Bordeaux mixture

Toxicity to terrestrial arthropods

Administrative data

Endpoint:

toxicity to non-target arthropods on natural substrate (NTA other than pollinators)

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

weight of evidence

Reliability:

2 (reliable with restrictions)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

other: Already evaluated by the Competent Authorities for Biocides and Existing Substance Regulations.

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

publication

Title:

Toxicity of copper to the collembolan Folsomia fimetaria in relation to the age of soil contamination

Author:

Pedersen, M.B. & Van Gestel, C.A.M.

Year:

2001

Bibliographic source:

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 49, 54-59

Materials and methods

Test guideline

Qualifier:

no guideline followed

Principles of method if other than guideline:

The effect of aging of copper contaminated soils (between 1 day and 12 weeks) on the reproduction of collembolan species was investigated.

GLP compliance:

no

Application method:

soil

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Copper sulphate

EC Number:

231-847-6

EC Name:

Copper sulphate

Cas Number:

7758-98-7

Molecular formula:

CuSO4

IUPAC Name:

Copper(II) sulfate

Details on test material:

IUCLID4 Test substance: other TS: Cu2+ as delivered as copper sulphate

TS-Freetext:
No specific data are supplied on the source or purity of the
test substance

Sampling and analysis

Details on sampling:

at Tend

Test substrate

Details on preparation and application of test substrate:

Substrate type: other: natural sand clay soil, 4mm sieved. pH (H2O) 6.7, Clay 13.8%, OM 4.5%, background Cu concentration: 19 mg/kg dw, CEC 15.6
cmol/kg
Equilibration time: 1-84 days

Test organisms

Test organisms (species):

other: Folsomia fimetaria

Animal group:

Collembola (soil-dwelling springtail)

Details on test organisms:

the collembolan culture originated from the Mols laboratory, Aarhus.

Study design

Study type:

laboratory study

Total exposure duration:

21 d

Test conditions

Test temperature:

20°C

pH (if soil or dung study):

6.7

Photoperiod and lighting:

12h/12h light/dark photoperiod

Details on test conditions:

test were performed with 20 adults per container for each treatment and using 8 replicates. 15 mg Bakers' yeast was applied on small plastic disks.

Nominal and measured concentrations:

8 added test concentrations: between 100 and 3200 mg/kg + 1 control (0 mg/kg)

Results and discussion

Effect concentrations

Effect concentrations 1

Duration:

21 d

Dose descriptor:

EC10

Effect conc.:

688 mg/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

meas. (arithm. mean)

Conc. based on:

element

Remarks:

Cu

Basis for effect:

reproduction

Remarks on result:

other: IUCLID4 note: "m" (measured/nominal)

Effect concentrations 2

Duration:

21 d

Dose descriptor:

EC10

Effect conc.:

776 mg/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

meas. (arithm. mean)

Conc. based on:

element

Remarks:

Cu

Basis for effect:

reproduction

Remarks on result:

other: IUCLID4 note: "m" (measured/nominal)

Effect concentrations 3

Duration:

21 d

Dose descriptor:

EC10

Effect conc.:

888 mg/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

meas. (arithm. mean)

Conc. based on:

element

Remarks:

Cu

Basis for effect:

reproduction

Remarks on result:

other: IUCLID4 note: "m" (measured/nominal)

Effect concentrations 4

Duration:

21 d

Dose descriptor:

EC10

Effect conc.:

648 mg/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

meas. (arithm. mean)

Conc. based on:

element

Remarks:

Cu

Basis for effect:

reproduction

Remarks on result:

other: IUCLID4 note: "m" (measured/nominal)

Reported statistics and error estimates:

dose-response relationships were established by SAS procedure NLIN, Gauss-Newton method, applying the log-log model for the determination of the EC10 and EC50

Any other information on results incl. tables

RS-Freetext:
Extractable Copper Fractions:

The measured total soil copper concentrations were
significantly related to nominal soil copper concentrations
(R2 = 0.99, P < 0.0001, slope of regression line = 0.91).
All calculations were based on these measured values.
The pH of the CaC12 extracts of spiked soils varied between
6.3 and 4.7, with the highest values in the controls and the
lowest in the soils with the highest copper concentrations.
pH did not change during the experiment.
For spiked soils, the concentration of copper extractable
with 0.01 M CaCl2 increased with increasing total soil
copper concentrations (Fig. 1). CaCl2 extractability was not
significantly affected by aging period (P = 0.99), whereas
total soil copper had a highly significant effect on
extractability (P = O.U001), as the extractable fraction
increased with increasing total soil copper concentrations,
from 0.2% to a maximum of 31%. In soil from the contaminated
field site, CaCl2-extractable copper concentrations also
increased with increasing total soil copper concentrations,
but at a much lower rate than for spiked soil (Fig. 1). The
percentage of copper extractable with CaCl2 increased
slightly with total copper, but never exceeded 0.8% of the
total copper concentration in soil from the contaminated
field site.

In spiked soil, DTPA-extractable soil copper concentrations
were linearly related to total soil copper (R2 = 0.99, P =
0.0001). The percentage of total soil copper extractable by
DTPA was independent of total soil copper (P = 0.32), with a
mean value of 85%. Aging period had no significant effect on
the extractable percentage either (P = 0.6). For field soil,
DTPA extractable copper concentrations increased less with
increasing total soil copper concentrations than for spiked
soil (Fig. 1). Expressed as a percentage of total soil
copper, DTPA extractability increased from ca. 40% at the
lowest copper levels to ca. 55% at 500 mg total Cu/kg soil,
but then remained fairly constant when total soil copper
increased further.

Effects of Soil Copper and Aging Period on F fumetaria:

Adult survival in copper-spiked soil was 16-19 animals on
average, out of the 20 animals added. At soil copper
concentrations of 2400 and 3200 mg/kg, a slight decrease was
seen compared with controls. Adult survival was unaffected
by aging periods of 1 day-12 weeks (P = 0.3).

Reproduction in spiked soil decreased with increasing soil
copper concentrations (Fig. 2). A significant interactive
effect of aging period and total soil copper concentration
was detected (P = 0.01). The two separate factors were also
significant in the analysis of variance (P = 0.0025 and P =
0.0001 for aging and total copper concentration). The Tukey
comparisons identified significant differences in
reproduction between low and high soil copper
concentrations, but generally no differences between aging
periods, and no clear tendency in mean reproduction
concerning aging period. The general NOEC value for
reproduction was 800 mg/kg, and the LOEC, 1200 mg/kg. EC10
values for reproduction in soils of different aging period
ranged between 700 and 950 mg Cu/kg soil, and EC50 values,
between 1300 and 1850 mg/kg, but there was no clear
relationship between EC values and aging period (Table 1). 

Effect values based on CaC12-extractable soil copper
revealed the same pattern as values based on total soil
copper (Table 1). Results based on DTPA-extractable soil
copper are not included, since this copper fraction
constituted a rather constant percentage of the total soil
copper (Fig. 1).

Juvenile size was less sensitive to soil copper than
reproduction, with EC1O values ranging from 1240 to 1900
mg/kg. The applied copper concentrations never resulted in
more than 50% reduction in juvenile size. An interactive
effect of aging period and copper concentrations was
detected (P = 0.0001), and significant effects of both aging
period and soil copper concentrations on juvenile size were
indicated (P = 0.0001 and P = 0,01). However, no clear trend
in the EC10 values was seen concerning the effects of aging
period.

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Validity criteria fulfilled:

yes

Conclusions:

Good quality study. EC10 data for F. fimetaria were used for the PNEC derivation. Reliable added EC10 values range from 688 to 888 mg Cu/kg

Executive summary:

CL-Freetext:

Increasing the time between mixing copper into the test soil

and exposing the collembolans up to 12 weeks was not a very

useful approach when trying to obtain more field-like

conditions in laboratory test systems. Expressing toxicity

as function of CaCl2-extractable copper rather than as

function of total soil copper strongly decreased the

differences between dose-response curves for spiked soil and

field soil. From the fact that CaCl2-extractable copper in

field-contaminated soil never reached the level where large

effects were seen in spiked soil, it may be predicted that

there are no direct effects of copper on F. fimetaria at the

field site. However, it should be noted that field studies

at the contaminated site have found that F. fimetaria was

virtually absent from soil containing more than 1000-1500 mg

Cu/kg. Thus, copper effects on factors such as food

availability, competition, and climatic conditions may cause

indirect effects on the collembolans at lower copper

concentrations than the direct copper effects.