A New Method for Environmental Risk Assessment of Pollutants Based on Multi-dimensional Risk Factors

Abstract

Deterioration of watershed environment and pollutant discharge had seriously threatened human health and ecosystem function. The importance of improving risk warning system is becoming more and more prominent. Traditional chemical risk assessment methods focused on toxicity and exposure of pollutants without considering the impact of persistent pollutants in different environmental media. So there are cases which pollutants that have been assessed as safe using these methods end up being classified as persistent organic pollutants. In this study we proposed a synthetical risk factor (SRF) analysis with multi-dimensional evaluation of pollutants. The new method integrated toxicity endpoint values, environmental exposure level, persistent properties and compartment features from various dimensions. Selected pesticides, perfluorinated compounds, organophosphate and endocrine disruptors were analyzed with both SRF and risk quotient (RQ) methods. The results showed, a higher risk outcome using SRF analysis for PFOS, imazalil, testosterone, androstenedione and bisphenol A, which were different from those obtained with RQ method but were consistent with existing risk management. The study demonstrated that SRF method improved risk assessment of various pollutants in surface water in a more robust fashion, and also provided a more accurate decision basis for ecological environment protection.