ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
EPA/600/R-24/206
ECOTOX
ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase System
User Guide – Version 5.6
Prepared by: Jennifer H. Olker
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Office of Research and Development (ORD)
Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE)
Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division (GLTED) Duluth, Minnesota
In Conjunction with:
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), Duluth, Minnesota
Contract CIO-SP3, HHSN316201200013W
Task Order: EP-G16H-01256, SMAVCS3
TDD 2-8 ECOTOX Application Development and Support
June 2024
ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
i
DISCLAIMER
ECOTOX attempts to be comprehensive, but the searches may not locate all relevant
literature to a research program. In addition, the time lag from conducting a literature
search, acquiring the publication, and extracting the data into ECOTOX can be up to,
or exceed, six months. For this reason, it is suggested that users conduct searches of
the most recent publication year to ensure data may be captured which has not been
entered in to ECOTOX or met the criteria for inclusion.
Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade
name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply
its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U. S. government.
All users employing ECOTOX data should consult the original scientific paper
to ensure an understanding of the context of the data retrieved from ECOTOX.
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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1
2. GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................... 2
2.1. Access.................................................................................................................. 2
2.2. Navigating within ECOTOX .................................................................................. 2
2.2.1. Home ............................................................................................................. 2
2.2.2. Search............................................................................................................ 3
2.2.3. Explore........................................................................................................... 3
3. OVERVIEW OF SEARCH OPTIONS FOR DATA IN ECOTOX ................................... 5
3.1. Search Strategy Basics ........................................................................................ 5
3.2. Overview of Search and Explore Pages ............................................................... 6
3.2.1. Moving Within Pages and Target Menu ......................................................... 6
3.2.2. Selection Box and Types ............................................................................... 6
3.2.3. Key Functions ................................................................................................ 6
3.2.4. Options for Searching in ECOTOX................................................................. 7
4. ECOTOX DATA SEARCHES..................................................................................... 10
4.1. Using ‘SEARCH’ to locate data .......................................................................... 11
4.1.1. Chemical Searches...................................................................................... 11
4.1.2. Chemical Entry............................................................................................. 11
4.1.3. Predefined Chemical Groups....................................................................... 11
4.1.4. Search Tips for Chemicals........................................................................... 12
4.2. Search by Effect Measurements......................................................................... 12
4.3. Search by Endpoints .......................................................................................... 13
4.4. Search by Taxonomy.......................................................................................... 14
4.4.1. Taxonomic Entry .......................................................................................... 14
4.4.2. Predefined Species Groups ......................................................................... 14
4.4.3. Search Tips for Taxonomic Searches .......................................................... 15
4.5. Search by Test Conditions.................................................................................. 16
4.5.1. Test Location ............................................................................................... 16
4.5.2. Exposure Media ........................................................................................... 16
4.5.3. Exposure Type............................................................................................. 16
4.5.4. Control Type ................................................................................................ 17
4.5.5. Chemical Analysis........................................................................................ 17
4.5.6. Duration ....................................................................................................... 18
4.6. Search by Publication Options............................................................................ 18
4.6.1. Publication Year(s)....................................................................................... 18
4.6.2. Author(s) ...................................................................................................... 18
4.6.3. Reference Number....................................................................................... 18
4.6.4. Independently Compiled Data...................................................................... 19
4.6.5. Recent Modifications and Additions ............................................................. 19
4.7. Output and Report Format Options .................................................................... 19
4.7.1. Display Fields............................................................................................... 20
4.8. Using ‘EXPLORE’ to locate data ........................................................................ 20
4.9. Explore by Chemical........................................................................................... 21
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4.9.1. Predefined and Custom Chemical Groups................................................... 21
4.9.2. Refining/Filtering data using Query Filters ................................................... 22
4.9.3. Data Visualization Plots ............................................................................... 22
4.10. Explore by Species.......................................................................................... 23
4.10.1. Predefined and Custom Species Groups.................................................. 23
4.10.2. Refining/Filtering data using Query filters ................................................. 24
4.10.3. Data Visualization Plots ............................................................................ 24
4.11. Explore by Effects ........................................................................................... 25
4.11.1. Predefined and Custom Effects Groups ................................................... 25
4.11.2. Refining/Filtering data using Query Filters................................................ 26
4.11.3. Data Visualization Plots ............................................................................ 26
4.12. Exporting Data in Explore................................................................................ 27
5. EXITING ECOTOX..................................................................................................... 27
6. APPENDIX A: ECOTOX SEARCH PLANNING FORM.............................................. 28
6.1. Chemicals........................................................................................................... 28
6.2. Species............................................................................................................... 28
6.3. Test Results........................................................................................................ 29
6.4. Test Conditions................................................................................................... 29
6.5. Publications ........................................................................................................ 30
6.6. Report Output..................................................................................................... 31
7. APPENDIX B: PRACTICE SEARCHES..................................................................... 33
7.1. Example A .......................................................................................................... 33
7.2. Example B .......................................................................................................... 33
7.3. Example C.......................................................................................................... 34
7.4. Example D.......................................................................................................... 34
7.5. Additional SEARCH and EXPLORE examples................................................... 35
8. APPENDIX C: ECOTOX OVERVIEW........................................................................ 38
8.1. Data Sources...................................................................................................... 38
8.2. Quality Assurance .............................................................................................. 39
8.3. Test and Result Identification ............................................................................. 39
8.4. Aquatic Data Elements ....................................................................................... 40
8.5. Terrestrial Data Elements................................................................................... 40
8.6. References ......................................................................................................... 41
9. APPENDIX D: SPECIES AND CHEMICAL VERIFICATION ...................................... 42
9.1. Species Verification ............................................................................................ 42
9.2. Chemical Verification.......................................................................................... 44
10. APPENDIX E: ECOTOX DATA FIELD DESCRIPTIONS....................................... 45
10.1. Bibliographic Fields ......................................................................................... 45
10.1.1. Author ....................................................................................................... 45
10.1.2. Reference Number ................................................................................... 45
10.1.3. Title........................................................................................................... 45
10.1.4. Source ...................................................................................................... 45
10.1.5. Publication Year........................................................................................ 45
10.1.6. Reference Citation.................................................................................... 45
10.2. Chemical Fields............................................................................................... 45
10.2.1. CAS Number............................................................................................. 45
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10.2.2. Chemical Name ........................................................................................ 45
10.2.3. Chemical DTXSID..................................................................................... 45
10.2.4. Chemical Grade........................................................................................ 45
10.2.5. Chemical Purity......................................................................................... 46
10.2.6. Chemical Formulation............................................................................... 46
10.2.7. Chemical Comment .................................................................................. 46
10.2.8. Chemical Radiolabel................................................................................. 46
10.2.9. Chemical Carrier....................................................................................... 46
10.3. Species Fields................................................................................................. 46
10.3.1. Species ECOTOX Number ....................................................................... 46
10.3.2. Species Scientific Name ........................................................................... 46
10.3.3. Species Common Name........................................................................... 46
10.3.4. Species NCBI TaxID................................................................................. 46
10.3.5. Organism Source...................................................................................... 46
10.3.6. Organism Lifestage................................................................................... 46
10.3.7. Organism Age........................................................................................... 46
10.3.8. Gender...................................................................................................... 46
10.3.9. Organism Initial Weight............................................................................. 47
10.3.10. Organism Initial Length............................................................................. 47
10.3.11. Organism Strain........................................................................................ 47
10.3.12. Organism Comment.................................................................................. 47
10.3.13. Species Group.......................................................................................... 47
10.3.14. Species Taxonomic Information................................................................ 47
10.3.15. Kingdom.................................................................................................... 47
10.4. Test Condition Fields....................................................................................... 47
10.4.1. Media Type............................................................................................... 47
10.4.2. Test Location ............................................................................................ 48
10.4.3. Study Duration.......................................................................................... 48
10.4.4. Exposure Duration.................................................................................... 48
10.4.5. Exposure Type.......................................................................................... 49
10.4.6. Habitat ...................................................................................................... 49
10.4.7. Chemical Analysis .................................................................................... 49
10.4.8. Application Frequency .............................................................................. 49
10.4.9. Study Type................................................................................................ 49
10.4.10. Test Type.................................................................................................. 50
10.4.11. Test Method.............................................................................................. 50
10.4.12. Control ...................................................................................................... 50
10.4.13. Number of Doses...................................................................................... 50
10.4.14. Doses ....................................................................................................... 50
10.4.15. Number of Replicates ............................................................................... 50
10.4.16. Experimental Design................................................................................. 50
10.4.17. Exposure Sample Number........................................................................ 50
10.4.18. Ionic Fraction ............................................................................................ 50
10.5. Test Result Parameters................................................................................... 51
10.5.1. Test Number............................................................................................. 51
10.5.2. Result (Record) Number........................................................................... 51
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10.5.3. Endpoint ................................................................................................... 51
10.5.4. Effect ........................................................................................................ 52
10.5.5. Effect Measurement.................................................................................. 53
10.5.6. Trend ........................................................................................................ 53
10.5.7. Response Site .......................................................................................... 53
10.5.8. EE_Comment ........................................................................................... 53
10.5.9. Effect % (Effect Percent)........................................................................... 53
10.5.10. Statistical Level......................................................................................... 53
10.5.11. Bioconcentration....................................................................................... 53
10.5.12. Steady State ............................................................................................. 54
10.5.13. Concentration Type .................................................................................. 54
10.5.14. Endpoint Assignment................................................................................ 54
10.5.15. Concentration/Dose.................................................................................. 54
10.5.16. Result Sample Number............................................................................. 54
10.5.17. Observed Duration.................................................................................... 55
10.5.18. Intake Rate ............................................................................................... 55
10.5.19. Result Percent (%) Dry/Wet Weight.......................................................... 55
10.5.20. Result Percent Lipid.................................................................................. 55
10.5.21. Species Final Weight ................................................................................ 55
10.5.22. Other Effects............................................................................................. 55
10.5.23. Result Comment....................................................................................... 55
10.5.24. General Comment .................................................................................... 55
10.6. Water Chemistry Parameters (Aquatic only) ................................................... 55
10.7. Outdoor Test Parameters (Field only) ............................................................. 56
10.7.1. Sub-Habitat Term/Description................................................................... 56
10.7.2. Sub-Habitat Comment .............................................................................. 56
10.7.3. Latitude/Longitude .................................................................................... 56
10.7.4. Substrate Term/Description ...................................................................... 57
10.7.5. Water Depth.............................................................................................. 57
10.7.6. Geographic Term...................................................................................... 57
10.7.7. Geographic Location................................................................................. 57
10.7.8. Application Type ....................................................................................... 57
10.7.9. Application Rate........................................................................................ 57
10.7.10. Chemical Half-Life .................................................................................... 57
10.7.11. Application Date/Season........................................................................... 57
10.8. Terrestrial Only Parameters ............................................................................ 57
10.8.1. Test Comment .......................................................................................... 57
10.8.2. Exposure Comment .................................................................................. 58
10.8.3. Observed Response Mean/Min/Max......................................................... 58
10.9. Soil Parameters (Terrestrial only).................................................................... 58
10.9.1. Temperature ............................................................................................. 58
10.9.2. Soil Type................................................................................................... 58
10.9.3. Soil Sand %, Soil Silt %, Soil Clay %........................................................ 58
10.9.4. Soil pH ...................................................................................................... 58
10.9.5. Media Organic Matter ............................................................................... 58
10.9.6. Media Moisture ......................................................................................... 58
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10.9.7. Media Cation Exchange Capacity............................................................. 59
10.9.8. Soil Dose Measured ................................................................................. 59
11. APPENDIX F: INDEPENDENTLY COMPILED DATA FILES ............................... 60
12. APPENDIX G: COMMENT FIELD HEADER NAMES............................................ 64
12.1. Aquatic Comment Abbreviations ..................................................................... 64
12.2. Terrestrial Comment Abbreviations................................................................. 66
13. APPENDIX H: DELIMITED OUTPUT HEADER NAMES....................................... 69
13.1. Aquatic Report Output Fields .......................................................................... 69
13.2. Terrestrial Delimited Report Output Fields ...................................................... 83
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
1. INTRODUCTION
In the development and implementation of environmental management decisionmaking,
there is the need to establish scientifically credible risk assessments for
chemical stressors.
Ecological assessments are required to characterize and diagnose the relative risk of
chemical pollutants and to predict future risk as a function of environmental
management options.
The U.S. EPA’s ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase (hereinafter referred to as ECOTOX)
is a source for locating single chemical toxicity data for aquatic life, terrestrial plants,
and wildlife. ECOTOX was created and is maintained by the Office of Research and
Development’s (ORD’s) Duluth Minnesota laboratory.
ECOTOX integrates toxicity data derived predominantly from the peer-reviewed
literature, for aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Not all data published in the peerreviewed
ecotoxicology literature are included in ECOTOX. Users are encouraged to
refer to the Limitations and Minimum Data Requirements section of this document to
understand test results that are not considered for inclusion in the database.
To learn more about the ECOTOX process of identifying and curating ecotoxicity data,
or to cite ECOTOX in your publications, please refer to:
Olker, J. H., Elonen, C. M., Pilli, A., Anderson, A., Kinziger, B., Erickson, S.,
Skopinski, M., Pomplun, A., LaLone, C. A., Russom, C. L., & Hoff, D. (2022). The
ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase: A Curated Database of Ecologically Relevant
Toxicity Tests to Support Environmental Research and Risk
Assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 41(6):1520-1539.
https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5324
All users employing ECOTOX data should consult the original scientific
paper to ensure an understanding of the context of the data retrieved from
ECOTOX.
For more information about ECOTOX or to report anything that
you feel may be in error:
ECOTOX Support
Office of Research and Development (ORD)
Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE)
Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division (GLTED)
6201 Congdon Boulevard
Duluth, Minnesota 55804
Telephone: 218-529-5225
Fax: 218-529-5003
E-mail: ecotox.support@epa.gov
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
2. GETTING STARTED
2.1. Access
To access the ECOTOX website, users need a computer equipped with a JavaScript
enabled browser and internet connectivity. Start browser software and type in the
Internet address http://www.epa.gov/ecotox/ to be connected to the ECOTOX Home
page.
ECOTOX has the following browser limitations:
• The query pages require browser support for JavaScript and this feature must be
activated in browser preferences.
• ECOTOX Version 5 requires a modern browser that supports HTML5. It has been tested in
Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. Chrome is the recommended browser.
• After data or security updates, there are occasionally issues with ECOTOX displaying; it is
recommended to clear your browsing data, cache, or history if you experience issues.
• If a popup blocker program is activated, ECOTOX Reports, Help and Browse
features will not display. Please add the ECOTOX website to popup browser
exception list to ensure full usability.
2.2. Navigating within ECOTOX
2.2.1. Home
The Home page provides a general overview of ECOTOX with links to the other pages
within the application (‘Search’, ‘Explore’, and ‘Help’) and links to more information for
statistics and other databases. These selections will open the requested information. To
avoid losing your current ‘Explore’ and ‘Search’ selections, right click the link and open
tab in a new window.
About ECOTOX: This section of the website provides a general overview of the
ECOTOX, including the history of the system’s development, and Help Center linkages
which describes the ECOTOX website contents and navigational resources available.
The information described below can be accessed by clicking “Learn More”.
The Help center resources are listed in one of four web pages:
Starting Out - Information on how to begin navigating and searching the ECOTOX
website. This page also provides links to the limitations associated with ECOTOX,
Recent additions, Navigational help, Frequent questions, and PDF versions of the
ECOTOX User Guide (this document), and the “ECOTOX Terms Appendix”, which
provides detailed information regarding ECOTOX controlled vocabularies (terms)
used in the aquatic and terrestrial reports.
How do I... – Provides information on how to perform searches, select
‘Search’ parameters and report format, and navigate or retrieve outputs in
ECOTOX.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
What is... – Provides Data Field Definitions and Terms for each field available within
ECOTOX searches and output. It also provides an overview on data sources,
including sources used by ECOTOX staff for Species and Chemical verification. For
a brief overview of data extraction processes used within ECOTOX see Appendix C.
More Resources – Includes a glossary of terms as well as links to related
databases and websites. Providing these links does not imply endorsement
by the U.S. EPA.
This printable User Guide is available in PDF (Portable Document Format) under the
ECOTOX Documentation section as “ECOTOX User Guide.”
2.2.2. Search
The ECOTOX ‘Search’ feature provides a direct method to retrieve data that can be
refined by limiting the search parameters e.g., Chemicals, Effects, Endpoints or
Species. Users can refine or filter selections before continuing a search. Once search
options have been selected or updated, users can view the report in the browser,
change the data fields, or export the report in an Excel or delimited format. ‘Search’
utilizes all available search and output features.
2.2.3. Explore
The ECOTOX ‘Explore’ feature is an interactive way to initiate queries by Chemicals,
Species, or Effects via Groups. Once a Group is selected (or Custom Group created)
for exploration, query filters will be displayed to refine data via drop down boxes.
During the exploration there are also options to examine the data visually via plotting
functions. Once data exploration is complete, users can select report output options
or Send Query Filters from ‘Explore’ to ECOTOX ‘Search’ for further refinement.
