ASTM E943-23

This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: E943 − 23
Standard Terminology Relating to
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Biological Effects and Environmental Fate
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E943; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope specified tissue) by its concentration in a specified exposure
medium, for example, air, food, sediment, soil, water, when
1.1 This terminology document defines terms commonly
several media are possible sources (see bioaccumalation).
used in standards developed by ASTM Subcommittee E50.47
on Biological Effects and Environmental Fate. This terminol-
behavior, n—observable, recordable, or measurable actions or
ogy document is intended to be consistent with the use of terms
activity of an organism.
in ASTM standards related to this field and, to the extent
DISCUSSION—This definition conveys the idea of motion whether
motility is involved or not, and excludes physiological responses,
possible, with use by other organizations.
death, and so forth, from the concept. It avoids the issue of internal
1.1.1 If a specific Subcommittee E50.47 standard uses one
versus external stimuli.
of these terms in a different context, then the term should be
defined in that standard. A term used only in a specific ASTM
bioaccumulation, n—the net accumulation of a substance by
standard need not be included in this terminology document.
an organism as a result of uptake from all environmental
sources.
1.2 This international standard was developed in accor-
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
bioassay, n—an experiment that uses living whole organisms,
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
tissues or cells to measure the presence, the concentration, or
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
the relative potency of one or more chemicals.
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
DISCUSSION—A bioassay must include the appropriate controls(s).
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
There is no intended stipulation of endpoint for such a test; the response
may be positive of negative. This term defines a subset of the protocols
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2. Terminology
(methods) referred by the term “biological assay.”
2.1 Definitions:
bioconcentration, n—the net accumulation of a substance by
acute test, n—a comparative study in which organisms, that
an aquatic organism as a result of uptake directly from
are subjected to different treatments, are observed for a
aqueous solution.
single relatively short period usually less than a 24-hours.
biomagnification, n—the increased accumulation and concen-
DISCUSSION—Definitions of acute, sub-acute, sub-chronic and chronic
test durations vary and are typically defined relative to the life span of
tration of a chemical in tissues so that organisms in higher
the test organism.
trophic levels have greater concentrations of the chemical
than those in lower trophic levels.
DISCUSSION—Acute tests often utilize mortality as the primary effect
DISCUSSION—Chemicals that are not eliminated or broken down will
metric; other test durations involve repetitive daily exposures and
accumulate from producer or detritivore to consumer and from prey to
include sublethal endpoints such as growth or reproduction.
predator, primarily through the mechanism of dietary accumulation.
attraction, n—a response towards or to facilitate contact with
biomarker, n—a biological measure (within organisms) of
a material or condition.
exposure to, effects of, or susceptibility to, environmental
avoidance, n—a response away from or to limit contact with a
stress using molecular, genetic, biochemical, histological, or
material or condition.
physiological techniques.
BAF (bioaccumulation factor), n—the quotient obtained by
biomarker assay, n—an experiment that uses a molecular,
dividing the concentration of a substance in an organism (or
genetic, biochemical, histological, anatomical, or physi-
ological technique to assess exposure, response, or suscep-
tibility of an organisms tissue or cells to environmental
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This terminology is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E50 on
stress.
Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action and is the
direct responsibility of Subcommittee E50.47 on Biological Effects and Environ-
mental Fate.
Current edition approved June 1, 2023. Published July 2023. Originally approved
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in 1983. Last previous edition approved in 2014 as E943 – 08(2014) which was Finney, D.J.
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