Perspective: Senselessness in ecotoxicological investigation

Abstract

Whether openly stated or not by the authors of nearly all ecotoxicology studies published in the peer-reviewed literature, the studies are conducted with the thinking that the furnished information is valuable for the field of ecological risk assessment. Reasonably too, those reading these published works share the same sentiment. These situations are unfortunate, for a closer inspection of the research conducted reveals that commonly, one or more study aspects render the data generated to be not utilizable for ecological risk assessment purposes. Some frequently encountered complications include using test species that are never assessed for health effects in the wild, the mode of chemical dosing deviating radically from the manner in which actual chemical exposures occur, and lacking an assessment methodology for expressing health impacts. Because ecotoxicological investigation often does not align with the applied-science needs of ecological risk assessment, this article wonders why the studies proceed. Moreover, this article recommends that authors caution their readership about the limited or lacking utility of the research they describe in the area of fostering assistance and embellishment to ecological assessment science.