Note: ECOTOX Limitations: The following restrictions are placed on data
included in ECOTOX. Data not satisfying these requirements are excluded from
ECOTOX.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Minimum Data Requirements
Criteria Requirement/Inclusions Limitations/Exclusions
Chemical • Single chemicals relevant to
environmental exposure
• Verifiable Chemical Abstract
Services (CAS) number
• Mixtures (petroleum fuels,
tank mix, effluent)
• Air pollution e.g., CO2 and
ozone (except when ozone is
dissolved in water)
• Plastics and microplastics
• Clay and diatomaceous earth
products
• Biological toxicants (e.g.,
algal species with registered
CAS numbers)
Species • Ecologically relevant
species
• Priority species are wild (test
results for terrestrial domestic and
laboratory species are used to fill
data gaps when needed)
• Organism taxonomic information
verifiable against standard
taxonomic sources
• Human, monkey,
bacteria, viral and yeast
Effect/
Response
• Biological adverse or neutral
response of an acceptable
organism to a chemical
toxicant.
• Adverse effects are priority
(beneficial or nutritional effects
are lower priority)
Exposure
Amount
(Concentration
/ Dose)
• Concurrent environmental
chemical concentration or dose
reported as concentration, dose,
or application rate.
• Sediment studies which have a
reported water concentration
• Inhalation dose route
(including intratracheal
instillation)
• Lead shot
• Sediment only concentration
• Concentration only reported
as a log value
Exposure
Duration
• Known duration from the time of
initial exposure to the time of
measurement for a biological
effect
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Publication /Data
Format
• Primary data source
• Full text in English (some NonEnglish
papers with an English
abstract have data extracted)
• Reviews
• Full text foreign language
• Abstract only format
ECOTOX system limitations:
• In ‘Explore’ there is a maximum of 3,000 data records that can be viewed but all
records can be retrieved through multiple exports of tabular results. [Each data
record is a separate row in a tabular output.]
• In ‘Search’, exports are limited to 10,000 data records. For search results with 5,000 data
records or greater, exporting as a ‘Delimited’ file is recommended. Searches that exceed
these limitations can be split by selecting specific publication years, species, chemicals, or
effects to create multiple smaller export files. For instance, if you want specific search
parameters, but the number of data records retrieved exceeds the limitations for viewing and
exporting, you may want to add a filter for Publication years. This strategy allows to you to
output your search in sections, export several files, and then collate data records together for
a complete report. You will need to select a range of publication years (e.g., 1990-2000) that
fits within the record limit. Example: Intersect search with publication years 1915-1980, then
years 1981-1996, then years 1997-2017.
• If popup blocker program is used, ECOTOX report exports may not display. Please
add the ECOTOX website to popup browser exception list to ensure full usability.
Data Downloads: Users can download delimited ASCII files of the entire database into
windows .exe or .zip files. This does not include any software and will require combining
various files together to view entire data records. The data are divided into two sections:
Aquatic and Terrestrial. Within these sections you will find data tables, field descriptions,
and graphical relations of the data structure.
3. OVERVIEW OF SEARCH OPTIONS FOR DATA IN ECOTOX
Database retrievals can be conducted using either ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’ options.
‘Search’ supports queries on Species, Chemicals, Effects, Endpoints, Test Conditions,
or by Publication Options. ‘Search’ includes all options under ‘Explore’ and enables
users to focus on additional criteria such as study site type (e.g., laboratory, field),
exposure media (e.g., freshwater, soil), route of chemical exposure (e.g., oral, diet),
and statistically derived endpoints (e.g., LD50, NOEL). ‘Search’ results can be
downloaded either as a Microsoft (MS) Excel spreadsheet or delimited file format as
.txt with pipe delimiter (|), which can be transferred into a database or spreadsheet.
Within the ‘Search’ page, the inside of a text entry box or output display field has
context-sensitive help or information that will display in a separate window if selected. If
‘Help’ is opened in a separate tab or window, users may navigate within the ‘Help’
window without affecting the session in ‘Search’.
3.1. Search Strategy Basics
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
The ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’ pages are each designed to search on all data, unless users
restrict the search by choosing specific search criteria (e.g., adding the check in the
checkbox, enter text in a text entry field). In ‘Search’, the first step is to select the
database of interest: Aquatic or Terrestrial. ‘Explore’ includes result records from both
Aquatic and Terrestrial unless the user deselects one or the other at the top of the
Query Filters. Searches may be performed at any time after specific search criteria
have been selected. Users do not need to enter something in every ‘Search’ criteria
area.
The search logic includes two basic strategies: combination/union and intersection.
Within a ‘Search’ area (e.g., Chemicals), the search will combine all search selections.
Between each ‘Search’ area, the search will intersect selections (e.g., intersection
between chemical and taxonomic selections). Users can use the ECOTOX Search
Planner located in Appendix A to plan searches. Appendix B describes practice
searches to assist users in learning and using the ECOTOX system.
Before searching, users should read Appendix C to find out more about ECOTOX
and Appendix E for specific data field descriptions.
3.2. Overview of Search and Explore Pages
3.2.1. Moving Within Pages and Target Menu
Users may move within an ECOTOX output table by using the scroll bar located at
the right of computer screen; the output table has top and bottom scroll bars to move
left and right in the table.
3.2.2. Selection Box and Types
All search and report selection options will be displayed in a box using multiple
selection methods: radio button, checkbox, drop-down lists, typing in text (one entry
per line).
Green buttons are used for general changes when new items are applied. Red buttons
are used for removing or resetting information. Blue buttons are used for general
functionality and switching among sections in ECOTOX.
Users must search at least one parameter. Any additional selections made using
multiple parameter search boxes within the ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’ page will narrow the
results.
3.2.3. Key Functions
There are some functions that can aid in searching. These Key Functions include:
Update Search - Updates query to most recently selected parameters in ‘Search’
page.
Reset or Reset All - Erases previously selected criteria within a ‘Search’ area (Reset)
or across all ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’ areas (Reset All).
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Aquatic Button - Loads or filters Aquatic data records.
Terrestrial Button - Loads or filters Terrestrial data records.
Customize Output Fields - A popup window that allows users to change or add data fields
to display in the search results. This allows selection of all available fields for display
and export (the default includes a limited number of the most commonly requested
fields). Note: This option will only be available once a search has been conducted.
Export as…- A drop-down menu which allows export of results data to Excel or
Delimited files or structured for use in developing Species Sensitivity Distributions.
Note: Under this button, users can choose to have full output version of test
results or “Condensed”. “Excel (Full)” outputs six Excel columns for each
numeric field selection: mean operator (~, <, <=, >, >=), mean value, min
operator, min value, max operator, and max value. “Excel (Condensed)”
outputs one Excel column for each numeric field (mean operator + mean
value) and summarizes other values in a separate column at the far right.
View All Applied - A popup window showing parameters applied to specific search.
Users can export this criteria list for documentation purposes. For Excel exports,
this information is also included on a separate ‘Search_Parameters’ tab.
References - By selecting the references button at the top right of the screen users
can view and export all reference citations for the data searched. For Excel exports,
this information is also included on a separate ‘References’ tab.
3.2.4. Options for Searching in ECOTOX
ECOTOX offers the following search options: ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’.
‘Search’ provides a broader range of query parameters than those available in
‘Explore’. The default for each selection box is All Data will be searched. As selections
are added to Search criteria, the number of records that can be retrieved from
ECOTOX may be reduced.
Users must search on at least one parameter. Any additional selections made using
multiple parameter search boxes within the ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’ page will narrow the
results.
Search Page Menu: The main ‘Search’ page provides an overview of how to
navigate within ‘Search’ and has a navigational tool bar located at the left of the page,
which allows users to navigate to different search parameters and enter specific
search criteria based on parameter field.
All Chemicals – Specific or Multiple Chemical Entry using either the Chemical
Abstract Services (CAS) Registry number or chemical name to identify the
substance(s) or select one or more predefined group under “Any Chemical
Group.”
All Effects – Specific or Multiple Effects or Measurements or select one or
more general effect type under “Any Effect Group.”
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
All Endpoints- Specific or Multiple Concentration Based Endpoints, Time Based
Endpoints, Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Factor Endpoints, or No
Endpoints.
All Species – Specific or Multiple Taxonomic Entry using either the scientific
name, common name, or ECOTOX species number to identify the
organism(s) or select one or more predefined group under “Any Species
Group.”
All Test Conditions – Select any Test Location, Exposure Media, Exposure Type,
Control Type, Chemical Analysis, or specify Duration.
All Publication Options – Enter Author, Reference Number, Publication
Year, or select grouped data under Independently Compiled Data and
Recent Modifications/Additions.
As selections are made, they will appear in the left frame navigation tool. Users may
also review search selections using the “View All Applied” button after “Update Search’”
has been applied. Each parameter selection box also includes a ‘Reset’button in the
upper right-hand corner of the box. When you click on ‘Reset’, all
selections within the box are removed, however selections remain in the other boxes.
In summary, the ECOTOX ‘Search’ feature is designed to lead users through a search
session using multiple forms. The left frame provides a menu and navigational search
forms containing search parameter selections. Users must use the navigation tool bar
to move from form to form within ‘Search.’ To reset all data fields and start over, select
‘Reset All’.
Note: Using your browser’s Back button will result in the loss of all entries made
in any of the ECOTOX forms.
‘Search’ selection types may include:
Checkbox: To select an item, click on the checkbox to include. To remove a selection,
click on the checkbox again. One or more items may be selected.
Radio button: To select an option, click on the radio button box to include. To unselect,
click on the radio button again. Only one option listed may be chosen.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Drop-down List: To modify searches using the drop-down list, click on the arrow icon on
the right side. Clicking on this icon drops down a list immediately below the field and
shows which values can be chosen. Click on the entry item to select.
Text Entry: Chemical, Effects, Species, Author, or Reference Number searches may
require typing the search criteria into the selection box. Each entry must be on a single
line, followed by clicking “Enter” on keyboard. The text must match the type of data
within ECOTOX, either as a sub-string search (Contains) or exactly (Exact Match).
Users may enter both text and numeric data into text boxes.
View/Edit: For predefined groups within the ‘Search’ parameters, users can view and/or
further edit selected lists after “Update Search” has been completed. To access the
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view and edit feature, click on the button located at the bottom for the search box
labeled “View/Modify Entries for Selected Groups.” This displays a popup window with
detailed list(s) for selections. Changes can be made by deselecting any search
selection and clicking on ‘Save Modifications’ and selecting ‘Update Search’ to change
the data output. A ‘Restore All’ link is also provided to return the parameter to the
default selections or select the ‘Cancel’ button to return to original search parameters.
If you click on your browser “Back” button, your edits will not be saved.
Explore Page Menu
The ‘Explore’ feature supports searches for Predefined or Custom groups for
Chemicals, Species or Effects Groups. The ‘Explore’ menu includes a more limited set
of filter options and the data fields in the displayed tables cannot be modified. The
query options within ‘Explore’ are also available in ‘Search’, but the ‘Search’ contains
more search and output options.
A directory path noting the location in ‘Explore’ appears in the top banner after parameters are
entered. Users can move up the path by closing the level using the button. Selecting the
back button returns you to the main ‘Explore’ page.
In summary, ECOTOX offers the following ‘Explore’ options:
• Chemical: Within the Chemical Entry search box, users may select any or
multiple Chemicals Groups to explore available data. Users can also ‘Create
Custom Group…’ by browsing chemicals in ECOTOX or entering CAS Number(s).
• Species: Within the Species Group, users may select any or multiple Species
Groups or develop a custom list to explore available data. Users can also ‘Create
Custom Group…’ by browsing available species or entering NCBI TaxID(s).
• Effects: Within the Effects Group, users may select any or multiple Effect Groups
in the Group list to explore available data. Users can also ‘Create Custom
Group…’ by browsing available effect measurements or entering a specific list of
terms.
4. ECOTOX DATA SEARCHES
To retrieve ECOTOX data, select either the ‘Search’ or ‘Explore’ on the Home page
banner. The query page will then load, however, transferring between the ‘Search’
and ‘Explore’ features will lose your current search strategy.
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4.1. Using ‘SEARCH’ to locate data
4.1.1. Chemical Searches
Under the ‘All Chemicals’ search tab, users can conduct queries on CAS
Registry numbers, partial or complete chemical names, and predefined groups
of chemicals. The default within ECOTOX is that all chemicals are selected for
searching. All chemicals within ECOTOX include a CAS Registry number and a
chemical name, typically a Collective Indices name. This information is verified
in reliable sources. Appendix D describes the verification process for chemicals
in the ECOTOX system. In Search, the Collective Indices name is identified as
the preferred name within ECOTOX, and this is the name displayed on the
output even if the search was conducted using a common or trade name of a
substance. ECOTOX includes chemical synonym searching as an option;
however, if a synonym is used by more than one CAS number, both chemicals
will be queried. In Explore, the most common name is displayed on the output.
For example, if you Create a Custom Chemical group and enter Glyphosate,
then select the name that contains ‘Glyphosate isoproylamine’ (e.g. CAS:
38641940 | N-(Phosphonomethyl)glycine compd. With 2-propanamine (1:1)),
Roundup will display in the output since it is the most common name.
4.1.2. Chemical Entry
To conduct a search, type in the CAS Registry number(s) and/or chemical name(s).
Users may enter the CAS Registry number with or without hyphens and leading zeroes.
CAS number queries are always exact matches.
Users can search for an unlimited number of entries and each entry must be entered on
a separate line. Users can mix numbers and name entries.
Chemical Name: Users can search ECOTOX for chemical synonyms. Enter the
names of the chemicals, placing each name in a separate field.
Note: If the term benzene is entered with the “Contains” radio button, all
chemicals that contain the sub-string benzene will be retrieved. Selecting the
“Exact Match” will return only results for benzene. It is recommended to search
on CAS Registry numbers (CASRN) to specifically restrict search to selected
chemical(s).
Chemical Dashboard: On the ‘All Chemicals’ searching parameter, a link directs users
to the U.S. EPA’s CompTox Chemicals Dashboard to search by CASRN for more
information on a chemical.
Note: CAS Registry number with or without hyphens may be entered for ECOTOX
searches, but exact CAS Registry number with hyphens is preferred for the
CompTox Chemicals Dashboard searches.
4.1.3. Predefined Chemical Groups
The option to select from predefined lists is available in the ‘Search’ function. Chemical
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
lists have been provided to effectively search a variety of Metal/Organometal or Organic
compounds chemical groups. To select a chemical group or specific chemical(s) of
interest, click on the checkbox to search. To unselect, click on the checkbox again.
4.1.4. Search Tips for Chemicals
Some guidance when conducting a chemical search:
Metal Compounds: It may be more effective to search metal compounds by chemical
name, i.e., entering cupr and copper as chemical names will find copper and several
copper compounds with fewer keystrokes than typing all the individual CAS Registry
numbers. Users may also search a group of copper compounds using the ECOTOX
Predefined Chemical Group option.
Organic Compounds: These compounds may be searched by chemical name, i.e.,
entering dioxin as a chemical name will be more efficient than entering all the specific
dioxin chemical names or CAS Registry numbers. Remember, though, entering some
chemical names may identify many non-applicable chemicals (e.g., benzene will result
in all compounds with the sub-string ‘benzene’ in the chemical name), therefore it is
recommended to search by CAS Registry number if a specific chemical is required.
Pesticides: Pesticides are usually found by typing the common synonym name or trade
name. Chemical CAS Registry numbers may be located via link to CompTox
Chemicals Dashboard or accessing other chemical indexing resources.
4.2. Search by Effect Measurements
Under the “All Effects” search tab, users can conduct queries on specific effect measurements
(including Post-exposure results), or by predefined groups of effects.
Note: If the term vitellogenin is entered with the “Contains” radio button, all
effects that contain that sub-string will be retrieved. Selecting the “Exact Match”
will return only results for vitellogenin.
The default within ECOTOX is that all effects are selected for searching. All effects are
categorized into one of 11 major effect groupings such as Accumulation, Growth, Mortality, etc.
Each effect includes a list of observed measurements. For instance, the Effect
Measurement “Biochemical Group” includes three effect categories: Biochemistry,
Enzyme(s), and Hormone(s). Within each of these effects there are multiple
measurements located under “View/Modify Entries for the Selected Group(s)”.
For further refinement of observed effect information, users may click on the
“View/Modify Entries” button located at the bottom of the ‘Effect Measurements’
selection box. A new window will open and display the list of specific measurements for
each of the selected effect(s) and/or effect group(s). Measurements include quantitative
observations that describe and evaluate biological responses to toxicants. Each effect
(e.g., Growth) can have several associated measurements (e.g., length, weight). The
“ECOTOX Terms Appendix” located in the “What Is...” section of the Help web page
provides definitions of each effect measurement term used in ECOTOX.
The ‘View/Modify Entries’ window allows users to view and edit Effect Measurements to
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include in search. To remove a specific measurement, click on the highlighted blue box
to remove the effect, and more than one measurement may be removed at a time.
Measurements may be restored by clicking on the “Restore All” default button.
Note: If only a few effect measurements are desired, select “Clear All” and reselect only
those measurements of interest. When complete, click on the “Save Modifications”
button to close the window and return the ‘Search’ page. If you click on “Back” button,
edits will not be saved.
Select “Update Search” -to apply changes to the output.
