Table 1. Generic estimates of expected environmental concentrations (EECs) for non-target organisms exposed to transgenic proteins via cultivation of GM crops.
Non-target organism type	Worst-case EEC	Realistic EEC	Comments
Above-ground arthropod	Highest mean concentration1 of the transgenic protein in leaf tissue or pollen	0.2 X the worst-case EEC2	Several studies3 have shown that the concentration of transgenic protein in most herbivores is <10% that of the GM crop on which they are feeding.
Soil invertebrate	Highest mean concentration of the transgenic protein in roots	Concentration of the transgenic protein if whole plants were ploughed into soil to a depth of 15cm immediately before harvest	The amount of transgenic protein per hectare is calculated by multiplying the whole plant concentration by the mass of a plant and the number of plants per hectare. The mass of one hectare of soil to a depth of 15 cm is ca. 2.25 x 109 g .
Pollinator	Highest mean concentration of the transgenic protein in pollen	Average concentration of the transgenic protein in pollen multiplied by the proportion of the crop pollen in the diet	For maize, 50% pollen is a reasonably conservative assumption4; for cotton, a higher proportion may be necessary.
Aquatic organisms	Highest mean concentration of the transgenic protein in pollen multiplied by the predicted worst-case density of pollen in a pond 2 m deep adjacent to field	As for worst-case, but use average concentration of protein and assume 50% loss of protein through degradation and transport and settling of pollen	Maize produces up to 315x109 pollen grains per hectare during anthesis; 1 mg of maize pollen contains approximately 2,500 pollen grains5. Assume aquatic exposure to cotton is minimal as pollen is not dispersed by wind6.
Farmed fish	Concentration of protein detected in feed made from maximum proportion of grain that gives a nutritious diet	Multiply the worst-case EEC by the maximum predicted proportion of the product in the feed chain	Testing above the worst-case EEC is not possible if the worst-case EEC is estimated from the feed used in the hazard study.
Wild mammals	Worst-case daily dietary dose via a diet containing 100% seeds with highest mean concentration of transgenic protein	As for worst-case, but use average concentration of transgenic protein in seeds and realistic proportion of crop seed in diet	Formula for daily dietary dose is (FIR ¸ bw) x C: FIR is daily food intake rate, bw is body weight and C is the concentration of the transgenic protein in the diet. Estimates of FIR/bw for various mammalian diets are in the literature7.
Wild birds	As for wild mammals	As for wild mammals	Estimates of FIR/bw for various avian diets are in the literature7.
1The mean concentration of transgenic protein in GM plants at the developmental stage in which expression is highest 2Raybould et al. 2007 3E.g., Head et al. 2001; Raps et al. 2001; Dutton et al. 2002; Howald et al. 2002; Obrist et al. 2005; Obrist et al. 2006a; Obrist et al. 2006b; Torres et al. 2006 4Babendreier et al. 2004 5Westgate et al. 2003; Depuis et al. 1987 6E.g., Khan & Afzal 1950; Thies 1953; Sidhu & Singh 1961; Llewelyn & Fitt 1996 7Crocker et al. 2002