Ecological and Health Effect Assessment Research Group

6 Researchers:
　Rie Tai, Akihiro Moriyama, Hiraku Tanoiri, Yuichi Iwasaki (concurrent), Masashi Kamo (concurrent)

5 Contract Employees

Outline

We are conducting hazard and risk assessment research on chemicals (including microplastics), nanomaterials. Specifically, we develop methods for risk assessment necessary for promoting innovation of new materials such as manufactured nanomaterials, develop methods for obtaining missing data for risk assessment, evaluate risks in actual environments, and promote pragmatic risk assessment for solving social issues. Our goal is to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society where industry and the environment coexist.

Research Highlights

Methods for Risk Assessment and Management of Chemicals

Development of Toxicity Prediction Methods for Rapid and Efficient Risk Assessments

Development of hazard assessment methods for ecological risk using mathematical and statistical approaches
Development of methods for quantitative ecological risk assessment using species sensitivity distribution (SSD) and quantification of uncertainties.

Fitting a statistical distribution to toxicity data for multiple biological species

Development and Application of Methods for Chemical Mixtures and Population-Level Assessment using Mathematical Models

Development of models, statistical test theories, and combinatorial optimization methods for assessing the risks of chemical mixtures
Development of methods for assessing population-level ecological risk of chemicals

An example of the mixture effects of two chemicals (A and B). The mixture effects, which differ depending on the combination of physical properties of the chemicals, are predicted by mathematical models.

Pragmatic Risk Assessment of Freshwater and Marine Environments

Assessment of ecological effects and food web-mediated exposure in natural environments based on field bioassessments
Assessment of practical environmental risk considering regional characteristics using field measurements and modeling techniques

Sampling at river

Risk Assessment and Management Using Bioassays

Evaluation of ecological effects on natural environments from responses of living organisms to environment water pollution
Investigation of methods for reducing impacts of wastewater from workplaces

Species for bioassay

In-vitro Toxicity Evaluation Methods

Development of simple and rapid toxicity evaluation methods using cultured human cells
Development of testing methods for assessing ecotoxicological effects using cultured fish cells

Investigation of toxicity mechanisms based on gene expression analysis

Cell culture

Toxicity Test Methods and Evaluation of Manufactured Nanomaterials

Development of Toxicity Assessment Methods of Cellulose Nanofibers (CNFs)

Implementation of safety assessments for a variety of CNF slurries
Development of toxicity test methods (cell test, intratracheal installation test, ecotoxicity test, etc.) that companies can implement on their own
Publication of a procedure manual and a safety valuation report

TEM image of CNFs

Carbon nanotubes are phagocytosed by the human monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) during the cytotoxicity assay.
The black appearance of cells indicates nanotube internalization.

Dissemination of Testing Methods and Safety Assessments of Manufactured Nanomaterials

Publication of hazard assessment procedures and safety assessment documents
Dissemination of information on domestic and international trends through the Nanosafety Web site
Fundamental research for advancement and standardization of hazard testing methods for manufactured nanomaterials

A manual for toxicity testing of CNFs

Practice of Risk Assessment

Ecological Risk Assessment of Microplastic Particles (MPs)

Surveys measuring MP concentration in environments such as Tokyo Bay
Estimation of concentrations of small-sized MPs that are difficult to detect or measure
Estimation of HC5 (the concentration protective of 95% of species) based on species sensitivity distributions and considering MP characteristics such as particle size and polymer type
Risk assessment practices for MPs based on exposure and hazard assessments