QSARs in Netherlands water quality management policies

QSARs are a useful tool for predicting the potential toxic effects of compounds for which no data are available. Within strictly defined limits, QSARs can be applied to assess the potential impact of a spill, to evaluate ecotoxicological effects and environmental fate of organics in waste water and to set priorities for water quality criteria. For a wider application, there is a need for 'worst case' SARs providing a 'safer' estimate of toxicity than QSARs with an optimum fit, which might underestimate toxicity.