Implementation of bioavailability in standard setting and risk assessment.

Bioavailability is, to an increasing extent, recognised as the key issue linking the increased levels of toxicants to actually occurring adverse effects in ecosystems, whilst taking the modifying effects of the abiotic components of the environment into account. Various factors may affect bioavailability in the field, and these factors are often time and space dependent. This is one of the main reasons why legislators have been reluctant to implement bioavailability in risk assessment procedures. Over the last few years, however, considerable scientific progress has been made with regard to increasing our understanding of the chemical and ecological mechanisms responsible for rendering chemicals available for uptake and toxicity. As a consequence, legislators face the challenge of having to anticipate the scientific progress and to implement bioavailability in legislation. This contribution reports on the possibilities of implementing various methodologies within a maximum time period of three years.