Ecotoxicology for Illinois : Establishing the Research Agenda : Proceedings and Summary from a Workshop Held May 15-16, 1986

On May 15-16, 1986, a workshop, "Ecotoxicology for Illinois: Establishing the Research Agenda," was sponsored by the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR). Within DENR, the Division of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center (HWRIC) were involved in planning and executing the workshop. Both EEA and HWRIC are charged with sponsoring scientific research on current environmental issues. With this workshop, DENR studied the specific topic of ecotoxicology. Dr. David Thomas, Director of HWRIC, noted in his welcoming speech the difficulty of defining exactly what ecotoxicology is; however, DENR was interested in the ecosystem and human health effects of toxic chemicals and the various biomonitoring methods for determining the nature of hazardous effects. The primary purpose of the workshop was to bring the research, regulatory, public interest and, industrial communities together to discuss the uses and limitations of toxicity testing, scientific developments in the field, and research needs. The workshop participants examined the many issues involved in these areas in relation to each 'other and in relation to public policy. Attendees included regulators, policy makers, industry representatives, the general public, and scientists working in both ecosystem effects and human health effects. The workshop was organized in four half-day sessions, and for each session a particular issue in ecotoxicology was chosen to provide the focus for the discussion of research and public policy. Following the workshop, staff involved in organlzlng the workshop met to compile the research needs for the state of Illinois, as expressed by many participants in the workshop. Therefore, each session organizer has provided a summary of the session and a listing.of research needs. From this work, the research priorities were determined. These priorities are discussed in the section, Research Needs.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe