SYDNEY, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Researchers have created an innovative technique to assess the long-term ecological risks posed by toxic substances such as insecticides in aquatic ecosystems.
Developed by researchers from the University of Queensland, Queensland government and the University of Sydney, the Temporal Response Surface (TRS) offers a practical tool to shield aquatic ecosystems from underestimated threats, according to a release from the University of Queensland (UQ) on Monday.
The TRS approach addresses critical regulatory gaps by accounting for cumulative or delayed toxicity, particularly from chemicals like the widely used neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, the release said.
TRS integrates exposure duration into risk assessment, aligning with global standards to model toxicity progression and enhance long-term protection for rivers and the ocean, it said.
"Existing regulatory guidelines may be underestimating the ecological risks of prolonged exposure to these kinds of chemicals," said researcher Cath Neelamraju from UQ's School of the Environment.
Imidacloprid accumulates in aquatic species' neural receptors, causing increasing harm over time, a risk current guideline often misses, Neelamraju said.
TRS was hailed as a "major step" by experts, with Dutch authorities exploring adoption. The method may expand to other toxicants such as organophosphorus insecticides and mercury, and environmental stressors like temperature shifts, said the study published in Environmental Science & Technology. ■
