Marine Environmental Risk Assessment Method for Active Substances Used in Antifouling Systems on Ships in China

Abstract

A Chinese risk assessment procedure was developed to address active substances used in biologically active (biocidal) antifouling paints. The priority was to promote the use of environmentally friendly, technically and economically viable alternatives to DDT/TBT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane/tributyltin) in the control of marine fouling organisms. The procedure was based upon European Union Biocide Product Directive (EU-BPD) and International Standard Organization (ISO) method for the Environmental risk assessment of antifouling systems. In order to focus on Chinese national conditions, international templates were adapted to address regional differences. In the Chinese method, persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity information is assessed on a step by step basis, allowing an antifouling substance to be defined as either Risk of high concern or Relatively low risk at the end of the decision making process. 4,5-Dichloro-2-n-Octyl-3-Isothiazolinone (DCOIT, Sea-nine), triphenylborane pyridine (TPBP), 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide (Capsaicin) and Zinc ethylene (bis) dithiocarbamate (Zineb), popularly used in China as active substance of antifouling paints, were reviewed according to the developed procedure. The preliminary results indicate that Sea-nine use in antifouling products can be considered low risk, whereas TPBP, Capsaicin and Zineb failed the screening procedure on the basis of bioaccumulation potential, persistence and an unacceptable risk ratio, respectively. Data availability was determined to be a critical factor in the assessments due to the application of Safety Factors for data-poor substances.