EcoToxChip: A next-generation toxicogenomics tool for chemical prioritization and environmental management

Abstract

Chemical contamination of natural ecosystems is regarded as one of our planet's greatest threats (Landrigan et al. 2018). Contaminant‐related phenomena such as malformed frogs, fish with tumors, and dwindling bird populations increasingly fuel societal concerns. Legislation in North America and Europe mandates the assessment and reduction of risk for thousands of commercially important chemical substances used by society and released into the environment. For example, large‐scale efforts such as the Chemicals Management Plan in Canada, the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program, and the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) ToxCast program under the Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) were implemented to address legislative obligations to identify, prioritize, and take action on chemicals found to be harmful. However, these regulatory programs face significant challenges. The number of chemical substances for which toxicity data are required is tremendous and backlogged (e.g., 23 000 initially in Canada; 85 000 in the United States; upward of 101 000 in the European Union) and continues to grow by approximately 500 to 1000 new substances each year. In addition, regulations such as Canada's Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (section 36, Fisheries Act), the US National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, and the European Union's Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) mandate the monitoring of municipal and industrial effluents with regard to their potential impacts on aquatic ecosystem health. These programs require the testing of complex environmental samples (e.g., water, effluents, and sediments) for compliance; however, treatment and remediation efforts represent huge, unresolved challenges for chemicals management stakeholders, including those in regulatory agencies and industry.