Post-exposure Measurements: Within the “All Effects” tab, this option allows users to
exclude results of responses observed during a post-exposure period. A postexposure
study has an exposure to a chemical followed by a recovery, depuration or
elimination period or is a delayed effect. ‘Post-exposure Measurements’ and are
included in the search results unless the check box is selected to exclude them.
For post-exposure effects, the observation time is recorded (Observed Duration) and
will be greater than the Exposure Duration; comparing these two fields is the best
way to recognize records with measurements taken post-exposure.
Many historical records for Post-exposure Measurements can also be recognized by
clicking the ‘Customize Output Fields’ button and selecting the ‘Display lookup terms
instead of descriptions’ checkbox at the bottom of the pop-up window. In some cases,
post Exposure Measurements will be displayed with a tilde (~) in front of the Effect
Measurement Term. For example, a post exposure measurement mortality effect would
have ~MOR for the Effect Measurement Term.
Note: When using the ‘Explore’ feature, Post-exposure Measurements are also
automatically included in a query and currently cannot be separated.
4.3. Search by Endpoints
Under the “All Endpoints” search tab, users can conduct queries on any or all
specific endpoints or by predefined group of effects.
The default within ECOTOX is that “All Endpoints” are selected for searching. For the
purposes of ECOTOX, an endpoint is defined as the quantification of an observed effect
obtained through statistics or other means of calculation for the express purpose of
comparing equivalent effects (e.g., LC50).
For each toxicity test, pertinent information on test results presented by the authors are
encoded within the database. Endpoint information is included if it is reported by the
author.
Within the “Any Endpoints” tab, users can choose one or more endpoints within the
checkbox by clicking to select endpoints to include in query. The Endpoint selection
box is divided into the following sections: Concentration-Based or Time-Based
Endpoints, Bioaccumulation / Bioconcentration Factors (all statistically-derived, or
calculated as reported by the author or determined by the ECOTOX staff), or
Statistics, No Endpoint (which contains statistically analyzed data but authors did not
identify a specific endpoint or one could not be determined by ECOTOX staff) or
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Endpoint Not Reported (NR) where data was not statistically analyzed.
The “View All Applied” box allows users to view and export all search parameters.
More endpoints can be selected after conducting the initial search, but users must
select “Update Search” to apply changes to the output.
4.4. Search by Taxonomy
Under the “All Species” search tab, users can conduct a search by using Species
Names or ECOTOX Species Number, or by using Predefined Species Groups. All
data records within ECOTOX include a Scientific name for the test species. All names
have been verified in reliable taxonomic sources. Appendix D contains information
regarding the verification of species data in ECOTOX.
The ECOTOX species file includes historical synonyms for the species. If a search is
conducted using a species name that is noted as a taxonomic synonym in our system,
ECOTOX will present the results using the currently acceptable genus and species
name.
4.4.1. Taxonomic Entry
Users can search for an unlimited number of species entries, but each entry must be
entered on a separate line or separated by a comma. Users can mix numbers and
name entries, but the name entry must be the same type (e.g., genus/species and
common names cannot be searched within one entry screen).
Genus/Species Name: Users can conduct a search on whole or fragments of
scientific names (Genus, Species).
Species Common Name: All data records within ECOTOX include a common name for
each species. Users can conduct an exact search (Exact Match) on the common
name or fragments.
Other Taxonomic Names: Key taxonomic levels (Kingdom, Phylum/Division,
Superclass, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, Subspecies, and Variety)
searches are available by typing the appropriate scientific name.
Note: If a species name is entered, users can select either the “Contains” or
the “Exact Match” radio buttons. For example, if users enter trout and select
the “Contains” radio button, it will return everything that contains the substring
trout. For name searches, users are required to select the type of
name (e.g., Genus/Species name, etc.). If trout is entered, users would
need to select the Species Common Name radio button to retrieve any
results. Selecting the “Exact Match” is best utilized when the literal string
(exact name) of the species is known (e.g., rainbow trout or Daphnia sp.)
4.4.2. Predefined Species Groups
Species lists have been provided to effectively search a variety of species groups.
For further refinement of a species group, users may click on the “View/Modify Entries
for Selected Group(s)” button located at the bottom of the Species selection box. A new
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
window will open and display the list of specific species for each of the selected groups.
The View/Modify entries window allows users to view and edit species to include in
search. To remove one or many specific species, click on the highlighted blue box to
remove the species. Users may restore species by clicking on the “Restore All”
default button. If only a few species are desired, select “Clear All” and reselect only
those species of interest. When completed, click on the “Save Modifications” button to
close window and return the ‘Search’ page. Clicking on browser “Back” button will
remove all edits.
Select “Update Search” to apply changes to the output.
Note: Users cannot display both the Animal and Plant species groups due to the
large number of species within these lists.
Taxonomic kingdom (plant or animal) searching is available in ‘Search’. The kingdom is
searched using a radio button option located within “All Species” as “Plants” for the
plant kingdom or “Animals” for the animal kingdom.
The Plant kingdom search also includes species representing Monera and Fungi. Some
studies report both plant and animal species as one effect measurement (e.g., aquatic
community, plankton, soil community). These results will be included when either plant,
animal or both kingdoms are selected.
4.4.3. Search Tips for Taxonomic Searches
Clicking on “All Species” on the frame at the left of the search page will move users to
the Taxonomic Search area. Some examples are provided to help when developing
your search strategy:
Genus/Species Name: Entering Pimephales promelas in the search text box will result
in only data for fathead minnows. Entering daphnia genus as the genus/species name
will result in all Daphnia and Ceriodaphnia species. If a specific genus and/or species
names is consistently searched, a user may want to use the ECOTOX Species
Number for searching.
Users may also enter a historical Scientific Name and still retrieve data for a species.
For example, if Salmo gairdneri is entered, the output will display the currently
accepted name, Oncorhynchus mykiss.
Other Taxonomic Name: Any taxonomic level (Kingdom, Phylum/Division,
Superclass, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, Subspecies, and Variety) can be
searched using this Taxonomic Entry box. For example, entering Salmonidae will
retrieve all species for this family.
Species Common Name: Using some common names may be an effective way to
search if there is a unique common name for that organism. For example, entering
mallard in the common name field will result in only mallard duck results.
Note: Entering the term duck will output results for duck and duckweed. In this
case, searching using the common name (exact) or performing only
performing the query on terrestrial data will eliminate the duckweed from the
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
search.
Note: Entering bird in the common name field will result in bird and ladybird
beetle data. In addition, using the term bird will not ensure that all bird data in
the system will be extracted because the species name may not use the term
bird in the common name.
ECOTOX Species Number: The species number is the unique indexing number
assigned to each species in ECOTOX and can be used as a shortcut method to search
genus and/or species data. The ECOTOX Species number can be identified by
selecting it in the output.
4.5. Search by Test Conditions
For each toxicity test, pertinent information on testing procedures presented by the
authors are documented within the database. Search selections available on this page
are: Test Location, Exposure media, Exposure types, Control types and Chemical
analysis. These options are briefly described below.
4.5.1. Test Location
The valid entries for test location are Lab (laboratory), Field (all outdoor field tests,
artificial, natural or undeterminable) and Not Reported (i.e., the author(s) did not present
sufficient information to determine test location). The default within ECOTOX is that all
data, regardless of test location, are included in search result. To selectively search on
a specific test location, click to mark the appropriate checkbox.
4.5.2. Exposure Media
The default within ECOTOX is that all data, regardless of test media, are included in
search result. To search on a specific exposure media, click to mark the appropriate
checkbox.
Aquatic freshwater tests include those conducted in freshwater, reconstituted water,
distilled water, or tap water. Saltwater tests include those conducted in natural or
artificial seawater, brackish water, or estuarine water.
Terrestrial tests include those conducted in both soil and non-soil habitats. Soil media
include, but aren’t limited to natural soil, artificial soil, mineral soil, humus, and litter.
Non-soil tests use artificial media that include, but aren’t limited to, hydroponic, filter
paper, plaster of paris, agar, and culture. No substrate (NONE) is used if there is no
substrate in the experimental vessel.
4.5.3. Exposure Type
Users can select the exposure type by clicking the items in the search selection box area.
Organisms are typically exposed to toxicants through aqueous, diet, injection, in vitro,
topical, or environmental routes. Occasionally, an exposure may occur through multiple
routes (e.g., such as topical and oral).
ECOTOX includes chemical exposures on whole living organisms as well as organisms
that are not intact (in vitro). For example, in vitro exposures can contain studies using
excised organs and cell cultures. Inclusion of in vitro studies into ECOTOX have the
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
same species criteria requirements as those for whole organisms (ecologically relevant
and exclude humans, monkeys, rats, and mice).
4.5.4. Control Type
Control Type allows the capability to filter toxicity tests based on author reported
test control types, as well as the ability to select specific control type(s).
Individual control types may be selected by choosing the appropriate checkbox(es)
from the following options:
ECOTOX Control Types
o Concurrent (C) - A non-treated group run simultaneously to the toxicant treated
group.
o Multiple (M) - A legacy term where multiple control types are reported, e.g., solvent
and concurrent.
o Baseline (B) - A treatment group whose measurements were collected before
administration of the toxicant in the treated group.
o Other (O) - Control run in a different system, e.g., using dilution water from a
different source or soil from a different source or type.
o Solvent (V) - A treatment group exposed only to the solvent or carrier used to
dissolve or carry the toxicant in the treated group.
o Positive (P) - Groups receiving a treatment with a known result showing a particular
or expected change.
o Undefined (K) - A legacy term where data for a control is
presented but without accompanying methodology to identify
procedures used.
Historical ECOTOX Control Types
o Insufficient (I) - A legacy term where no information about the controls or their
mortality is given.
o Satisfactory (S) - A legacy term corresponding to a control with mortality less than or
equal to 10% or where the control mortality exceeds 10% and the authors correct for
it with a mortality correction formula.
o Unsatisfactory (U) – A legacy term corresponding to a control with mortality
exceeding 10% where the authors don't correct for it with a mortality correction
formula.
Control Not Reported
o Not Reported (NR) - No information about presence or absence of controls in the
publication
4.5.5. Chemical Analysis
The method of chemical analysis filters toxicity tests based on the author reported
chemical concentrations, as measured or nominal values. Individual chemical analysis
types may be selected by choosing the appropriate checkbox(es) from the following
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
options:
Measured: Exposure and/or observation concentrations or doses are quantitative.
Analysis methods may be reported.
Unmeasured: Exposure and/or observation concentrations or doses are clearly
identified as nominal values, or when the author does not report whether the
concentrations were measured or nominal (i.e., unmeasured is used as a default value
when there is no information provided about the reported chemical concentrations).
Not Reported: Exposure and/or observation concentrations or doses are not reported.
4.5.6. Duration
Specify Duration (Observed) can be used to filter results returned to a specific value
or a range, in days, for the Observed Duration. The Observed Duration is the time at
which an effect measurement was observed/measured and reported (for example, a
24-hour LC50). The Observed Duration may be different than the Study Duration and
Exposure Duration. For example, measurements may be taken at intervals within a
study, resulting in several records with Observed Durations shorter than the Study
Duration. The Observed Duration for effects measured post-exposure will be greater
than the Exposure Duration. You can enter a specific duration or range of durations in
text boxes, in days, to filter to the selected value(s) from the records that are able to
be converted to a standard unit (days).
4.6. Search by Publication Options
4.6.1. Publication Year(s)
The default within ECOTOX is that all data, regardless of publication year, are included
in search result. The default publication year search may be overridden by selecting a
range of publication years.
The Aquatic component of ECOTOX contains data from publication years 1915 to
present. The Terrestrial component of ECOTOX contains data from publication
years 1926 to present.
4.6.2. Author(s)
Searches may be conducted on specific authors. To search on an author, enter the
specific author names in the selection box while in the “All Publication Options” of
the ‘Search’ page, one author per line. Partial author names may be used. Only
authors who have associated data in ECOTOX are returned.
4.6.3. Reference Number
Each publication abstracted for ECOTOX is assigned a unique Reference Number
(also called an ECOREF Number). These reference numbers are available for
selection for any ECOTOX outputs. To conduct a search, enter a valid ECOTOX
Reference Number(s) in the selection box in the “Ref Num(s)” box, with one reference
number per line.
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4.6.4. Independently Compiled Data
ECOTOX includes several independently compiled data sets. Data sets from the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Russia, Office of
Pesticide Programs, the U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. EPA Duluth Lab are
included as subsets of ECOTOX. For further information on these data files, refer to
Appendix F.
4.6.5. Recent Modifications and Additions
The default within ECOTOX is that all data, regardless of the date added to the
database, are included in search results. Data may be restricted to newly updated or
modified data using this filter. The Recent Modifications/Additions search box allows
searches based on the last 10 updates to ECOTOX, which typically span two to three
years. This feature is useful for specific queries (e.g., list of species and/or chemicals)
conducted on a regular basis.
Users can select “View All Applied” box to view the selected parameters used in the
‘Search’ function. This information can be exported to retain a dated record of each
search. For Excel exports, this information is also included on a separate
‘Search_Parameters’ tab.
4.7. Output and Report Format Options
Within ‘Search’ function, the output table report has been condensed to include only the
most utilized output fields. All or some of the fields can be exported by first selecting
“Customize Output Fields” button, then click on “Select All” or clicking on any additional
fields to display in search results. All updated fields will be displayed in the output table.
Navigating within Output table: Users can move through the report in several ways. To
view within a page, use the scroll bar on the right side of the window. To view all
output fields, scroll down to bottom and then scroll to right of table. To move from one
page to another page of the report, use the numbered hyperlinks located at bottom of
each report page.
Users can also choose to export data to an Excel spreadsheet or delimited file. The
report will be saved as either Aquatic or Terrestrial depending on selected output.
In the downloaded/saved Excel report, if the author did not report data for a database
field, the output report will not populate the field (cell will be blank in output).
Definitions for any terms presented in the report can be found in the “ECOTOX Terms
Appendix” located under the “Help” tab.
Excel exports include separate tabs for the data records, list of references, and the
search parameters applied (included date and time stamp). When delimited exports
are used, it is recommended to also export and save the References (by selecting the
references button on the top right of the ‘Search’ page) and the Parameters Applied
(by selecting the ‘View All Applied’ button on the bottom of the left-hand panel in
‘Search’) for record keeping purposes.
Note: Users must first export output to Excel or delimited file; currently, users
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
cannot print directly from the HTML output.
If preferred, users can generate a delimited data file (.txt) of search results. The
delimited tabular output format has set default output fields. If the author did not report
data for a parameter, the delimited output will have an NR or ‘Not reported’ in the data
field. Definitions for all terms presented in the report can be found in the “ECOTOX
Terms Appendix” located in the “Help” section under the “Home” page.
The exported data file may be imported into spreadsheet or database software for
further refinements. Each data element is separated into a unique field, and each result
number appears as a data record on a single line. For delimited reports, the Reference
Citation field will appear in the separate delimited fields (Reference Number, Author,
Title, Publication Year and Source).
When delimited exports are used, it is recommended to also export and save the
References (by selecting the references button on the top right of the ‘Search’ page)
and the Parameters Applied (by selecting the ‘View All Applied’ button on the bottom
of the left-hand panel in ‘Search’).
Note: Each field in the delimited file report will be separated by a vertical bar ("|").
Users may have to specify the vertical bar as the delimiter when importing the
data. A forward slash (/) within a field refers to an associated comment.
Comment fields can be selected in output to help interpret unique test conditions
but for a complete understanding of the toxicity study, refer to the full publication.
4.7.1. Display Fields
Select data parameters are presented in the default versions of the Aquatic and
Terrestrial tabular reports. Users can change the display fields for Excel and delimited
outputs by selecting the “Customize Output Fields” button. Within “Customize Output
Fields”, a checkmark appears for data fields that are displayed in the default output
format. To change this, users can click on an unchecked box to include specific fields in
the output, or click on a checked box to uncheck it, and remove it from the output. Other
available functions include:
• Select All – checks all fields to include the output.
• Clear All – clears all fields and allows users to select only the ones they are
interested in.
• Restore Defaults – restores the default fields to include in the output.
• Study Evaluation Results – checks fields that are commonly used for evaluation
of study relevance and reliability. These fields will be included in the output, and
users can select other fields to also include.
After selections are made, select “Save” and the query will automatically re-run with the
desired output fields.
4.8. Using ‘EXPLORE’ to locate data
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About Explore
The ‘Explore’ feature is a great tool for searching ECOTOX if you do not know the
exact parameters you wish to search for or if you would like a visual representation of
general and specific data trends. Explore is an interactive way to examine search
paths by Chemical, Species and Effects, including data visualizations with several
plotting options. Users can investigate available data with these ‘Explore’ options and
then send the query filters to ‘Search’ for further refinement and export of the resulting
data records.
4.9. Explore by Chemical
4.9.1. Predefined and Custom Chemical Groups
The option to select from predefined lists is available in ‘Explore.’ Chemical lists have
been provided to effectively search a variety of Metal/Organometal or Organic
compounds chemical groups. To select a chemical group or group(s) of interest, click
on the checkbox you want to search. To unselect, click on the checkbox again.
Searches for data on a specific user-defined single chemical or “custom group” of
chemicals can also be conducted from the ‘Explore’ Chemicals page, however users
cannot select both a chemical from the pre-defined group list and enter in a custom
group chemical.
