An ecosystem service impact assessment framework applicable to any chemical pollutant

This article outlines a generic and broadly applicable proof-of-concept framework linking ecosystem services to relative Environmental Risks and Impacts of Chemicals (ENRICH) to quantify the impacts of chemical pollution at a national level (United Kingdom). The ENRICH framework utilizes sources of chemical exposure and ecotoxicological data to establish the overall community and taxonomic group-level impacts of chemical pollution and the resulting effects on ecosystem processes and services. A proof-of-concept analysis is carried out for three case study chemicals that differ in their mode of action, usage, and data availability: Fipronil, copper, and perfluorohexanoic acid. The results indicate that each case study chemical has different predicted impacts on different taxa: Fipronil strongly affects arthropod groups, copper affects a wider range of taxa, and perfluorohexanoic acid mainly affects vertebrate species. These predicted taxa impacts are linked through logic chains to different ecosystem service provision consequences. The three case studies demonstrate the generalizability and value of the hazard, exposure, community, and ecosystem service impact assessment steps of the framework and highlight the remaining uncertainties and data gaps in its use. The ENRICH framework illustrates that, despite challenges, a chemical-agnostic approach to impact characterization supports prioritization of chemicals and the evaluation of ecosystem services benefits arising from chemical pollution management policies.