............................................................................................52 4.4 Risk Characterization 4.4.1 Terrestrial Organisms........................................................................................52 4.4.2 Aquatic Organisms............................................................................................53 5. Bibliography.....................................................................................................................55 6. Glossary...........................................................................................................................74 Appendices Appendix 1 - Worksheet 1 – Analysis for overspray of water with no foliar interception....A-2 Appendix 2 – Risks of the Impurity Ethylene Oxide in NPE Surfactants .............................A-3 Appendix 3 – Toxicity Tables Table 1 – Toxicity of NP, NPE, NPEC to mammals ......................................................A-12 Table 2 - Toxicity of NP, NPE, NPEC to fish.................................................................A-16 Table 3- Toxicity of NP, NPE, NPEC to invertebrates, amphibians, algae.....................A-19 Appendix 4 – Worksheets......................................................................................................A-23 Page iii The following individuals provided peer reviews of this report: Dr. Patrick Durkin reviewed this document, under contract to the USDA Forest Service. Dr. Durkin also authored Appendix 2 - Risks of Ethylene Oxide in NPE Surfactants. Dr. Durkin is co-founder and principal scientist of Syracuse Environmental Research Associates (SERA), Inc. Prior to founding SERA in 1991, Dr. Durkin was employed at Syracuse Research Corporation, serving as director of the Life and Environmental Sciences Division and later as director of the Chemical Hazard Assessment Division (1972 to 1991). Dr. Durkin is a charter member of the American College of Toxicology, a charter member of the Society of Risk Analysis, a member of the American Association for Advancement of Science and the New York Academy of Science and is an Adjunct Professor at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1985-date). Dr. Durkin has conducted numerous risk assessments and risk assessment method development tasks for the USDA, U.S. EPA, and CDC/ATSDR. In recognition of his contributions to the development of the U.S. EPA's Ambient Water Quality Criteria, Dr. Durkin was given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Award for Special Achievement. Dr. Durkin has been appointed a consultant to the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and is a member of the FQPA Science Advisory Panel (SAP) on cumulative risk. Dr. Durkin has also served as a reviewer of the risk assessment methods used by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registries (ATSDR), the Dutch Health Council, and for the journals Toxicology and Industrial Health as well as Risk Analysis. Dr. Gary L. Diamond reviewed this document. Dr. Diamond is a Senior Scientist at the Environmental Science Center of Syracuse Research Corporation. He is a member of the American Association for Advancement of Science, New York Academy of Science, and Society of Toxicology. Dr. Diamond is an adjunct profession at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1997-date) and an adjunct associate Professor in toxicology at the Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester (1992-date). Dr. Diamond has served on advisory committees for the National Research Council, the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as a peer-reviewer for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Diamond currently heads several research projects with EPA to develop exposure-biokinetic models for use in risk assessment and to develop methods for the consistent integration of bioavailability information into quantitative risk assessment. Dr. Diamond currently serves as SRC Program Manager of a contract that supports the EPA OERR lead risk assessment methodology and model development programs, and he is deputy Program Manager of a contract that supports the ecological and human health risk assessments programs of EPA Region 8. Page iv Executive Summary The primary active ingredient in many of the non-ionic surfactants used by the Forest Service when applying herbicides is a component known as nonylphenol polyethoxylate (NPE). NPE is found in these commercial surfactants at rates varying from 20 to 80%. NPE is formed through the combination of ethylene oxide with nonylphenol. Nonylphenol (NP) is a material recognized as hazardous by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) (currently on U.S. EPA’s inerts list 1). Both NP and NPE exhibit estrogen-like properties, although they are much weaker than the natural estrogen estradiol. Human Health Risk Assessment