This Test Guidance is designed to determine the rate and extent to which metals and sparingly soluble metal compounds can produce soluble available ionic and other metal-bearing species in aqueous media under a set of standard laboratory conditions representative of those generally occurring in the environment. Once determined, this information can be used to evaluate the short term and long term aquatic toxicity of the metal or sparingly soluble metal compound from which the soluble species came.

This Test Guidance is the outcome of an international effort under the OECD to develop an approach for the toxicity testing and data interpretation of metals and sparingly soluble inorganic metal compounds.