The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects database (CAFE), a tool that supports assessments of chemical spills in aquatic environments

Abstract

The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects (CAFE) database is a centralized repository that allows for rapid and unrestricted access to data. Information in CAFE is integrated into a user-friendly tool with modules containing fate and effects data for 32 377 and 4498 chemicals, respectively. Toxicity data are summarized in the form of species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) with associated 1st and 5th percentile hazard concentrations (HCs). An assessment of data availability relative to reported chemical incidents showed that CAFE had fate and toxicity data for 32 and 20 chemicals, respectively, of 55 chemicals reported in the US National Response Center database (2000-2014), and fate and toxicity data for 86 and 103, respectively, of 205 chemicals reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2003-2014). Modeled environmental concentrations of 2 hypothetical spills (acrylonitrile, 625 barrels; and denatured ethanol, 857 barrels) were used to demonstrate CAFE's practical application. Most species in the 24-h SSD could be potentially impacted by acrylonitrile and denatured ethanol during the first 35 min and 15 h post spill, respectively, with concentrations falling below their HC5s (17 mg/L and 2676 mg/L) at 45 min and 60 h post spill, respectively. Comparisons of CAFE-based versus published HC5 values for 100 chemicals showed that nearly half of values were within a 2-fold difference, with a relatively small number of comparisons exceeding a 10-fold difference. The development of CAFE facilitates access to relevant environmental information, with potential uses likely expanding beyond those related to assessment of spills in aquatic environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1576-1586. © 2015 SETAC.

Critical review and analysis of aquatic toxicity data on oil spill dispersants

“…However, a systematic evaluation of toxicity test results from 54 sources that passed an initial screening showed that nearly a quarter had a low reliability. Values of HC5 previously reported for Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 were in the 4.3 to 7.5 mg/L range (moderate toxicity) based on 11 to 22 aquatic species (Barron et al 2013;Bejarano et al 2016) and comparable to values estimated in the present study with a larger diversity of species (13-58 aquatic species). These findings point to the need of improving toxicity testing practices (i.e., adherence to method standardization) and reporting of test results, issues that are persistent in the field of aquatic toxicology (e.g., Ågerstrand et al 2014;Harris et al 2014;Moermond et al 2016;Hanson et al 2017) and that logically extend to oil toxicity testing (Coelho et al 2013;Redman and Parkerton 2015).…”

“…Dispersant HC5s generally fell within the range considered to be moderately to slightly toxic. These results are consistent with previous assessments made with 8 dispersants listed on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule ( with related dispersant-only SSDs (Barron et al 2013;Bejarano and Barron 2014;Bejarano et al 2016). In vivo aquatic toxicity tests with standard test species (mysid shrimp, Americamysis bahia; inland silversides, Menidia beryllina) categorized dispersants as moderately toxic to practically nontoxic (Hemmer et al 2011).…”

“…In vitro tests found cytotoxicity of dispersants at concentrations in the slightly toxic to practically nontoxic range but did not find activation of signaling pathways associated with endocrine induction (Judson et al 2010). Values of HC5 previously reported for Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527 were in the 4.3 to 7.5 mg/L range (moderate toxicity) based on 11 to 22 aquatic species (Barron et al 2013;Bejarano et al 2016) and comparable to values estimated in the present study with a larger diversity of species (13-58 aquatic species). Similarly, a Corexit 9500 HC5 (5.9 mg/L) from an SSD with toxicity data from early life stages of 12 marine species (constant static/static renewal tests, 48-96 h exposures combined; Echols et al, 2018) was also comparable and within the 95% CI of the HC5 value for the combined exposure SSD reported in the present study (Table 2).…”

A Decade of GoMRI Dispersant Science: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for the Future

“…Larger droplets do rise and can (eventually) reach the surface. Partitioning into droplets also allows the chemically dispersed oil to be diluted to very low concentrations for biodegradation by microbes naturally present in seawater (NRC, 2005;Lee et al, 2013;Prince et al, 2013;Aeppli et al, 2014;McFarlin et al, 2014;Prince and Parkerton, 2014;Prince and Butler, 2014;Prince, 2015;Bejarano et al, 2016;Bejarano, 2018). It should be recognized that the enhanced surface area, which is often cited as a major justification for using dispersants, is associated with a surfactant-populated interface rather than a native oil-water interface (Figure 2).…”

Enabling Science Support for Better Decision‐Making when Responding to Chemical Spills

“…For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's CAFÉ (Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects) database is intended to aid responders in determining chemical aquatic fate by providing chemical structure and physical properties. Although the database contains chemical property data for 30,000 chemicals, it has toxicity data for only 3600 chemicals (Bejarano et al, 2016).…”