After a specific group is selected, click on “Explore Data” button.
To create a custom group of chemicals, select the “Create Custom Group…” button
from the left side panel.
From there, you can either “Browse Chemicals” by entering a chemical name or CAS
Number and then selecting one or more species or chose to “Enter by CAS Number.”
You can also copy and paste CAS Number(s) into the appropriate box.
The default within ECOTOX is that all chemicals in the selected group are selected for
searching. The output can be refined by using the Query Filters on the left side of table
to limit results to specific chemicals in that group. Users can also limit the displayed
tabular data using the text entry fields at the top of each column, but this does not affect
the query.
Notice that the initial output has both Aquatic and Terrestrial data reported under the
Group Summary tab. Users can deselect one or the other by clicking the checkbox to
filter data.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Users can view all available data results by selecting the “Records” tab above the
table to show all Distinct records in the Group.
Note: There are fewer output columns displayed in the ‘Explore’ feature as
compared to the ‘Search’ feature. To see all available fields for specific
results, users can send the query filters and search parameters to the
‘Search’ feature using the green button on the upper right of the Records
Table, which will open in a new browser tab.
4.9.2. Refining/Filtering data using Query Filters
Users can refine tabular data using the Query Filters on the left side of the table. All
chemicals, species, and effects data resulting from the initial ‘Explore’ page can be
refined via the dropdown boxes under each filter group. Users may select one or
multiple options in each box. Multiple selections can be made by holding the Ctrl key
down while clicking the item. Once filters are selected, click ‘Enter’ on keyboard or
mouse-click outside the box to apply to data output table. Users can select “View All
Applied” box to view the selected parameters. This information can also be exported to
retain a dated record of parameters applied in ‘Explore’.
4.9.3. Data Visualization Plots
Data output presented in the ‘Explore’ table can also be plotted (if applicable) by
selecting the ‘Plot View’ tab.
Currently, only Aquatic data or Terrestrial data that can be converted to ppm
equivalents are viewable in the Plot View. ECOTOX unit conversion logic can be found
here: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ecotox/help.cfm. There are three types of pre-defined plots
available: Effect by Chemical, Duration by Chemical and Duration by Endpoint. There is
also the option for a Custom Plot, in which the Y-axis can be set to Concentration or
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Duration, and the X-axis and Legend can be set to categorical fields such as Chemical,
Species, Effect, Endpoint, etc.
The data presented in the table or in the plot can be further refined using the query
filters on the left side of the webpage. Users can also “zoom” into the plot to refine
output, or by deselecting/selecting items in plot legend.
Hovering the cursor over any of the data points in the graph will highlight the study.
Clicking on any data point in the plot will highlight the result in the table below the plot.
Notice in the ‘Explore’ plot table, only 13 output columns are shown. To see all available
data for specific results, users should select “Send Query filters to Search” to apply the
search parameters to the ‘Search’ feature of ECOTOX. In ‘Search’ additional filtering
options are available and the output can be expanded to include more fields using the
‘Customize Output Fields’ button.
4.10. Explore by Species
4.10.1. Predefined and Custom Species Groups
The option to select from predefined group or a Custom Group is available in the
‘Explore’ feature. “Species groups” have been provided to effectively search a variety
of Animal, Plants, or Special interest groups. To select one or many species group(s) of
interest, click on the checkbox(es) you want to search. To unselect, click on the
checkbox again.
After specific group is selected, click on “Explore Data” button.
The default within ECOTOX is that all species in the selected group are selected for
searching. If you want to limit results to specific species in that group, the output can be
refined by filtering tabular data using the text entry fields at the top of the table columns,
or by using the Query filters on the left side of table.
Notice that the initial output has both Aquatic and Terrestrial data reported under the
Group Summary tab (if data are available and applicable). You can deselect one or the
other by clicking the checkbox to filter data.
You can focus on available data results by selecting “Records” tab above the table
which will show all distinct records in the group:
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
To create a custom group of species that spans the predefined species groups, return
to the Explore Species page and select the “Create Custom Group” button from the
left side panel.
From there, you can either “Browse Species” by entering a common name, Latin name
or NCBI TaxID and then selecting one or more species or chose to “Enter by NCBI
TaxID.” You can also copy and paste a list of NCBI TaxIDs into the appropriate box.
Note: While searching for data using the ‘Explore’ feature, you will notice fewer
output columns as compared to Search feature (currently 6 under Group summary
and 9 under Records). To see all available data for specific results, users should
select “Send Query filters to Search” to apply the search parameters to the
‘Search’ feature of ECOTOX. In ‘Search’ additional filtering options are available
and the output can be expanded to include more fields using the ‘Customize
Output Fields’ button.
4.10.2. Refining/Filtering data using Query filters
Users can refine tabular data using the Query Filters on the left side of the webpage.
All chemicals, species, and effects data resulting from the initial ‘Explore’ page can be
refined via the dropdown boxes under each filter group. Users may select one or
multiple options in each box. Once filters are selected, click ‘Enter’ on keyboard or
mouse-click outside the box to apply to data output table. Users can select “View All
Applied” box to view the selected parameters. This information can also be exported to
retain a dated record of each search.
4.10.3. Data Visualization Plots
Data outputs presented in the ‘Explore’ table can also be plotted (if applicable) by
selecting the ‘Plot View’ tab.
Currently, only Aquatic data or Terrestrial data that can be converted to ppm
equivalents are viewable in the Plot View, and there are three types of pre-defined plots
available: Effect by Chemical, Duration by Chemical and Duration by Endpoint. There is
also the option for a Custom Plot, in which the Y-axis can be set to Concentration or
Duration, and the X-axis and Legend can be set to categorical fields such as Chemical,
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Species, Effect, Endpoint, etc.
The data presented in the table or in the plot can be further refined using the Query
Filters on the left side of the webpage. Users can “zoom’ into the plot to refine output,
or by deselecting/selecting items in plot legend.
Hovering the cursor over any of the data points in the graph will highlight the study.
Clicking on any data point in the plot will highlight the result in the table below the plot.
Note: Notice in the ‘Explore’ plot table, only 13 output columns are shown. To see
all available data for specific results, users should select “Send Query filters to
Search” to apply the search parameters to the ‘Search’ feature of ECOTOX.
4.11. Explore by Effects
4.11.1. Predefined and Custom Effects Groups
The option to select from predefined lists is available in the ‘Explore’ feature.
Predefined effects groups have been provided to effectively search a variety of typical
apical effects such as Growth, Reproduction and Mortality, but also include newer
effects groups such as Behavior and Physiology effects. To select one or many
species group(s) of interest, click on the checkbox(es) you want to search. To
unselect, click on the checkbox again.
After a specific group is selected, click on the “Explore Data” button in the upper righthand
section of the Effect Groups pane.
The default within ECOTOX is that all effects in the selected group are selected for
searching. If you want to limit results to a specific effect measurement in that group, the
output can be refined by filtering Tabular data using text entry fields at the top of the
table columns, or by using the Query filters on the left side of table.
Note: Notice that the initial output has both Aquatic and Terrestrial data reported
under the Group Summary tab (if data are available and applicable). You can
deselect one or the other by clicking on the checkbox to filter data.
You can zero in on available data results by selecting the “Records” tab above the
table which will show all Distinct records in the Group:
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Any specific Effect on the output table can be selected for viewing by clicking on the
green arrow on right side of output table This will refine the output table to all
records by selected effect.
To create a custom group of effect measurements, select the “Create Custom Group”
button from the left side panel.
From there, you can either “Browse Effect Measurement” by entering the exact
measurement term or some component(s) of the measurement description, and then
selecting one or more measurements. You can also choose to Enter by Term using the
exact effect and measurement terms (see “ECOTOX Terms Appendix”).
Note: While searching for data using the ‘Explore’ feature, you will notice fewer
output columns as compared to Search feature (currently 6 under Group summary
and 9 under Records). To see all available data for specific results, users should
select “Send Query filters to Search” to apply the search parameters to the
‘Search’ feature of ECOTOX. In ‘Search’ additional filtering options are available
and the output can be expanded to include more fields using the ‘Customize
Output Fields’ button.
4.11.2. Refining/Filtering data using Query Filters
Users can refine tabular data using Query Filters on the left side of the webpage. All
chemicals, species, and effects data resulting from an initial search can be refined via
the dropdown boxes under each filter group. Users may select one or multiple options
in each box. Once filters are selected, click ‘Enter’ on keyboard or mouse-click outside
the box to apply to data output table. Users can select “View All Applied” box to view
the selected parameters. This information can also be exported to retain a dated
record of each search.
4.11.3. Data Visualization Plots
Data output presented in the ‘Explore’ table can also be plotted (if applicable) by
selecting the ‘Plot View’ tab.
Currently, only Aquatic data or Terrestrial data that can be converted to ppm
equivalents are viewable in the Plot View, and there are three types of pre-defined plots
available: Effect by Chemical, Duration by Chemical and Duration by Endpoint. There is
also the option for a Custom Plot, in which the Y-axis can be set to Concentration or
Duration, and the X-axis and Legend can be set to categorical fields such as Chemical,
27
ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Species, Effect, Endpoint, etc.
The data presented in the table or in the plot can be further refined using the Query
Filters on the left side of the webpage. Users can also “zoom’ into the plot to refine
output, or by deselecting/selecting items in plot legend.
Hovering the cursor over any of the data points in the graph will highlight the study.
Clicking on any data point in the plot will highlight the result in the table below the plot.
Notice in the ‘Explore’ plot table, only 13 output columns are shown. To see all available
data for specific results, users should select “Send Query filters to Search” to apply the
search parameters to the ‘Search’ feature of ECOTOX.
4.12. Exporting Data in Explore
Tabular data output can be exported to CSV file by clicking on the button and
saving the file to computer. If the number of records is larger than you would like to view, you
may close the report window and return to ECOTOX window to refine your search strategy.
Once search is completed, and report window closed, users will be returned to
ECOTOX window. The search strategy will remain intact, so refinements can be
made, or if you want to conduct another search, you may clear the search by clicking
the “Reset All” button.
5. EXITING ECOTOX
Exiting your Web browser or visiting another Web site will leave the program. Exiting the
Web browser will not save your search strategy.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
6. APPENDIX A: ECOTOX SEARCH PLANNING FORM
Use this form to help plan your searches or to document searches for yourself or
others to perform.
6.1. Chemicals
Chemical Names CAS Numbers Predefined Groups
Metal Compounds
Aluminum
Antimony
Arsenic
Barium
Beryllium
Cadmium
Chromium
Cobalt
Copper
Iron
Lead
Manganese
Mercury
Nickel
Organotin
Selenium
Silver
Thallium
Vanadium
Zinc
Organic Compounds
Conazoles
Cyanide
Cyanotoxins
DDT and metabolites
Dibenzofurans
Explosives
Glycol Ethers
Major Ions
Neonicotinoids
Nitrosamines
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl
Substances (PFAS)
Perchlorates
Pharmaceutical Personal Care
(PPCP)
Phthalate Esters
Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
(PBDE)
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)
Strobins
6.2. Species
Scientific Names/
Taxonomic Levels Common Names
Species
ECOTOX
Numbers or
NCBI TaxIDs
Predefined Taxonomic Groups
All Animals
Amphibians
Insects/Spiders
Molluscs
Birds
Other Invertebrates
Reptiles
Crustaceans
Mammals
Worms
Fish
All Plants
Algae
Moss, Hornworts
Fungi
Flowers, Trees, Shrubs, Ferns
Special Interest
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Standard Test Species
US Threatened/Endangered Species
US Exotic/Nuisance
6.3. Test Results
Endpoints:
Effect Groups:
Accumulation Mortality
Behavior Multiple
Biochemical Physiology
Cellular Population
Ecosystem Reproduction
Growth
Specific Effect Measurements
Exclude Post-exposure Measurements
6.4. Test Conditions
Test Location(s):
Lab All Field Tests Not Reported
Field Artificial
Field Natural
Field Undeterminable
Exposure Media:
WATER: Freshwater Saltwater __Fresh or Saltwater Not Specified
SOIL: Artificial ____ Humus ___Litter ___Manure ___Mineral Soil ____NaturalSoil
Unspecified Soil ____Soil Mixture
ARTIFICIAL: Hydroponic Other
No Substrate
Not Reported
Exposure Type:
Diet __ Flow-through (aquatic)
Injection __ Leaching (aquatic)
Topical __ Intermittent (aquatic)
Environmental __ Renewal (aquatic)
Multiple Entry __ Lotic (aquatic)
In-vitro __ Static (aquatic)
Not Reported __ Lentic (outdoor aquatic)
__ Tidal (outdoor aquatic)
Control Type: Historical Control Type:
Concurrent __ Insufficient
Multiple __ Satisfactory
Baseline __ Unsatisfactory
Solvent
Positive
__ Undefined Control Not Reported:
Other __ Not Reported
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Chemical Analysis: ___ Measured Unmeasured Not Reported
Duration: specific # of Days: ___ range of Days: ≥___ ≤___
6.5. Publications
Publication Years: _
Author: _____________________________________
Reference Number(s):
Independently Compiled Data:
_____EPA: Fathead Minnow Acute Toxicity
_____ EPA: Office of Pesticide Program Database
_____ Dutch Dataset
_____ French Dataset
_____ German Dataset
_____ Russian Dataset
_____ USGS Acute Toxicity Dataset
Recent Update Dates:
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
6.6. Report Output
Aquatic Output Elements
Standard default output elements are listed in bold. Some output
options are available for Field Data only and are indicated by ‘field
only’.
Terrestrial Output Elements
Standard default output elements are listed in bold. Some output
options are available for Field Data only and are indicated by ‘field
only’.
Alkalinity
Application Date (field only)
Application Date /Season (field only)
Application Frequency
Application Rate (field only)
Application Type (field only)
Author
BCF Value
Calcium
CAS Number
CAS Number/ Chemical Name
Chemical DTXSID
Chemical Analysis
Chemical Carrier (includes all associated fields)
Chemical Comments
Chemical Formulation
Chemical Grade
Chemical Half Life (field only)
Chemical Name
Chemical Purity
Chemical Radiolabel
Chlorine
Concentration (Author)
Concentration (Standardized)
Conductivity
Control
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Dissolved Oxygen
Doses
EE Comment
Effect
Effect %
Effect Measurement
Effect /Effect Measurement
Endpoint
Endpoint Assignment
Endpoint / BCF value
Experimental Design
___ Exposure Duration (Author)
Exposure Duration (Days)
Exposure Sample Number
Exposure Type
Exposure Type/Chemical Analysis method
Gender
General comments
___ Geographic Term (Field Data Only)
Geographic Location (Field Data Only)
Habitat
Hardness
Humic Acid
Intake Rate
Ionic Fraction
Longitude/Latitude (Field Data Only)
Magnesium
Media Type
Media Type/Test Location
Number of Doses
Number of Doses/Result Sample Unit
Number of Replicates
Application Date (field only)
Application Date /Season (field only)
Application Frequency
Application Rate (field only)
Author
CAS Number/ Chemical Name
Chemical DTXSID
Chemical Analysis Method
Chemical Carrier (includes all associated fields)
Chemical Comment
Chemical Formulation
Chemical Grade
Chemical Half Life (field only)
Chemical Name
Chemical Purity
Chemical Radiolabel
___ Conc (Author) (Excel and Delimited only)
___ Control Type
Dose (Author)
Doses
EE Comment
Effect
Effect %
Effect Measurement
Endpoint
Endpoint Assignment
Endpoint / BCF/BAF
Experimental Design
Exposure Comment
Exposure Duration (Author)
Exposure Duration (Days)
Exposure Sample Number
Exposure Type
Exposure Type/Chemical Analysis method
Gender
General comments
___ Geographic Term (Field Data Only)
Geographic Location (Field Data Only)
Habitat
Intake Rate
Ionic Fraction
Longitude/Latitude (Field Data Only)
Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Media Moisture
Media Organic Matter and Type
Media Type
Media Type/Test Location
Number of Doses
Number of Replicates
Observed Duration (Author)
Observed Duration (Days)
Observed Response [includes BCF/BAF]
Organism Age
Organism Comment
Organism Initial Weight
Organism Length
Organism Lifestage
Organism Source
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Observed Duration (Author)
Observed Duration (Days)
Organic Carbon Type/Value
Organism Age
Organism Comment
Organism Initial Weight
Organism Length
Organism Lifestage
Organism Source
Organism Strain
Other Effects
pH
Potassium
Publication Year
Reference Citation
Reference Number
Response Site
Response Site/Exposure Duration (Days)
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight
Result Comment
Result Percent Lipid
Result Sample Number/Unit
Result Sample Number
Result Sample Unit
Salinity
Season
Significance Level
Significance Level/Statistical Significance
Sodium
Species Common Name
Species ECOTOX Number
Species Final Weight
Species Group
Species NCBI TaxID
Species Scientific Name
Species Scientific Name/Species Common Name
Species Taxonomic Information
Statistical Significance
Steady State
Study Duration (Author)
Study Duration (Days)
Study Type
Sub-Habitat Term (Field only)
Sub-Habitat Description (Field only)
Sub-Habitat Comment (Field only)
Substrate Term (Field only)
Substrate Comment (Field only
Sulfate
Sulfur
Temperature
Test Location
Test Method
Test Number
Test Type
Trend
Trend/Effect %
Water Depth
Organism Strain
Other Effects
Publication Year
Reference Citation
Reference Number
Response Site
Response Site/Exposure Duration (Days)
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight
Result Comment
Result Percent Lipid
Result Sample Number/Unit
Result Sample Number
Result Sample Unit
Significance Level
Significance Level/Statistical Significance
Soil Clay %
Soil Dose Measured
Soil pH
Soil Sand %
Soil Silt %
Soil Type
Species Common Name
Species ECOTOX Number
Species Final Weight
Species Group
Species NCBI TaxID
Species Scientific Name
Species Scientific Name/Species Common Name
Species Taxonomic Information
Statistical Significance
Steady State
Study Duration (Author)
Study Duration (Days)
Study Type
___ Sub-Habitat Term (Field only)
___ Sub-Habitat Description (Field only)
___ Sub-Habitat Comment (Field only)
Substrate Term (Field only)
Substrate Comment (Field only)
Temperature
Test Comments
Test Location
Test Method
Test Number
Test Type
Trend
Trend/Effect %
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
7. APPENDIX B: PRACTICE SEARCHES
These examples are for you to try in the ‘Search’ Page. After each example search,
remember to click on “Reset All” before proceeding to the next search.
