Expanding the applicability of multimedia fate models to polar organic chemicals

Reliable estimates of environmental phase partitioning are essential for accurate predictions of the environmental fate of organic chemicals. Current fate and transport models use single-parameter linear free energy relationships (SP-LFERs) to quantify equilibrium phase partitioning. The applicability of such SP-LFERs is limited because no single parameter is able to describe appropriately all the molecular interactions that contribute to environmental phase distribution processes. Environmental partitioning coefficients predicted by SP-LFERs may thus have errors of up to an order of magnitude. Ranges for several environmental partitioning equilibria are identified, where such errors can result in significantly different fate predictions for individual bulk model compartments. We propose that it is possible to reduce such errors and uncertainties by implementing polyparametric LFER (PP-LFER) approaches in multimedia fate models. A level III fugacity model was modified such that the partitioning properties of chemicals are characterized by five linear solvation energy parameters rather than vapor pressure, water solubility, and octanol-water partition coefficient. A comparison of modified and unmodified models for a set of organic chemicals shows that the approach chosen to simulate environmental phase partitioning can have a large impact on model results, including long-range transport potential, overall persistence, and concentrations in various media. It is argued that PP-LFER based environmental fate models are applicable to a much wider range of organic substances, in particular those with polar functional groups. Obstacles to the full implementation of PP-LFER in multimedia fate models are currently the lack of solute descriptors for some chemicals of environmental concern and suitable regression equations for some important environmental phase equilibria, in particular for the partitioning between gas and particle phase in the atmosphere.