Welcome to the EF3.1 Ecotox Explorer

The EF3.1 Ecotox Explorer purpose is to support EF3.1 users to understand how freshwater ecotoxicity CFs have been derived and which underlying data have been used.


Using the Ecotox Explorer you can:

  • Explore ecotoxicological data and how they have been used, in the Explore data tab;
  • Explore the physico-chemical properties, in the Explore data tab;
  • Compare CFs of more chemicals to observe the causes of the differences, in the Compare chemicals tab;
  • Understand how to correctly interpret the Characterisation Factors (CFs), thanks to the guideline in the Interpretation tab;
  • Find sources and references of documentations, papers, web pages and data to deepen the aspects of the subject, in the About tab.

Guide for correct interpretation of Characterisation Factors (CFs)

The final product/organisation Environmental Footprint scores for aquatic, human cancer and non-cancer toxicity have been calculated using the USEtox® 2.1 model. No modifications to the model itself were applied.

The final scores correspond to the sum of the mass of each elementary flow reported in an inventory multiplied by its corresponding characterization factor.

Each CF is calculated by multiplying a Fate Factor (FF) by an Exposure Factors (XF) and by an Effect Factor (EF). In addition, a Robustness Factor (RF) has been implemented (see next paragraph). Overall: CF = EF * XF * FF * RF.

The new set of CFs were calculated using the REACH database form the European Chemical Agency (ECHA), the OpenFoodTox database from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and from the Pesticide Propriety database (PPDB) from the university of Hertforshire.

When interpreting final scores and performing hotspot and contribution analysis, please keep in mind that:

  • CHARACTERISATION FACTORS ARE NOT JUST A MEASURE OF INTRINSIC CHEMICAL TOXICITY. If you want to compare the inherent toxicity of two elementary flows that contribute significantly to the score, look only at the Effect Factors.
  • Characterisation Factors are a measure of the estimated residual toxicity at steady state taking into account fate and exposure. As a consequence, a very toxic chemical (high effect factor) can have a low characterisation factor if exposure (or fate) factor is very low. Viceversa, a less toxic substance (low effect factor) can have a high characterisation factor if its exposure (or fate factor) is very high.

    • This is well illustrated with the case of Chromium ions (table below). Chromium (iii) is estimated to be 700 times more toxic than Chromium (vi), while the final CF can be 2 orders of magnitude higher for Chromium (vi). This is explained essentially by a 3 orgers of magnitude lower exposure factor (XF) for Chromium (iii) compared to Chromium (vi). The resulting CF suggests that Chromium (vi) has at steady state a higher potential impact.

  • As explained in USEtox® documentation, CFs carry 3 orders of magnitude uncertainty which mean that: 'contributions of 1%, 5% or 90% to the total toxicity score can be interpreted as essentially equal, but significantly larger than those of a chemical contributing to less than 1 per thousand or less than 1 per million of the total score. It should be stressed that the characterization factors are useful for a first tier assessment' (Rosenbaum et al. 2008; Fantke et al. 2017). Furthermore the authors recommend that: 'in case a substance appears to dominantly contribute to the impact scores for toxicity, it is recommended to verify the reliability of the chemical-specific input data for this substance and to improve the data whenever possible.' These interpretation and recommendations are equally valid for the CFs calculated by JRC.

Robustness Factors

In order to mitigate the dominance of metals in LCIA score observed in the PEF Pilot PhaseJRC has applied the following 'robustness' factors, which reflects the uncertainty in the modelling.

  • RF = 1 for organic substances;
  • RF = 0.1 for inorganic chemicals and non-essential metals;
  • RF = 0.01 for essential metals.