7.1. Example A
You want to locate All Reproductive effects data for Nickel compounds. You want to
include the specific habitat information for any results.
1. From home page (https://www.epa.gov/ecotox), click on search.
2. Click on “All Chemicals” from the menu. Scroll down to “Any Chemical Group”.
3. Select Nickel checkbox from the metal compound list.
4. Click on “All Effects” from the menu. Select Reproduction Group.
5. Click on the “Update Search” button.
6. Notice that Aquatic data is displayed, click on “Customize Output Fields”
in the upper right hand. Scroll down and click on the
Habitat checkbox to add this field to your output. Then click ‘Save’.
7. Note: If you wish to view Terrestrial data, click on the Terrestrial button. You will
have to select the same Output field for the Terrestrial button.
8. Click “Export As…” button. Choose either ‘Excel’ or ‘Delimited’ report option for
the results.
7.2. Example B
You want to locate LC50 data on Freshwater organisms exposed to Malathion.
1. From home page (https://www.epa.gov/ecotox), click on search.
2. Click the “All Chemicals” menu on the left frame of the Search page. Type in
‘Malathion’ or CAS Number either formatted (‘121-75-5’) or unformatted
(‘121755’) in the Chemical entry selection box.
3. Click “All Endpoints” menu. Within the “Concentration Based Endpoint” menu,
select ‘LC50’ checkbox.
4. Click “All Test Conditions” menu. Scroll down to the “Exposure Media” selection
box and click on the Fresh Water checkbox.
5. Click on the “Update Search” button.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
7.3. Example C
You want to locate recently published, lethality endpoint only studies on Daphnia
magna.
1. From home page (https://www.epa.gov/ecotox), click on search.
2. Click “All Species” menu on the left frame of the ‘Search’ page. Type in
“Daphnia magna’ and confirm that the Genus/Species Name radio button is
highlighted.
3. Click on the “All Effects” menu and select the ‘Mortality Group’ checkbox.
4. Click on the “All Publication Options” menu. Within the “Publication Years”
selection box, select 2016 from the first drop down list and select 2024 from the
second drop down list.
5. Click on the “Update Search” button.
6. Note: Only ‘Aquatic’ data should be presented in the table.
7.4. Example D
You want to locate toxicity data for Amphibian tests performed in an outdoor location.
You would like to move these data records into your own database.
1. From home page (https://www.epa.gov/ecotox), click on search.
2. Click on the “All Species” menu on the left frame of the ‘Search’ page. Scroll
down to the “Any Species Groups” and check the ‘Amphibians’ checkbox.
3. Click on the “All Test Conditions” menu. Within the “Any Test Locations” area,
select the checkbox ‘All Field Tests’ from the list. Also, within the “Exposure
Media - Water” select ‘Fresh’, ‘Salt’ and ‘Not Specified’.
4. Click on the “Terrestrial” button. (Selecting ‘Aquatic’ will return too many to
view, but if desired, you could select additional filters to refine output).
5. Click on the “Update Search” button.
6. Click “Export As…” button. Choose either ‘Excel’ or ‘Delimited’ report option for
the results.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
7.5. Additional SEARCH and EXPLORE examples
After each example, remember to click on “Reset All” before proceeding to the next
example.
I. Search Example
You want to locate all reproductive effects data for Buprofezin. What types of
reproductive effects were measured?
1. From the ECOTOX home page, click search.
2. Select the ‘All Chemicals’ tab from the left frame.
3. Type “Buprofezin” into the chemical name search box and click the green
button.
4. Select the ‘All Effects’ tab from the left frame and scroll down to ‘Reproduction Group.’
5. Deselect the checkbox next to ‘Any Measurements’ and/or just select the
checkbox next to ‘Reproduction Group’ then click.
6. Select the ‘Aquatic’ button for aquatic data or ‘Terrestrial’ button for terrestrial
data. The data fields and display format are different for an aquatic exposure
versus a terrestrial exposure. If you would like to view data for both Aquatic and
Terrestrial, you can toggle between the two by select either ‘Aquatic’ or
‘Terrestrial.’
7. Click the blue ‘View All Applied’ button to view/export search parameters applied.
8. Select green “Customize Output Fields” to select additional data fields to be
shown in the output table.
9. Select ‘References’ tab in upper right to see list of references for the results from
this search.
10.Click the green ‘Export as…’ drop-down to select type of file to download.
Note: Please confirm that what you select/deselect makes sense in the database. If
you have selected “Reproduction” and “Growth” you should not be seeing any other
effects in your report. Also, if you are viewing Aquatic tab in the results table, you
should not be able to see any bird species under the Results table.
Conversely if you are viewing the Terrestrial table, there should only be terrestrial
organisms listed, but you can also go back to all species and select a smaller group
of results, such as worms.
If you are seeing anything that you feel may be an error or bug, please “View All
Applied” and copy/save and send the information to Ecotox.support@epa.gov .
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The second example is using the ‘Explore’ feature. You might use this when you
are not sure what type of chemical information or species are in ECOTOX.
II. Explore Example
You want to Explore data on the Reproductive effects of Cadmium on fish.
1. From the ECOTOX home page, click ‘Explore’ on the top banner.
2. Click the ‘Chemicals’ icon.
3. Under the Chemicals Groups, scroll down and select Cadmium checkbox.
4. Click the ‘Explore Data’ button to beginexploring.
5. The compounds are listed by CAS number. You can browse this list by CAS, or
Chemical name, or number of publications just by typing in the column header. To
Remove this filter, just click on the “X Reset” in the upper red bar.
6. To view information on specific CAS number listed in output table, click the green
‘>’ (greater than) sign on the right side of the output table, and all the Aquatic and
Terrestrial Records for that compound will be displayed. You can filter additionally
by Aquatic or Terrestrial by deselecting one or the other.
• Note: Depending on the number of Records, the output may be limited to
the first 3,000.
7. If you want to go back to your original list of compounds, you must go back to
‘Query Filters’ on left side of the webpage, and ‘Reset All’ by clicking the red ‘x’ at
the bottom of the ‘Query Filters.’ Using the browser Back key or closing out of
the tab above, will bring you all the way back to the Home page. You can then
Select ‘Group Summary’ to see the original list of compounds.
8. From the list of ‘Query filters’, click the drop down ‘Species Group’ selection box
and select Fish. If you wish to select multiple species groups, hold the ‘ctrl’ key
and click on multiple selections. Click outside of the ‘Species Group’ drop down
menu or click Enter on your keyboard to apply new parameters.
Notice now that above ‘Query Filters,’ the Terrestrial box is no longer highlighted due to
the selection of ‘Fish’ (Aquatic organism) as your species of interest.
You can continue to refine the output by Effect:
9. From the drop down ‘Effect Groups’ selection box. Scroll down to Select
‘Reproduction’. Again, click outside of the dropdown menu or click Enter on your
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
keyboard to apply new parameters. On the top left corner of the page, above
additional ‘Query Filters’, ensure that only the Aquatic checkbox is selected.
10. The data matching your ‘Explore’ criteria will automatically display in the Group
Summary view. You can switch to view records individually by clicking the
‘Records’ button located under the top banner.
11. You can again filter or refine your Table view by typing in a filter in the header (i.e.,
“LOEC” under Endpoint) which will reduce the number of Records (red bar).
• Note: If you export to CSV file from here, you will only get this subset of
records, not all original record output.
12. To use ‘Explore’ with the visualization feature, select the ‘Plot View’ button.
13. There are 4 interactive figures to display ECOTOX Records which have exposure
concentrations (standardized to an equivalent of ppm (parts per million)).
• Dur x Chem: Duration (in days) on x-axis, Exposure Concentration on y- axis,
Chemical for point shape and color
• Dur x Endpt: Duration (in days) on x-axis, Exposure Concentration on y- axis,
Endpoint for point shape and color
• Effect x Chem: Effect Groups on x-axis, Exposure Concentration on y-axis,
Chemical for point shape and color
• Custom Plot: y-axis can be set to Exposure Concentration or Duration (days),
x-axis and legend can be set to categorical fields such as Chemical, Species,
Effect, Endpoint, etc.
• Note: Zoom in by drawing rectangle around area of interest. Turn Chemicals or
Endpoints off and on by clicking on name in legend. Hover over points of interest
for more information. Click on point to be directed to record in table below the
figure.
14. Simplified table below each figure shows subset of data for each record.
15. You can continue to refine the output with the Query filters on left hand side.
16. Click the blue ‘View All Applied’ button to view/export ‘Explore’ parameters applied.
17. Click the green “Export” button to download figure or simple table.
• Note: Default output table does not include all fields. Return to ‘Search’
and apply filter parameters to download complete data tables.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
8. APPENDIX C: ECOTOX OVERVIEW
8.1. Data Sources
The primary source of toxicity effect information in ECOTOX is from peer-reviewed
literature that are identified through online computerized searches. Searches were
historically initiated with the 1970 publication year and continue through to the
present; in the last five years this has changed to have no date restrictions on the
literature searches. Comprehensive searches are designed to include the effect of
nearly all toxic substances on aquatic and terrestrial organisms within the scope of
each ECOTOX systems’ guidelines.
Commercial literature sources are continually evaluated for relevance to the ECOTOX
literature searches. The search strategy is evaluated regarding the success ratio of
each search. Additional literature sources include abstract journals, review
bibliographies, and the U.S. EPA library collections.
The abstracts obtained through computerized searches of abstracting databases are
screened to identify toxicity references applicable to aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
Those references pertinent to one or more of the databases are acquired through a
variety of literature acquisition procedures such as author reprint requests, inter-library
loans, and commercial sources. As the publications are received, a reference number
is assigned for storage and retrieval purposes, and a final check for applicability and
duplication is made. A bibliographic sub-file stores the citations, and a reprint of each
publication is archived.
Publications used in ECOTOX usually contain unique data. For various reasons authors
may report the same data point in different publications. If the authors themselves
cross-reference the data, ECOTOX abstracts the data only once and notes the crossreference
as part of the bibliographic citation. This type of cross-reference most
frequently occurs in the publication of a thesis and subsequent journal articles. If the
author does NOT acknowledge multiple publications of a single data point, it is likely this
data point will occur in ECOTOX as multiple records, each with a different citation. This
type of publication occurs most frequently when data is published in different sources
such as a textbook and journal article, an agency publication and a journal article, or a
regional journal and an international journal.
Toxicity test data are included unless the data have been cited as published elsewhere.
Data reported in review papers are abstracted from the original publication.
International publications may be reviewed by ECOTOX staff if either an English
abstract or a translated table of data is included. International cooperative efforts with
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Russia
(Borok Institute) have been used to enhance review of the international literature.
Data obtained from independently compiled data files must meet the minimum data
requirements and quality assurance guidelines defined for each ECOTOX
component. The key data fields that must be included are test chemical name, test
organism, test duration, effect, and effect concentration or application rate.
Documentation describing the test methods must be provided within the publication.
If tests are missing key parameters, the data are rejected for inclusion into ECOTOX.
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No effort is made to locate unreported data (e.g., authors are not contacted, citations
referring to methods used are not obtained). During the incorporation of an electronic
data file, a quality assurance check of the CAS number, species scientific name, and
reference citation is completed. Data files that have been included in the aquatic
dataset are the U.S. EPA Duluth Lab fathead minnow acute toxicity database
(http://archive.epa.gov/med/med_archive_03/web/html/prods_pubs.html) Center for
Lake Superior Studies, University of Wisconsin-Superior, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, and
1990), and datasets from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia. ECOTOX
also includes the U.S. EPA OPP’s Pesticide Ecotoxicity Database for both aquatic and
terrestrial toxicity tests. Appendix F contains additional information and contacts for
independently compiled data files.
8.2. Quality Assurance
Quality assurance procedures begin with literature acquisition and cataloging, and
continue through the chemical and species verification, the literature review process,
data entry, and data retrieval. The ECOTOX literature is abstracted by trained document
data curators. An intensive training period, a well-documented manual (U.S. EPA 2022),
and close interaction with the data coordinator help to ensure a high level of accuracy
and consistency in the reviewing process. Data entry for all steps of the process is QA’d
by an experienced data curator.
8.3. Test and Result Identification
Each reference included in ECOTOX may include multiple unique tests. A computergenerated
Test Number used to designate each unique test design. A unique test
design may be characterized by a new test chemical, test species, test location, or
exposure type. Additionally, there are experimental design parameters that will
influence a test scenario sufficiently to warrant an independent test number. Such
parameters include tests conducted at different test temperatures or conducted during
different seasons.
Each Test Number within a reference may include multiple effects and endpoints. A
separate line is used for each effect or endpoint from either a unique experimental
design or within one design scenario for statistically defined effects or endpoints. Each
of these lines is designated with a Result Number and is one data record in ECOTOX.
If no statistics are used to distinguish endpoints or effects and experimental designs
are similar, the data may be combined into one data record. Endpoints always require
a discrete line. Effects lacking an author reported endpoint may be combined based on
statistical representation by the author. Food chain effects are abstracted for
organisms at the first level of exposure.
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8.4. Aquatic Data Elements
Aquatic data includes toxic effect results from exposures of single chemicals to aquatic
organisms. Bioassays not included are water chemistry effects (e.g., pH), complex
effluents, chemical mixtures, and sediment studies that do not report a water
concentration. If a publication contains data for a single chemical besides one of the
above categories of toxicants, the paper is retained and only the single chemical data
are used in ECOTOX. Test organisms are limited to those that are exclusively aquatic.
Amphibian and insect data for purely aquatic life stages of the organism are included.
Information and data for terrestrial life stages of these organisms is included in the
terrestrial database. Classes of organisms associated with the aquatic environment
(e.g., birds, mammals, reptiles) are abstracted for the terrestrial database. Microbial
communities (bacteria and virus) are omitted from the aquatic database. Terrestrial
plants tested in hydroponic or nutrient solutions are abstracted for the terrestrial
database.
The data elements for each test are grouped by chemical, organism, exposure
conditions, and effect endpoint. The test chemical parameters describe the toxicant, the
associated CAS registry number, and the grade, purity and/or composition of the
toxicant. The test organism parameters define the type of organism and the life-stage
being tested. The test conditions identify the test water, test location, exposure type
and duration, control parameters, and basic water chemistry. The effect endpoint
parameters consist of a term to define the lethal, sublethal, or residue endpoint and the
corresponding test chemical concentration.
Toxicity test results are primarily reported for observations taken during the chemical
exposure. However, when results are reported only for the time period after the
exposure, i.e., recovery or delayed effects (called ‘Post-Exposure Measurements’ in
ECOTOX), the observation time is recorded (Observed Duration) and will be greater
than the Exposure Duration.
In some cases, this type of result is noted by using a “~” in conjunction with the
endpoint/effect term, e.g., ~MOR for a post-exposure or delayed mortality effect.
8.5. Terrestrial Data Elements
Toxicity data includes toxic effect results from exposures of single chemicals to
terrestrial organisms. Graphical data may be recorded as ranges and arereported by
using <, > or ~ operators with the value.
Like for aquatic data, terrestrial data include toxic effect results from exposures of single
chemicals. Bioassays that are not included are contaminated soils, sediment studies
and chemical mixtures. If a publication contains data for a single chemical besides one
of the above categories of toxicants, the paper is retained and only the single chemical
data are used in ECOTOX. Test organisms are limited to those that are exclusively
terrestrial.
The data elements for each test are grouped by chemical, organism, exposure
conditions, and effect endpoint. The test chemical parameters describe the toxicant, the
associated CAS registry number, and the grade, purity and/or composition of the
toxicant. The test organism parameters define the type of organism, organism source,
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and the lifestage being tested. The test conditions identify the test location, exposure
type and duration, control parameters, and basic soil parameters. The effect endpoint
parameters consist of a term to define the lethal, sublethal, or residue endpoint and the
corresponding test chemical concentration.
If the author does not report data for a terrestrial database field, the field will display a
“NR” (not reported).
