Effects of calcium cyanamide on Collembola in a standardized field study. Part 2: lessons learned for chemical risk assessment in field studies with soil invertebrates

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundData from a one-year field study on the effect of a fertilizer (calcium cyanamide, trade name: Perlka®) on Collembola served as the basis for a broader discussion on performance and evaluation of these data for terrestrial risk assessment according to the REACH regulations) of the European Union.PerformanceDetails of the technical performance of this study have been described in Part 1 of this article. In this part, the experiences made in this very large field study with a non-pesticide (i.e., a fertilizer) is discussed in a wider context, in particular by asking: Is the existing information suitable for preparing a field test guideline for Collembola – and, secondly, would such a guideline be suitable for improving current REACH and/or EFSA guidelines for testing very different chemicals in the soil compartment?ResultsBy discussing individually the most important properties of such studies we could show that by combining experiences from earthworm field studies, literature, and our field study higher-tier testing with Collembola is not only technically possible, but also suitable for the evaluation of chemicals in soil (i.e., similar to existing OECD approaches for earthworms).ConclusionDue to our experience as well as information from literature, we could show that such Collembola field studies are suitable for improving risk assessment procedures in the soil compartment. This is in particular true, when realizing that the long-term protection of soil biodiversity is of high value both from an ecological as well as an ecotoxicological point of view. Thus, a specific Collembolan field test guideline is urgently needed.