STEP 1: Review of Physical-Chemical Properties

First, the physical-chemical properties of the substance are obtained from the literature or measured in the laboratory. These properties--water solubility , fat solubility, vapor pressure, melting point, boiling point, octanol /water partition coefficient, hydrolysis , surface tension and photolysis  will be needed by the toxicologists and the environmental scientists for their work.

This information is used in multimedia environmental models to assess the target environmental compartments. From this exercise, it becomes apparent which compartments (water, soil, air) will be important to consider in the risk assessment.

Read about the next step:  Estimation of Environmental Exposure