Evaluation of a Pbk Model Based Approach for Wildlife Biomonitoring of Exposure to the Fungicide Carbendazim Using Wild Captured Wood Mice (Apodemus Sylvaticus)

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the use of PBK modeling for wildlife biomonitoring by estimating external dose levels of carbendazim based on internal levels of the fungicide in wild captured wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) experimentally exposed to carbendazim. Internal concentrations of carbendazim and its major metabolite 2-aminobenzimidazole in blood, liver, and kidney at different time points after single oral exposure, were compared to PBK model simulated concentrations under the same input conditions. Results obtained support the validity of the PBK model to predict not only blood but also liver and kidney concentrations of carbendazim upon oral exposure in these wild captured wood mice. In a next step the model was used to predict the internal concentrations upon repeated dose exposure scenario’s and to investigate the influence of time between dosing on the respective dose levels, The results obtained reveal how the external dose and also the time between dosing influence the internal concentrations. The results obtained facilitate the use of PBK modeling based reverse dosimetry in wildlife biomonitoring since they allow translation of steady state concentrations of carbendazim to external dose levels by so-called reverse dosimetry and also provide insight in the effect of estimated time between dosing on the accuracy of these estimates.

Keywords: PBK model, carbendazim, Wood mice, wildlife biomonitoring, model validation