Additional useful information

  • In regulatory risk assessment, multimedia fate modelling (such as Simplebox, also used by USEtox®) were originally developed for organic chemicals to estimate concentration in environmental compartments. However, they are also used for metals and inorganic compounds by assuming no biodegradation (metal and inorganic do not biodegrade). Instead, if a degradation rate is available (e.g hydrolysis, photolyze), these values are used to estimate the fate factor. Partition coefficients between water and particles are also used to estimate sorption to estimate fraction of chemical in dissolved form. JRC has therefore used the USEtox® model to calculate CFs for all type of compounds registered in the REACH, OpenFoodTox and PPDB databases making the required adjustment.
  • In June 2018, the Life Cycle Initiative has organized a Pellston workshop where a new approach was agreed to derive aquatic effect factor. Instead of using HC50 from SSD based on chronic EC50, the new approach is based on HC20 from Chronic NOECequivalent SSDs (=EC10equivalent). All EFs calculated, except for cationic metals, are based on this new approach.
  • Many very important processes for metals and some inorganics are not taken into account in USEtox®: natural background concentrations, essentiality, speciation, deficiency of some ecosystems/human for certain metals, speciation, etc. For organic chemicals the generation of persistent metabolites is also not taken into account. For these reasons, USEtox® toxicity scores should be interpreted as first screening assessment (see above).
  • JRC recommends to analyse the contribution of CFs of organics, cationic metals and inorganics separately. The scores are only combined to get a final score.
  • JRC has calculated CFs for all the type of chemicals that have been registered, including petroleum, organometallic and UVCB (Substances of Unknown or Variable composition, Complex reaction products, or Biological materials). Many of those may not be in a life cycle inventory; however, they are used in the EU market. Our position was to add those as well since data were available in REACH, OpenFoodTox or in PPDB.
  • All substances identified with a CAS or EC number present in the REACH, EFSA and PPDB databases have been added.
  • Check the 'About' tab to get access to all JRC technical reports and key publications related to this work and to the USEtox® model.

Data exploration tool

In this section, both ecotoxicity data and physico-chemical properties can be explored.

Freshwater ecotoxicity data

Effect Factor are derived using HC20 (20% potential affected fraction) from a chronic NOECequivalent SSD. EF derived as follows: EF = 0.2/HC20.

Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD)

Ecotox data summary


                    

                    
Ecotoxicological data used to generate the SSD

                    

                  

                  

                    

                      
Physico-chemical properties

                    

                    

                      Physico-chemical proporties used as input for the USEtox® 2.1 model to generate to calculate Fate and Exposure factors.
                    

                    

                    
Chemical information

                    

                    

                    
Physico-chemical properties table

                    

                  

                

              

            

          

          

            

              
Chemical searching tool

            

            

              In this section, all chemicals available in the EF3.1 Ecotox Explorer are listed.
            

            

              Chemicals name can be copied and pasted in the selection tool of the 'Explore Data' and 'Compare Chemicals' tabs.
            

            

          

          

            

              
CF, FF, XF and EF comparison tool

            

            

              In this section Characterisation, Fate, Exposure and Effect Factors of chemical can be compared.
            

            

              
            

            

              

              

              

            

          

          

            

              
Ecotox CF Explorer

            

            

              The purpose of this exploration tool is to support EF3.1 users to understand how freshwater ecotoxicity CFs have been derived and which underlying data have been used.
            

            

              This tool focuses only on chemicals assessed through ECHA, EFSA and PPDB data. However, ecotoxicity data for chemicals protected by confidentiality agreements cannot be displayed.
            

            

              It is recommended to read the 'Interpretation' tab page to avoid misinterpretations of the meaning of CFs.
            

            

            
Further information

            

              
                The description of the data collection, selection, treatment and derivation of Characterisation Factors derivation can be found in the relative report/publications
                Saouter et al, 2018
                . The Characterisation Factor updates and rationales are described in 
                Andreasi Bassi et al, 2023
              
            

            

              
                The full list of Characterisation, Effect, Exposure, Fate factors and physico chemical properties is available in the JRC Technical Report 
                Supplementary Materials
                .
              
            

            

              The description of the USEtox® multimedia model used to derive the Characterisation Factors is available in the 
              USEtox® 2.0 documentation
              
                . The model can be downloaded from the 
                USEtox® website
                .
              
            

            

              JRC key references:
            

            
    
              
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                Saouter EG, Biganzoli F, Ceriani L, Versteeg D, Crenna E, Zampori L, Sala S, Pant R. (2018). Environmental Footprint: Update of Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods - Ecotoxicity freshwater, human toxicity cancer, and non-cancer. EUR 29495 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, ISBN 978-92-79-98182-1, doi: 10.2760/178544, EC-JRC114227
              
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                Andreasi Bassi S, Biganzoli F, Ferrara N, Amadei A, Valente A, Sala S, Ardente F. (2023). Updated characterisation and normalisation factors for the Environmental Footprint 3.1 method. EUR 31414 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, ISBN 978-92-76-99069-7, doi:10.2760/798894, JRC130796
              
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                Saouter EG, Biganzoli F, Pant R, Sala S, Versteeg D. 2019. Using REACH for the EU Environmental Footprint: building a usable ecotoxicity database (part I). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4168
              
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                Saouter EG, Wolff D, Biganzoli F, Versteeg D. 2019. Comparing options for deriving chemical ecotoxicity hazard values for the EU Environmental Footprint (part II). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4169
              
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                Saouter EG, Aschberger K, Fantke P, Hauschild MZ, Bopp SK, Kienzler A, Paini A, Pant R, Secchi M, Sala S. 2017. Improving substance information in USEtox®, part 1: Discussion on data and approaches for estimating freshwater ecotoxicity effect factors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36, 3450-3462
              
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                Saouter EG, Aschberger K, Fantke P, Hauschild MZ, Kienzler A, Paini A, Pant R, Radovnikovic A, Secchi M, Sala S. 2017. Improving substance information in USEtox®, part 2: Data for estimating fate and ecosystem exposure factors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36, 3463-3470
              
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                Saouter EG, De Schryver A, Pant R, Sala S. 2018. Estimating chemical ecotoxicity in EU ecolabel and in EU product environmental footprint. Environment International 118, 44-47
              
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              USEtox® key references:
            

            
    
              
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                Rosenbaum RK, Bachmann TM, Gold LS, Huijbregts MAJ, Jolliet O, Juraske R, Koehler A, Larsen HF, MacLeod M, Margni M, McKone TE, Payet J, Schuhmacher M, van de Meent D, Hauschild MZ. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (2008) 13: 532. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-008-0038-4
              
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                Fantke P, Bijster M, Hauschild MZ, Huijbregts M, Jolliet O, Kounina A, Magaud 
                                        V, Margni M, McKone TE, Rosenbaum RK, van de Meent D, van Zelm R. 2017. USEtox® 2.0 Documentation. Lyngby, Denmark. ISBN: 978-87
                                        998335-0-4, DOI: 10.11581/DTU:00000011
              
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              Data sources
            

            
            

            
Database Composition

            

              The purpose of this section is to provide an overview of the JRC database used to generate the freshwater ecotoxicity CFs. Data refers only to chemicals without confindentiality restrictions.
            

            

            
Type of chemical substances in the JRC database

            

            

              Chemical type classification according to ECHA. Please note the following descriptions (ECHA):
            

            
    
              
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                Petroleum products and organometallics were treated as organic. Elements are metals, with the exception of sulfur (inorganic).
              
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                Mono-constituent substances are well-defined single chemicals. e.g. formaldehyde.
              
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                Multi-constituent substances are well-defined mix of substances (each >10% and <80%). e.g. butanal, reaction products with aniline.
              
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                UVCB are substances of Unknown or Variable composition, Complex reaction products or Biological materials. e.g. rape oil.
              
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Reference points per taxonomic group

            

            

            
Taxonomic groups composition

            

            

            
Taxonomy tree

            

              Frequency of occurrencies for each taxonomic level is reported in brakets. Click on the blue dots to explore the taxonomic levels. Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom and the left button to drag and drop the tree.