Regulation of Toxicants in the Australian Environment

Abstract

The chemical behaviour of toxicants in the environment is a critical control on their impacts on human and ecological health. The current status of regulations for air, soils, groundwater, surface waters, and sediments in Australia are discussed, with particular focus on metals. It is now recognized that speciation and bioavailability are important in assessing potential effects, yet only now are environmental guidelines addressing these. Recent chemical and ecotoxicological studies of metal bioavailability in waters and sediments investigate robust methods for speciation measurement and report improved models to describe metal uptake and predict toxicity. The way forward with respect to toxicant regulation is a departure from single-number guidelines, to site-specific risk-based assessments, such as those adopted in the new ANZECC/ARMCANZ water quality guidelines.