Member sign-in
  • Leadership
    • imageBackLeadershipExplore Moreimage
  • Sustainability
    • imageBackSustainabilityExplore Moreimage
    • Material stewardshipExplore Moreimage
  • Research
    • imageBackResearchExplore Moreimage
  • Events
    • imageBackEventsExplore Moreimage
  • Members
    • imageBackMembershipExplore Moreimage
  • Resources
    • imageBackResourcesExplore Moreimage
  • About Us
    • imageBackAbout UsExplore Moreimage
    • TeamsExplore Moreimage
  • News
    • imageBackSee news dashboardExplore Moreimage
    • The International Lead Conference Pb2023 is back and in person!Explore Moreimage
    • EU batteries regulation given the go aheadExplore Moreimage
    • Safe recycling workshop in BangladeshExplore Moreimage
image image
image image
Member sign-in

Environmental Science

Much of the recent understanding of the effects that site-specific lead levels have on the aquatic environment has been developed by independent academic institutions who have conducted research sponsored by ILA.

Risks of Lead to the Aquatic Environment

Lead Biotic Ligand Model

Metals present many challenges to those responsible for assessing hazard and risk to aquatic organisms.

Accounting for the bioavailability of metals, using techniques such as the lead Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), resolves some of these difficulties. The BLM approach is currently considered as state-of-the-art for predicting metal bioavailability as it integrates existing knowledge about metal speciation in the solution surrounding the organism and the interactions between metal ions and competing ions at the binding sites on the organism-water interface (e.g. epithelial cells in fish gill tissue).

Download the full lead BLM tool

Download now

The ILA sponsored environmental research programme has resulted in the development of a lead Biotic Ligand Model that will be used for many years as the gold standard tool for setting site-specific lead in water quality standards for freshwater ecosystems.

BLM Online Tool

How to use the tool

A detailed technical user guide has been developed that provides background information on the lead biotic ligand model and step-by-step instructions for installing the tool. This can be downloaded here.

A user-friendly version of the BLM has been developed to facilitate compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive.

Bio-Met Bioavailability of metals and the Water Framework Directive

View site

Risk Assessment Tool

Risks of Lead to the Terrestrial Environment

ILA sponsored research has recently led to the development of a tool for undertaking risk assessments in soil.

It can be used in various parts of the world to derive soil type-specific ecotoxicological thresholds for different protection goals.

The tool calculates ecotoxicological threshold concentrations for lead and a variety of other metals based on chronic toxicity data for their direct effects to soil organisms (plants, invertebrates and microbial processes), expressed as (pseudo-) total (i.e. aqua-regia extractable) metal concentrations in soil.

Threshold calculator for metals in soil v2.0

Download now

Latest Resources

11 March, 2022

Position Paper: Protecting Workers from Occupational Lead Exposures

Download PDF
10 March, 2022

Commission should postpone decision on lead metal environmental classification

Download file
1 February, 2022

Economic Contribution of the European Lead Battery Industry

Download PDF
View all Resources image
  • Leadership
  • Sustainability
    • Material stewardship
  • Research
  • Events & Conferences
  • About us
    • Teams
  • Membership

Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest updates

Contact Us

International Lead Association, 120 New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6XX

Tel:T: +44 (0)20 7833 8090 Email:E: [email protected]

  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy notice
  • Cookies
  • Terms Conditions
  • Privacy Notice
  • Cookies

© Copyright 2023

Membership enquiry

If you would like to know more about becoming a member of ILA please complete the following form:

    Newsletter
    Sign up

    Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest updates