Toxicokinetics in aquatic systems: Model comparisons and use in hazard assessment

Abstract

Toxicokinetic models are not constrained by assumptions of equilibrium as are thermodynamic (equilibrium‐partitioning) models and are more accurate predictors of toxicant accumulation for non‐steady‐state exposures and multiple uptake routes. Toxicokinetic models – compartment‐based models, physiological‐based models, and energetics‐based models – are reviewed and the different mathematical formalisms compared. Additionally, the residue‐based toxicity approach is reviewed. Coupling toxicokinetic models with tissue concentrations at which toxicity occurs offers a direct link between exposure and hazard. Basing hazard on tissue rather than environmental concentrations avoids the errors associated with accommodating multiple sources, pulsed exposures, and non‐steady‐state accumulation. Copyright © 1992 SETAC