The terrestrial data identifies sources of alternative data (domestic, laboratory animal or
plant toxicity and bioaccumulation information) when there is a paucity of information on
wildlife species. Animals associated with the aquatic environment that breathe using
lungs (e.g., ducks, beaver, muskrat) are included in the terrestrial database, unless
exclusively aquatic (e.g., whales, manatee). Exposures to the aquatic life stages of
amphibians and insects are included in the aquatic database.
Decisions regarding the inclusion of animal terrestrial species are based on published
terrestrial wildlife toxicity standard methods and procedures documentation. The priority
for the animal portion of the database is wildlife avian species (e.g., mallard, pheasant
or bobwhite), mammalian species (e.g., meadow vole, deer mouse or mink), and
beneficial invertebrate species (e.g., earthworm, honeybee, leafcutter bee or alkali bee).
If data for other species including laboratory, domestic or non-beneficial organisms are
reported in a publication, data for all test species are abstracted for ECOTOX inclusion.
Terrestrial plant data includes native, crop, or weed species. Terrestrial plants tested in
hydroponic or nutrient solutions are abstracted for the terrestrial database. Aquatic
plant exposures are recorded in the aquatic database portion of ECOTOX.
8.6. References
Center for Lake Superior Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Superior,
1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1990. Acute Toxicities of Organic Chemicals to Fathead
Minnows (Pimephales promelas), Vol. 1-5. University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior,
WI.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2022. GLTED Ecotoxicology Knowledgebase
System: ECOTOX Data Abstraction Guidelines (prepared by General Dynamic
Information Technology, Contract CIO-SP3, HHSN316201200013W, Task EP-G16H-
01256, SMAVCS3), Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, Duluth, MN.
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9. APPENDIX D: SPECIES AND CHEMICAL VERIFICATION
9.1. Species Verification
The test organism is identified by the current scientific name as verified in the
taxonomic literature. For each species entry, the verified name, taxonomic hierarchy,
synonyms, and verification sources are kept on file for documentation purposes.
Taxonomic kingdoms are divided into Plantae, Animalia, Chromista, Monera,
Protista, Fungi and “Community.” The taxonomic levels are verified by ITIS
(Integrated Taxonomic Information System), located at https://www.itis.gov. If the
taxonomic levels are not available with ITIS, other approved taxonomic sources are
used.
ECOTOX retains all species name synonyms that are no longer used for taxonomic
classification. Searches in ECOTOX can be done using the species synonym name,
however, output will contain the currently accepted species name.
Field studies may report results for a target community (e.g., benthic
macroinvertebrates) or for an entire enclosed ecosystem (e.g., system-level
primary productivity or respiration). If a community of organisms was tested, the
species grouping from the publication is reported. For example, benthic
invertebrates may be entered under the Genus Invertebrates and a community of
organisms may fall under the Genus Plankton.
For more information, please refer to the Species Verification section, linked from
the ECOTOX help page under “ECOTOX Documentation.”
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The species of Special Interest Groups were compiled using the
following references:
Standard Test Species References (Updated Annually)
1. Amiard-Triquet, C., Amiard, J. C., and Mouneyrac, C. (2015). Aquatic Ecotoxicology Advancing
Tools for Dealing with Emerging Risks. Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier/Academic
Press. Print.
2. ASTM International - Environmental Assessment Standards and Risk Management Standards Biological
Effects and Environmental Fate. Years 2012-2021.
3. EPA, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Harmonized Test Guidelines, Series
850, Ecological Effects Test Guidelines. Years 2012/2016.
4. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. (1994). ECO Update Catalogue of
Standard Toxicity Tests for Ecological Risk Assessment Publication 9345.0-051. Volume 2
Number 2.
5. Nikinmaa, M. (2014). An Intro to Aquatic Toxicology. Waltham, MA: Elsevier/Academic Press.
Print.
6. OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Test Guidelines. (2016).
OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, Section 2: Effects on Biotic Systems. Years
1984-2021.
7. Rand, G. M. (2003). Fundamentals of aquatic toxicology: effects, environmental fate and risk
assessment – Second Edition. Ecological Services, Inc. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis
Group. Print.
U.S. Threatened and Endangered Species Reference (Updated Quarterly)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/pub/adHocSpeciesForm.jsp)
U.S. Invasive Species References (Updated Annually)
1. Swearingen, J., C. Bargeron. 2016 Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. University of
Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/distribution.cfm (https://www.invasive.org/species.cfm)
2. University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health https://www.invasive.org/south/index.html
(https://www.invasive.org/species.cfm)
3. USDA Species Profiles List - https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/species-type
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9.2. Chemical Verification
A standardized identification number and name for each chemical recorded in the
database is used for consistency. Chemicals reported in ECOTOX are cataloged by
using a Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number. If a CAS registry number is
not available for the test chemical, toxicity data cannot be included in ECOTOX.
Toxicants not included in ECOTOX are water chemistry effects (e.g., tests based on
hardness, pH, etc. as the tested toxicant), complex effluents, chemical mixtures, and
biological toxicants. If the author states that a soil nutrient is added to maintain test
organism growth, the test is included. If the test includes a series of nutrient doses and
a toxicant to produce interactive effects, this is considered a mixture and excluded.
Retrieval is made by using the CAS number, chemical name, or chemical list. The
Collective Index (CI) or International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
name is used as the standardized name for storage and retrieval. A separate index file
is available for screening CAS numbers and chemical names used in ECOTOX. It is
recommended, especially for critical decision-making, that users refer to the original
publication to obtain additional test chemical information which may affect the context of
toxicity information retrieved from ECOTOX.
For more information, please refer to the Chemical Verification section, linked from
the ECOTOX Help page under “ECOTOX Documentation.”
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10. APPENDIX E: ECOTOX DATA FIELD DESCRIPTIONS
All associated terms for these fields are located in the “ECOTOX Terms
Appendix,” available linked from the ECOTOX Help page.
Data fields are listed for both aquatic and terrestrial. If the field is only available for one
database, this is noted (Aquatic only or Terrestrial only).
10.1. Bibliographic Fields
10.1.1. Author
Publication author name(s), if available.
10.1.2. Reference Number
Each publication abstracted for ECOTOX is assigned a unique ECOTOX reference number (also
called an ECOREF Number). These reference numbers appear in all default ECOTOX outputs.
10.1.3. Title
Publication title.
10.1.4. Source
Publication source or journal name.
10.1.5. Publication Year
Publication year.
10.1.6. Reference Citation
The reference number, author, publication year, title and source combined in one field.
10.2. Chemical Fields
10.2.1. CAS Number
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Number.
10.2.2. Chemical Name
CAS Collective Index Name.
10.2.3. Chemical DTXSID
Substance Identifier from the U.S. EPA’s Distributed Structure-Searchable Toxicity (DSSTox)
database (searchable on the U.S. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard).
10.2.4. Chemical Grade
Grade of chemical.
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10.2.5. Chemical Purity
Percent purity or active ingredient.
10.2.6. Chemical Formulation
Formulation of chemical.
10.2.7. Chemical Comment
Chemical formulation term, trade names, synonyms, isomer names.
10.2.8. Chemical Radiolabel
The isotope of a test or carrier chemical.
10.2.9. Chemical Carrier
Solvent used to dissolve toxicant in solution or positive control. Contains all carriers (up to three)
and all the associated information (CAS #|Chemical Name|Chemical Grade|Chemical
Formulation|Chemical Radiolabel|Chemical Characteristics|Chemical Purity).
10.3. Species Fields
10.3.1. Species ECOTOX Number
Unique number assigned by ECOTOX software.
10.3.2. Species Scientific Name
Currently accepted scientific name (genus, species).
10.3.3. Species Common Name
Species or taxonomic grouping common name(s).
10.3.4. Species NCBI TaxID
Numerical taxonomy identified from National Center for Biotechnology
Information (NCBI) Taxonomy Database.
10.3.5. Organism Source
The source from which the test organism was obtained.
10.3.6. Organism Lifestage
Initial test organism lifestage. Lifestage of the organism at the time of
measurement is recorded in the Result Sample Unit field.
10.3.7. Organism Age
Initial age of the test organism.
10.3.8. Gender
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The sex of the test organisms included in the study.
When 'Both', observations may be reported combined or
separate by sex; when separate, sex associated with
measurement is included in the Result Sample Unit
field.
10.3.9. Organism Initial Weight
Initial weight of organism.
10.3.10. Organism Initial Length
Initial length of the organism as measured by the reported Length Type (e.g.,
Fork length, Shell length, Snout-vent length, Standard length, Total length,
Carapace length).
10.3.11. Organism Strain
Author reported strain (e.g., cultivars or hybrids).
10.3.12. Organism Comment
Initial age, weight, length, developmental stage or cell concentration of test
organism.
10.3.13. Species Group
Names of predefined group(s) to which a species belongs. These include: Amphibians;
Insects/Spiders; Molluscs; Birds; Other Invertebrates; Reptiles; Crustaceans; Mammals;
Worms; Fish; Algae; Moss/Hornworts; Fungi; Flowers, Trees, Shrubs, Ferns; Standard
Test Species; US Threatened/Endangered Species; US Exotic/Nuisance.
10.3.14. Species Taxonomic Information
Organism classification hierarchy (Kingdom, Phylum/Division, Subphylum, Superclass,
Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, Variety).
10.3.15. Kingdom
Divides all species into two kingdoms (plant or animal). The plant kingdom includes
Monera and Fungi species. A taxonomic group (e.g., aquatic community,
plankton) that has both plant and animal kingdoms into one result are included in both
plant and animal kingdom search. (Search option. Included in output with Species Taxonomic
Information.)
10.4. Test Condition Fields
10.4.1. Media Type
Aquatic - Freshwater (FW) tests include those 1) conducted in freshwater, reconstituted
water, distilled water, or tap water or 2) the organism habitat is exclusively freshwater.
Saltwater (SW) tests include those 1) conducted in natural or artificial seawater,
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brackish water, or estuarine water or 2) the organism habitat is exclusively saline.
Note: If a salinity value of four parts per thousand is reported, it is considered a
freshwater test.
Terrestrial - Type of exposure media, (e.g., natural or artificial soil, hydroponic, filter
paper). If an aqueous exposure is conducted in pore water from a specific soil, the soil
parameters in the soil characteristics fields are reported (pH, CEC, OM, etc.). See
Appendix L. Exposure Media Terms in the “ECOTOX Terms Appendix” found under the
Help section of the website for more information.
10.4.2. Test Location
Aquatic - A natural (Field N) study is an experiment conducted outdoors in a natural
water body or in an artificial water body that has a natural bottom substrate and
established aquatic communities (e.g., phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish). Outdoor
studies conducted in an artificial water body without a natural bottom substrate are
considered artificial studies (Field A). If the water body cannot be determined to be
natural or artificial it is abstracted as field unknown (Field U). All other studies are
considered laboratory (LAB) tests.
Terrestrial - The location or setting in which the experiment was conducted. For
example, a natural field study (Field N) is an experiment conducted outdoors in a
natural setting. The test organisms are sampled in the wild, e.g., population counts.
Outdoor studies conducted in a simulated environment are abstracted as an artificial
field study (Field A). Artificial field studies include organisms isolated from their
natural environment via an enclosure of some type, e.g., cages or fencing. If the
publication does not provide enough information to distinguish between Field A and
Field N, then use the term Field U to indicate that the field test type is unknown.
Laboratory tests (LAB) are conducted indoors under controlled laboratory conditions.
10.4.3. Study Duration
The Study Duration is the total time of the study, excluding pre-treatment times. In
cases where the observation time is the only duration reported, it is assumed that the
Study Duration is equivalent to the observation time (field: Observed Duration).
For post-exposure effects, Study Duration is the duration of the entire toxicant exposure
and post-exposure duration.
In some instances, a biological, or qualitative, time is used, such as study time reported
as "until harvest", "growing season" or "after the nth egg has been laid."
Author Reported and Standardized Duration
ECOTOX offers two output options for duration, the duration as the author reports in the
publication or duration that is converted to a standard unit (days).
10.4.4. Exposure Duration
The Exposure Duration is the time of actual exposure to the chemical. In cases
where the observation time is the only duration reported, it is assumed that the
Exposure Duration is equivalent to the longest observation time (field: Observed
Duration).
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For most field studies the Exposure and Study Duration are identical because it is
difficult to determine when the exposure ends. For lab studies the Exposure and Study
Duration may be different, such as when effect measurements were reported from a
post-exposure period. For lab studies with injection, topical, or dietary (e.g.,
intraperitoneally or by gavage) exposure, Exposure and Study Duration are typically
the same.
For a fluctuating or intermittent dosing experiment, the total exposure time is recorded,
with exposure times and intervals between dosages reported in the Application
Frequency field.
In some instances, a biological, or qualitative, time is used, such as an exposure time
reported as "until hatch", "growing season" or "after the nth egg has been laid".
Author Reported and Standardized Duration
ECOTOX offers two output options for duration: the duration as the author reports in the
publication or duration that is converted to a standard unit (days).
10.4.5. Exposure Type
The mechanism by which the toxicant was applied.
For aquatic organisms the toxicant exposures are typically through their aquatic surroundings,
via diet, injection, in vitro, or on occasion, through multiple routes (e.g., aquatic and diet).
For terrestrial organisms the exposures are typically through diet, injection, topical, in
vitro, or environmental routes. On occasion, an exposure may be through multiple
routes (e.g., topical and oral).
Exposure types are searched by major exposure groups. However, a more specific
exposure type is displayed in your output (e.g., searching on ‘Intercutaneous’ is found
under the Injection exposure type).
10.4.6. Habitat
Indicates whether the study was completed in an aquatic or terrestrial
environment. For Terrestrial studies, the habitat can either be soil or non-soil.
Aquatic studies are all in water (aqua).
10.4.7. Chemical Analysis
Quantitative analysis of water in test chambers or field sites is considered a measured
concentration. Concentrations that are not analyzed in test chambers or field sites are
considered unmeasured (nominal).
10.4.8. Application Frequency
Author reported frequency of dosing application.
10.4.9. Study Type
Used to identify field simulation studies. Examples of field study types include
exposures conducted in a mesocosm, microcosm or enclosure.
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10.4.10. Test Type
Test Type is populated when the author(s) describe the Test Method used in the
study as ACUTE, CHRONIC, ELS (Early Life Stage), FLC (Full Life Cycle),
Generational etc. It is not used to reflect an author(s) incidental use of the terms
‘acute’, ‘chronic’, or any other standard methodology related term. Therefore, Test
Type should be abstracted as NR unless a Test Method is provided.
10.4.11. Test Method
Denotes the testing method used (or a modification of) for conducting the toxicity experiment
(e.g., ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) or OECD (Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development)). If an author does not reference a standard test method but
does reference methods that were obtained from other authors, select Other Method (OM) and
enter the author(s) and year published in the Test Method Comment field.
10.4.12. Control
Control information for the reported effect may be presented in the text, in a graph, or in
table format. ECOTOX does not make assessments whether the controls were
satisfactory or insufficient (e.g., replicates run, death of control organisms), but rather
documents author reported controls.
10.4.13. Number of Doses
The total number of exposure doses or concentrations, including the control(s), for
each independent test design.
10.4.14. Doses
For all aquatic reports and terrestrial browser viewable, the individual doses used in the
study are summarized here.
For Terrestrial Excel and delimited reports, this data field is not included. Maximum
and minimum dose levels are found in the Terrestrial field ‘Dose Max’ and ‘Dose
Min.’
10.4.15. Number of Replicates
Number of replicates per treatment.
10.4.16. Experimental Design
Additional study information is included here. For field tests, this could include exposure
system dimensions (e.g., pond or lake depth/cage or enclosure size), type of artificial
substrate, and physical or chemical water chemistry parameters. For laboratory studies,
this could include information about media, test chambers, and number of replicates.
10.4.17. Exposure Sample Number
The initial number of organisms exposed per replicate at each treatment level.
10.4.18. Ionic Fraction
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For ionizing substances such as metals, if authors report the concentration based on
the ionic form of the compound, this field has the ionic fraction (e.g., organotin as Sn).
10.5. Test Result Parameters
References included in ECOTOX may include multiple toxicity tests and
measurements for multiple types of effects, each with one or more associated
endpoints (statistical quantification or calculation of the observed effect, e.g., lethal
concentration to 50% of test organisms [LC50], no-observed-effect concentration
[NOEC], lowest-observed-effect concentration [LOEC]). Within each test (denoted
with a Test Number), each unique effect and/or endpoint is captured in a different
record (denoted with a Result (Record) Number). For example, exposures to Zinc and
Copper are separate tests, and the LC50 for each of these tests will be a separate
line (data record).
10.5.1. Test Number
A computer-generated number used to designate each unique test design. A unique
test design may be characterized by a new test chemical, test species, test location,
or exposure type. Additionally, there are experimental design parameters that will
influence a test scenario sufficiently to warrant an independent test number. Such
parameters include tests conducted at different test temperatures or conducted during
different seasons. There can be many Test Numbers for each ECOTOX Reference
Number.
10.5.2. Result (Record) Number
A computer-generated number used to designate each unique result within a Test
Number. A separate line is used for each effect or endpoint from either a unique
experimental design or within one design scenario for statistically defined effects or
endpoints. Each of these lines is designated with a Result Number. If no statistics are
used to distinguish endpoints or effects and experimental designs are similar, the data
may be combined into one data record. Endpoints always require a discrete line.
Effects lacking an author reported endpoint may be combined based on statistical
representation by the author. There can be many Result Numbers for each Test
Number, and many Test Numbers for each ECOTOX Reference Number (ECOREF
Number). Within the Aquatic and Terrestrial databases, each Result Number is a data
record.
10.5.3. Endpoint
Endpoint information is abstracted if it is reported by the author. For the purposes of
ECOTOX, an endpoint is defined as the quantification of an observed effect obtained
through statistics or other means of calculation for the express purpose of comparing
equivalent effects (e.g., LC50). Many terrestrial plant tests do not have associated
endpoints. Prior to 1996, terrestrial plant database structure allowed only results based
on percent change from control.
An asterisk (*) denotes the reported endpoint acronym provided was modified to
conform to the standard database acronym terminology. For example, if the author
reported a TLM, the endpoint was recorded as an LC50*. The author reported
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acronym should appear in EE Remark field.
10.5.4. Effect
Effect information must be provided by the author in order for the test to be included.
For ECOTOX purposes, effect is defined as the observation of a response resulting
from the action of a chemical stressor (e.g., mortality). The listing of effect
measurements can be found by using the Browse Effects index, ECOTOX Terms List
or “ECOTOX Terms Appendix” (includes many detailed measurement definitions).
ECOTOX internally categorizes all observed effects under at least one of eleven
major effect groups:
Accumulation (ACC) - Process by which chemicals are taken into and stored in the
organism. Includes lethal body burden.
Behavior (BEH) - Activity of an organism in response to a stimulus. The Avoidance
(AVO) subgroup contains measures of avoidance or attraction. The Feeding
Behavior (FDB) subgroup contains measures related to food and consumption and
acquisition. The Behavior (BEH) subgroup contains the remaining behavioral
measurements. All measurements related to reproductive behavior are listed under
the Reproduction effect group.
Biochemistry (BCM) - Biotransformation or metabolism of chemical compounds, modes
of toxic action, and biochemical organism responses. The Enzyme(s) (ENZ) subgroup
contains measurements of enzymes and enzyme related activity. The Hormone(s)
(HRM) subgroup contains measurements of hormones and hormone related activity,
and the Biochemistry (BCM) subgroup is comprised of the remaining biochemical
measurements including protein levels and expression.
Cellular (CEL) - Changes in structure and chemical composition of cells and tissues in
organisms. The Genetics (GEN) subgroup contains measurements of gene
expression and damage. The Histology (HIS) subgroup focuses on measurements
related to structural changes and the Cell(s) (CEL) subgroup contains the remaining
cell and tissue measurements.
Growth (GRO) - Encompasses individual organism weight, length, development, and
morphology. The Development (DVP) subgroup includes indicators of development as
well as growth measurements during developmental life stages. The Morphology
(MPH) subgroup contains measurements of the structure and form of organism parts
and the Growth (GRO) subgroup contains measurements of entire organisms at any
point in its life cycle.
Mortality (MOR) - Death of individuals or measurements that indicate death.
Physiology (PHY) - Encompasses cell and tissue processes and functions. The Injury
(INJ) subgroup contains measurements related to damage. The Immunological
(IMM) subgroup contains disease and disorder measurements. The Intoxication
(ITX) subgroup contains indicators of intoxication, and the Physiology (PHY)
subgroup contains the remaining cell and tissue function measurements.
Population (POP) - Measurements related to the quantification of the number of
individuals occupying the same area at a given time.
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Reproduction (REP) - Measurements related to the reproductive cycle including
reproductive behaviors, offspring count, and reproductive physiology. Offspring
development effects are captured in the Development (DVP) subgroup.
Ecosystem (SYS) - Ecosystem processes (PRS) include community structure and
function. Includes microbial processes.
Multiple Effect (MLT) – Change in more than one effect when data were reported as one result.
No Effect (NER) – The author reported an endpoint, but not a specific effect. This term will only
exist on a data transferred reference (OPP database (Reference number 344)) and is not a
searchable Effect term.
10.5.5. Effect Measurement
The specific parameter being measured for the observed effect. For instance, a Growth (GRO)
effect, would include specific measurements of weight or length (WGHT or LGTH). An Enzyme
(ENZ) effect would include specific measurements of catalase (CTLS) or peroxidase (PODA).
10.5.6. Trend
The observed or measured response (effect measurement) trend as compared to the
control is abstracted when textually or graphically reported.
10.5.7. Response Site
A response site or tissue term is used to identify specific body, organ or tissue effect
sites for associated effect measurement.
10.5.8. EE_Comment
This field contains additional endpoint and/or effect text as described by the author.
10.5.9. Effect % (Effect Percent)
Effect is reported as a raw percent value or percent change, e.g., percent of the total
population or percent increase or decrease. The term "COM" is used to denote several
effect measurements or response sites reporting data results as percentages.
Statistical Significance
Statistical analysis as compared to the control(s) in the test.
10.5.10. Statistical Level
The level of significance (e.g., test statistic) is recorded when the author has reported
statistical analysis in the test. Terminology for significance level may be presented as: p
=, p<, or alpha value. The terminologies are equivalent and are generally in the range of
0.001 to 0.10.
10.5.11. Bioconcentration
The bioconcentration factor (BCF) or bioaccumulation factor (BAF) is the degree to which a
chemical can be concentrated in the tissues of an organism in the environment as a result of
exposure to chemicals at steady state during the uptake phase. The BCF/BAF is a value which is
equal to the concentration of a chemical in one or more tissues of the exposed organism divided
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
by the average exposure concentration of a chemical in the test. A bioconcentration endpoint is
recorded as either wet (or unknown) or as dry weight (BCF and BCFD, respectively). It is usually
reported with units of L/kg. If a unit cannot be determined from the information in the paper or it is
unitless, RA (ratio) is used for the unit. For Terrestrial Excel and delimited outputs only, BCF or
BAF are captured in the Observed Response field.
10.5.12. Steady State
Denotes if the residue/bioconcentration/bioaccumulation data at the time of the result is at steady
state.
10.5.13. Concentration Type
Concentrations based on the active ingredient or formulation, or as the total, un-ionized
or dissolved concentration, are identified.
10.5.14. Endpoint Assignment
Used to identify the source of the effect or endpoint information as reported specifically
by the author (P), or assigned by an ECOTOX reviewer (R)). The reviewer only assigns
the endpoint if the author has provided the statistical analysis that support the endpoint.
10.5.15. Concentration/Dose
The concentration or dose reflects either the range of concentrations tested or, if there
is an endpoint reported, the concentration associated with the endpoint. The confidence
interval or range is recorded when available. An asterisk (*) denotes the concentration
has been recalculated from the author's original units to the standard concentration
(ug/L) needed for plot view or from the metal compound to the active ionic form.
In certain cases, the water concentration is routinely reported as active form of the test
chemical. For metal salts, the concentration is generally expressed as ug ion/L (e.g.,
HgCl is expressed as Hg+). Since 1998, the data distinguish between the metal
compound and the metal ion in the Ion field. Data abstracted prior to this date may have
comments regarding ionic fraction in Comment field.
Author Reported and Standardized Concentration
ECOTOX offers two output options for concentrations: the concentration as the author
reports in the publication, and (for Aquatic only) the concentration that is converted to
a standard unit ratio equivalent to ppm (mg/l, mg/kg bdwt, or mg/kg food), if possible.
ECOTOX unit conversion logic can be found here:
https://cfpub.epa.gov/ecotox/help.cfm.
10.5.16. Result Sample Number
The sample number reflects the number of organisms used for a specific
measurement and endpoint. For example, 40 organisms were used to calculate an
LC50. Sample units correspond to the sample number (i.e., the unit on which the
measurement is based).
For generational studies and measurements based on the progeny, F1, F2, etc. are
noted in the sample unit field.
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10.5.17. Observed Duration
The Observed Duration is the time at which an effect measurement was
observed/measured and reported (for example, a 24-hour LC50). If the observation
time is not reported or unable to be explicitly determined, Exposure Duration is
recorded with a less than or equal to (<=) symbol.
For post-exposure effects, the recorded observation time will be greater than the Exposure
Duration.
Author Reported and Standardized Duration
ECOTOX offers two output options for duration: the duration as the author reports in the
publication and or the duration that is converted to a standard unit (days).
10.5.18. Intake Rate
Denotes the amount of food taken by the organism.
10.5.19. Result Percent (%) Dry/Wet Weight
If the effect measurement is based on dry (D) or wet (W) weight basis, it is denoted
in this field. If the percent moisture is reported, record the percentage value also
(e.g., W75%). In the Aquatic Excel and delimited output, the dry (D) or wet (W)
designation is in a separate field: Dry/Wet. In the Terrestrial Excel and delimited
output, the dry (D) or wet (W) designation is in a separate field: Media
Measurement (wet/dry).
10.5.20. Result Percent Lipid
Percent lipid in the whole organism or response site.
10.5.21. Species Final Weight
Weight of the organism at the time of observation.
10.5.22. Other Effects
Comments regarding other toxicity tests or effects reported in the publication that does
not meet ECOTOX minimum data requirements are recorded in this field. Commas
separate each distinct term and the text ends with a double slash (//).
10.5.23. Result Comment
Additional information related to the endpoint or effect response. Appendix G contains
header terms used to link the comment to a specific ECOTOX field.
10.5.24. General Comment
This field contains additional information about any data field that does not fit in the
space provided. A complete list of comment identifiers that link to the associated field is
documented in Appendix G: Comment Field Header Names.
10.6. Water Chemistry Parameters (Aquatic only)
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
These measured values pertain either to the test water chemistry (preferred) or the
dilution water chemistry values as defined by the Standard Methods for the Examination
of Water and Wastewater (https://www.standardmethods.org/). If it is necessary to report
the dilution water chemistry, this is denoted by an asterisk (*).
Alkalinity – Expressed as reported by author.
Calcium – Expressed as reported by author.
Chlorine – Expressed as reported by author.
Conductivity - Expressed as reported by author.
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon – Expressed as reported by author.
Dissolved Oxygen - Expressed as reported by author. A "SAT" term denotes 100% saturation
Hardness - Expressed as reported by author. If the author only reports the terms
"hard" or "soft", these terms are recorded.
Humic Acid – Expressed as reported by author.
Organic Carbon Type and Value - Expressed as reported by author as Carbon. (T=
total, P= Particulate, D= Dissolved).
pH - pH value.
Potassium – Expressed as reported by author.
Salinity - Expressed as reported by author.
Sodium – Expressed as reported by author.
Sulfate – Expressed as reported by author.
Sulfur – Expressed as reported by author.
Temperature - Expressed as reported by author.
10.7. Outdoor Test Parameters (Field only)
10.7.1. Sub-Habitat Term/Description
A classification of the test study area (e.g., desert, estuarine, lacustrine, tundra).
The aquatic field tests include the Cowardin* system level classification to describe
major aquatic systems.
*Cowardin, L.M., V.Carter, F.C.Golet and E.T.LaRoe. 1979. Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater
Habitats of the United States. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FWS/OBS-79, 31 p. (
https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/documents/Classification-of-Wetlands-and-Deepwater-
Habitats-of-the-United-States.pdf)
10.7.2. Sub-Habitat Comment
The author's description of the test study area (e.g., brackish marsh, wooded swamp, boreal
forest, citrus orchard).
10.7.3. Latitude/Longitude
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
The geographic location (latitude and longitude) of the test site.
10.7.4. Substrate Term/Description
The bottom substrate is recorded using standard substrate definitions or as author reports.
10.7.5. Water Depth
Water depth of the experimental system.
10.7.6. Geographic Term
The standardized name based on FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards)
code, of the country, or United States and Canadian state/province where the test was
performed is displayed. You can view FIPS documentation at:
http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip10-4.htm
10.7.7. Geographic Location
Contains general text about the test site specific geographic identifiers (e.g., lake, river,
bay, field station or city) where the study was performed.
10.7.8. Application Type
The method of application of the chemical for an aquatic species in a field study.
10.7.9. Application Rate
This field contains the application rate value and the units. If an exposure concentration
is not reported, the application rate must be reported. Application rate units may be
recalculated only if the denominator is not equal to one (e.g., 5 g/2.5 ac).
10.7.10. Chemical Half-Life
The test chemical half-life in the system.
10.7.11. Application Date/Season
The application date is recorded the time of initial exposure. This field includes the
actual date, a partial date, or a season. The format is MO-DA-YR. Examples: 12-01-93,
01-00-75, 00-00-64. If one pond is exposed multiple times, only the first application date
is recorded. If the calendar year date is not reported, but a season is, the season
(Northern Hemisphere) of initial application of the chemical is reported.
10.8. Terrestrial Only Parameters
10.8.1. Test Comment
Additional information related to methodology or techniques used in the experimental
design. This is a concatenated field and can include comments from Experimental
Design, Organism Source, Duration, Control, and Other Effects. Appendix G
contains header terms used to link the comment to a specific ECOTOX field.
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10.8.2. Exposure Comment
Additional information related to dose methodology or techniques used in the test. This includes
Dose Comments.
10.8.3. Observed Response Mean/Min/Max
For Terrestrial Excel and delimited outputs only, bioconcentration factor (BCF) or
bioaccumulation factor (BAF) data will be recorded in this field. These records are
associated with ‘Residue’ Effect Measurement and ‘BCF’ or ‘BAF’ Endpoint. See
Bioconcentration definition. For other effects and endpoints in the Terrestrial Excel and
delimited outputs, this field repeats the value(s) captured in the concentration field
(range of concentrations or the concentration associated with the endpoint). See
Concentration/Dose definition.
10.9. Soil Parameters (Terrestrial only)
10.9.1. Temperature
Expressed as reported by author.
10.9.2. Soil Type
The classification name of the natural soil or commercial name of the artificial soil used
in the study. If the classification name is not included, the type of soil is recorded using
the author’s terminology, e.g., forest soil, sandy loam soil, arboreal coniferous soil.
10.9.3. Soil Sand %, Soil Silt %, Soil Clay %
The soil texture is stated using percentages of sand, silt and/or clay. Bentonite,
kaolinite, or montmorillonite etc., are reported as clay.
10.9.4. Soil pH
The pH of the test media is recorded. If the pH of the treated media is not presented,
but the pH value is stated for the untreated or acclimation media, an asterisk (*) is
denoted. If the pH of a specific soil type is not given in the publication, a search is
made of the USDA/NRCS National Cooperative Soil Survey (USA) web site
(http://soils.usda.gov/) may be found for the specific soil series.
10.9.5. Media Organic Matter
If organic matter is reported for the untreated or acclimation media, it will be displayed
with an asterisk (*). If the organic matter of a specific soil type is not provided in the
publication, information from the USDA/NRCS National Cooperative Soil Survey (USA)
is used for the specific soil series.
10.9.6. Media Moisture
The percentage of moisture in the test media is recorded. If moisture is reported for the
untreated or acclimation media, this moisture percentage is recorded and denoted it
with an asterisk (*).
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10.9.7. Media Cation Exchange Capacity
The media cation exchange capacity is recorded. If the cation exchange capacity is
reported for the untreated or acclimation media, this value is denoted with an asterisk.
10.9.8. Soil Dose Measured
The toxicant concentration that was measured in the soil. However, the exposure
dose value may or may not reflect the measured values. The Chemical Analysis field
will denote if the exposure dose value is based on the measured values.
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11. APPENDIX F: INDEPENDENTLY COMPILED DATA FILES
Some independently compiled data sets have been transferred into ECOTOX from
external sources. The data sets must meet the ECOTOX data parameter and quality
assurance guidelines.
The U.S. EPA Duluth laboratory data set includes the Acute Toxicity of Organic
Chemicals file which contains data for a single test species (30-day fathead minnow).
The U.S. EPA Office of Toxic Substances is acknowledged for long-term support in the
generation of all acute toxicity data for organic chemicals. All test results, including data
not available on-line, have been compiled in five volumes titled: Acute Toxicities of
Organic Chemicals to Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas), available from the
Center for Lake Superior Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Superior, WI.
International cooperative efforts with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Borok Institute)
were conducted to enhance the review of the international literature. These efforts
resulted in digital data files from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia
received in the early 1990s and incorporated into ECOTOX.
The Office of Pesticide Programs’ Pesticide Ecotoxicity Database (formerly
Environmental Effects Database) is a compilation of the toxic effects data for registered
pesticides. These data have been reviewed and categorized as acceptable for
fulfillment of pesticide registration and re-registration guideline requirements as
explained under FIFRA Subdivision E, Parts 158.145 and 158.150. Data for the
Pesticide Ecotoxicity Database are drawn from several sources. The major portion of
the data is derived from actual Agency reviews of toxicological studies conducted by
commercial laboratories and submitted by pesticide companies in support of their
products. The U.S. EPA conducts audits of these laboratories on a periodic basis
through the U.S. EPA Office of Compliance and Monitoring. A second major source of
data entries is the numerous studies conducted by U.S. EPA, USDA, and U.S. FWS
laboratories over the last 25 years. The Office of Pesticide Programs is actively
updating this database. Updates will be incorporated into ECOTOX on an on-going
basis, starting with the acute Honeybee (Apis mellifera) and Bumblebee (Bombus
terrestris) toxicity data (updated in ECOTOX in December 2020).
The U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Columbia Environmental
Research Center (CERC) located in Columbia, Missouri
(https://www.usgs.gov/centers/cerc) database summarizes the results from aquatic
acute toxicity tests conducted by this research facility. The acute toxicity test provides a
relative starting point for hazard assessment of contaminants and is required for federal
chemical registration programs such as the Federal Insecticide Fungicide Rodenticide
Act (PL 80-104) as amended by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act of
1972 (7 U.S.C. 136-136y) and the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (PL 94-469).
The database was initially developed in 1986 by Foster L. Mayer and Mark R. Ellersieck
for 4,901 acute toxicity tests toxicity tests conducted by CERC since 1965 with 410
chemicals and 66 species of aquatic animals. A report by Mayer and Ellersieck (1986)
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
provides an interpretation of the original 4,901 toxicity tests which utilizes various
statistical approaches to make taxonomic comparisons, and to assess the degree to
which various factors (static versus flow-through, age of test solutions, pH, temperature,
water hardness, and diet) affect toxicity (Manual of Acute Toxicity: Interpretation and
Data Base for 410 Chemicals and 66 Species of Freshwater Animals, F.L. Mayer and
M.R. Ellersieck, United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Resource Publication 160, 1986). This publication is commonly referred to as the “Gold
Book”.
The available data sets, data, institution address and contacts are listed below:
NOTE: The number of records and reference IDs displayed below reflect the contents of each dataset at the time it
was imported to Ecotox. The values listed here may not match current Ecotox search results.
Institution Contact Information Data Summary and
Reference Numbers
EPA: Fathead Minnow Acute Toxicity Database (GLTED-Duluth MN)
To obtain hard copies of the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS)
volumes contact:
University of Wisconsin/ Lake Superior Research Institute
PO Box 2000
Superior, WI 54880
Contact: Matt TenEyck
E-mail: MTenEyck@uwsuper.edu
Phone: 715-394-8160
For technical information on the database contact:
U.S. EPA/ORD/CCTE/GLTED
Contact: Jennifer Olker
E-mail: olker.jennifer@epa.gov
5 references (#3217,
12447, 12448, 12858,
12859)
1133 aquatic records
French (OECD-IRCHA)
Ecotoxicology Department, INERIS
Rue Lavoisier, B.P. 1
F-91710 Vert Le Petit
France
Most recent contact:
http://www.ineris.fr/
Contact: Dr. Roger Cabridenc
Phone: 33-1-45960956; Fax: 33-1-45960957
13 references (#20, 3397,
3516, 3517, 3518, 3519,
3520, 3521, 5161, 6771,
9170, 10724, 15300)
256 aquatic records
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Institution Contact Information Data Summary and
Reference Numbers
German (OECD)
Umweltbundesamt, Federal Environmental Agency
Dienstgebaude Berlin-Mitte
Mauerstrabe 45-52
0-1080 Berlin Germany
Wörlitzer Platz 1
06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Germany
Most recent contacts:
Telephone: +49-340-2103-0
Fax: +49-340-2103-2285
Email: Gerlinde.knetsch@uba.de
or:
Dieter Schudoma
German Environment Agency
Section IV 2.4: Water-hazardous substances/ Ecotoxicology laboratory
Schichauweg 58,
12307 Berlin
Tel: (+49-30) 8903 4225
Fax: (+49-30) 8903 4233
Email: dieter.schudoma@uba.de
186 references (citation
refers to OECDG
Database)
10,494 aquatic records
1,873 terrestrial records
Dutch (OECD)
National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection
(RIVM/ACT)
PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven
The Netherlands
http://rivm.nl/en/
Most recent contact:
Contact: Dr. Hans Canton
E-mail: ecocr@sb615.rivm.nl
17 references (#5180,
5331, 5333, 5336, 5337,
5356, 5367, 5370, 5374,
5375, 5378, 5390, 5400,
5411, 5414, 11039,
11044)
1,992 aquatic records
Russia
Borok Institute, Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Academy of Sciences
152742 Borok, Nekouz, Yaroslavsky Region
Russian Republic
http://www.ibiw.ru/
Most recent contact:
Contact: Victor Komov
E-mail: vkomov@ibiw.yaroslavl.ru
55 references
257 aquatic records
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Institution Contact Information Data Summary and
Reference Numbers
EPA: Office of Pesticides Program Database (OPP)
(Pesticide Ecotoxicity Database -formerly Ecological Effects Database)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs
Environmental Fate and Effects Division,
Ecological Effects Branch
401 M St. SW
Washington, DC 20460
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-contacts/office-pesticide-programs-contacts-
division-and-topic
Contact: Lee Kyle
E-mail: Kyle.Lee@epa.gov
Reference #344
16,956 aquatic records
17,681 terrestrial records
Reference #184644
(Bee Studies)
4,225 terrestrial records
USGS Acute Toxicity Database (Mayer & Ellersieck, 1986 - commonly
referred to as the “Gold Book”)
Columbia Environmental Research Center
U.S. Geological Survey
4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, Missouri 65201
Phone: 573-875-5399
(http://www.cerc.usgs.gov/data/acute/acute.html)
Contact: Linda Sappington
E-mail: linda_sappington@usgs.gov
11.1.1.1. For data interpretation contact:
Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division
Duluth, Minnesota 55806
Phone: 218-529-5011
Contact: Dale Hoff
E-mail: hoff.dale@epa.gov
1 reference (#6797)
8,761 aquatic records
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12. APPENDIX G: COMMENT FIELD HEADER NAMES
12.1. Aquatic Comment Abbreviations
Comment header terms are used in comment data fields e.g., Result Remarks,
to link additional data provided to the primary database field e.g., Response
Sites. These are typically from historical entries as primary data fields now have
dedicated comment data fields.
Header Abbreviation Associated Field Name
ALK Alkalinity
AP TY Application Type
AP SEAS Application Season
AP DATE Application Date
AP RATE Application Rate
AP FREQ Application Frequency
BCF Bioconcentration
CARRIER Carrier or Solvent
CHAR Chemical Comment
CL Chlorine Value and Unit
COMPEP Companion Endpoint
CONC Concentration
COND Conductivity
CONTR Control
DEPTH Water Depth
DNUM Number of Doses
DO Dissolved Oxygen
DOSES Individual Concentration Value and Unit
ETIME Exposure Time and Unit
FO Chemical Formulation
FW, SW Freshwater/Saltwater Exposure Media
GRADE Chemical Grade
HAB Habitat Description
HALF Half Life
HARD Hardness
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Header Abbreviation Associated Field Name
HMA Humic Acid Value and Unit
In EE Comment Endpt (Endpoint)
In EE Comment Measurement
In EE Comment Effect
INTAKE Food Intake Rate and Unit
LAB, FIELD Location
LAT Latitude
LD Percent Lipid
LEVEL Statistical Level
LIFESTG Organism Lifestage
LOC Location
LONG Longitude
MSMT Effect Measurement
NA Sodium Value and Unit
ORG C Organic Carbon
PH pH
POT Potassium Value and Unit
PURITY Chemical Purity
RADIO Chemical Radiolabel
SALIN Salinity
SAMPN Sample Number and Unit
SEX Gender
SIGNIF Significance
SITE Response Site
SO4 Sulfate Value and Unit
SOLVCHAR Chemical Carrier Comment
SOLVFO Chemical Carrier Formulation
SOLVGRADE Chemical Carrier Grade
SOLVPURITY Chemical Carrier Purity
SOURCE Organism Source
STST Steady State
STYPE Study Type
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Header Abbreviation Associated Field Name
SUBSTR Substrate Comment
SULF Sulfur Value and Unit
TEMP Temperature
TESTID Test Number
TIME Exposure Time
TREND Effect Trend
TMETH Test Method
TYPE Exposure Type
WTAT Weight at Time of Result
WTINT Initial Body Weight
12.2. Terrestrial Comment Abbreviations
Comment header terms are used in comment data fields e.g. Result Remarks,
to link additional data provided to the primary database field e.g. Response
Sites. These are typically from historical entries as primary data fields now have
dedicated comment data fields.
Header Abbreviations Associated Field Name
ANALYSIS Chemical Analysis
AP DATE Application Date
AP FREQ Application Frequency
AP RATE Application Rate
AP SEAS Application Season
CEC Media Cation Exchange Capacity
CHAR Chemical Comments
COMPEP Companion Endpoint
CONCTYPE Concentration Type
CONTR Control
DNUM Number of Doses
DOSE/ DUNIT Exposure Dose and Unit,
DOSES Individual Concentrations Value and Unit
DW Dry or Wet Weight
EDES Experimental Design
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Header Abbreviations Associated Field Name
EFCT Effect
EFCT% Effect Percent
ENDPT Endpoint Assigned
ETIME Exposure Duration
FO Chemical Formulation
GEO Geographic Term
HABCODE Habitat Term
HABITAT Habitat
INTAKE Intake Rate and Unit
ION Ionic Fraction
LAT Latitude
LD Percent Lipid
LIFESTG/ AGE Lifestage/Age
LOC Test Location
LONG Longitude
MEDIA Media Type
MOIST Media Moisture
MSMT Effect Measurement
OCHAR Organism Comment
OEF Other Effects
OM Media Organic Matter
OTIME Observation Time
PC, CARRIER Chemical Name, Type
pH Media pH
RADIO Chemical Radiolabel
RSITE Response Site
RVALUE / RUNIT Observed Response Value/ Unit
SAMPN/ NUNIT Sample Number and Unit
SEX Gender
SIGNIF Statistical Significance
SOIL Soil Type
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Header Abbreviations Associated Field Name
SOURCE Organism Source
STIME Study Duration
STST Steady State
STYPE Study Type
TEMP Temperature
TEXTURE Soil Texture
TREND Effect Trend
TYPE Exposure Type
TMETH Test Method
WTAT Weight at Time of Result
WTINT Initial Body Weight
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13. APPENDIX H: DELIMITED OUTPUT HEADER NAMES
13.1. Aquatic Report Output Fields
A forward slash (/) within a field refers to an associated comment in a separate field.
Users should refer to the full publication for proper interpretation.
Note: OP = Operator (>, >=, <. =<, =)
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Alk. (7 fields) Alkalinity Mean Op Alkalinity Mean Operator
Alkalinity Mean Alkalinity Mean Value
Alkalinity Min Op Alkalinity Minimum Operator
Alkalinity Min Alkalinity Minimum Value
Alkalinity Max Op Alkalinity Maximum Operator
Alkalinity Max Alkalinity Maximum Value
Alkalinity Units Alkalinity Units
Appl. Date Application Date Application Date
Appl. Freq. (7 fields) Application Frequency Mean Op Application Frequency Mean Operator
Application Frequency Mean Application Frequency Mean Value
Application Frequency Min Op Application Frequency Minimum Operator
Application Frequency Min Application Frequency Minimum Value
Application Frequency Max Op Application Frequency Maximum
Operator
Application Frequency Max Application Frequency Maximum Value
Application Frequency Unit Application Frequency Unit
Appl. Rate (2 fields) Application Rate Application Rate
Application Rate Units Application Rate Units
Appl. Seas. (2 fields) Application Season
Application Season Description
Application Season
Application Season Description
Appl. Type Application Type Application Type
Author Author Author
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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
BCF (21 fields)
Note: The Concentration
Type determines the
fraction measured in BCF 1
and BCF 2.
BCF 1 Value Op First Bioconcentration Factor Mean
Operator
BCF 1 Value First Bioconcentration Factor Mean Value
BCF 1 Min Op First Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Operator
BCF 1 Min First Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Value
BCF 1 Max Op First Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Operator
BCF 1 Max First Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Value
BCF 1 Unit First Bioconcentration Factor Unit
BCF 2 Value Op Second Bioconcentration Factor Mean
Operator
BCF 2 Value Second Bioconcentration Factor Mean
BCF 2 Min Op Second Bioconcentration Factor
Minimum Operator
BCF 2 Min Second Bioconcentration Factor
Minimum Value
BCF 2 Max Op Second Bioconcentration Factor
Maximum Operator
BCF 2 Max Second Bioconcentration Factor
Maximum Value
BCF 2 Unit Second Bioconcentration Factor
Unit
BCF 3 Value Op Third Bioconcentration Factor Mean
Operator
BCF 3 Value Third Bioconcentration Factor Mean
BCF 3 Min Op Third Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Operator
BCF 3 Min Third Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Value
BCF 3 Max Op Third Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Operator
BCF 3 Max Third Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Value
BCF 3 Unit Third Bioconcentration Factor Unit
71
ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Calcium (7 fields) Calcium Mean Op Calcium Mean Operator
Calcium Mean Calcium Mean Value
Calcium Min Op Calcium Minimum Operator
Calcium Min Calcium Minimum Value
Calcium Max Op Calcium Maximum Operator
Calcium Max Calcium Maximum Value
Calcium Units Calcium Units
CAS # CAS Number Test Chemical Abstract Services Registry
Number
Chem. DTXSID Chemical DTXSID Test Chemical DSSTox Substance
Identifier
Chem. Anal. Chemical Analysis Chemical Analysis
Chemical Carrier Chemical Carrier Contains all carriers (up to three) and all
the associated information (CAS
#|Chemical Name|Chemical
Grade|Chemical Formulation|Chemical
Radiolabel|Chemical
Characteristics|Chemical Purity).
Chem. Comment Chemical Comment Test Chemical Comment
Chem. Form. Chemical Formulation Chemical Formulation
Chem. Grade Chemical Grade Chemical Grade
Chem. Half Life (7 fields) Half-Life Mean OP Half-Life Mean Operator
Half-Life Mean Half-Life Mean
Half-Life Min OP Half-Life Minimum Operator
Half-Life Min Half-Life Minimum
Half-Life Max OP Half-Life Maximum Operator
Half-Life Max Half-Life Maximum
Half-Life Unit Half-Life Unit
Chemical Chemical Name Chemical Name
Chem. Pur. (6 Fields) Chemical Purity Mean OP Chemical Purity Mean Operator
Chemical Purity Mean (%) Chemical Purity Mean
Chemical Purity Min OP Chemical Purity Minimum Operator
Chemical Purity Min (%) Chemical Purity Minimum
Chemical Purity Max OP Chemical Purity Maximum Operator
Chemical Purity Max (%) Chemical Purity Maximum
72
ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Chem. Radiolabel Chemical Radiolabel Chemical Radiolabel
Chlorine Chlorine Mean OP Chlorine Mean Operator
Chlorine Mean Chlorine Mean
Chlorine Min OP Chlorine Minimum Operator
Chlorine Min Chlorine Minimum
Chlorine Max OP Chlorine Maximum Operator
Chlorine Max Chlorine Max
Chlorine Units Chlorine Units
Conc (48 fields) (Author) or
(Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Mean Op First Concentration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Mean First Concentration Mean Value (Author)
or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Min Op First Concentration Minimum Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Min First Concentration Minimum Value
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Max Op First Concentration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Max First Concentration Maximum Value
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 1 Type First Concentration Type (Author) or
(Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 2 Mean Op Third Concentration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 2 Mean Third Concentration Mean Value (Author)
or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 2 Min Op Third Concentration Minimum (Author) or
(Standardized - mg/L) Operator
Conc 2 Min Third Concentration Minimum Value
Conc 2 Max Op Third Concentration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 2 Max Third Concentration Maximum Value
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 2 Type Third Concentration Type (Author) or
(Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 3 Mean Op Third Concentration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Conc 3 Mean Third Concentration Mean Value (Author)
or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 3 Min Op Third Concentration Minimum (Author) or
(Standardized - mg/L) Operator
Conc 3 Min Third Concentration Minimum Value
Conc 3 Max Op Third Concentration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 3 Max Third Concentration Maximum Value
(Author) or (Standardized - mg/L)
Conc 3 Type Third Concentration Type (Author) or
(Standardized - mg/L)
Control Control Control
Conductiv. (7 fields) Conductivity Mean Op Conductivity Mean Operator
Conductivity Mean Conductivity Mean Value
Conductivity Min Op Conductivity Minimum Operator
Conductivity Min Conductivity Minimum Value
Conductivity Max Op Conductivity Maximum Operator
Conductivity Max Conductivity Maximum Value
Conductivity Units Conductivity Units
D.O. (7 fields) Dissolved Oxygen Mean Op Dissolved Oxygen Mean Operator
Dissolved Oxygen Mean Dissolved Oxygen Mean Value
Dissolved Oxygen Min Op Dissolved Oxygen Minimum Operator
Dissolved Oxygen Min Dissolved Oxygen Minimum Value
Dissolved Oxygen Max Op Dissolved Oxygen Maximum Operator
Dissolved Oxygen Max Dissolved Oxygen Maximum Value
Dissolved Oxygen Units Dissolved Oxygen Units
Dissolved Inorganic
Carbon (7 fields)
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Mean Op
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Mean
Operator
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Mean
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Mean Value
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Min Op
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Minimum
Operator
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Min
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Minimum
Value
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Max Op
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Maximum
Operator
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Max
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Maximum
Value
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Units
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Units
Doses Doses Doses
Effect Effect Effect
Effect Meas. Effect Measurement Effect Measurement
Eff. Percent (6 fields) Effect Percent Mean Op Effect Percent Mean Value Operator
Effect Percent Mean Effect Percent Mean Value
Effect Percent Min Op Effect Percent Minimum Value Operator
Effect Percent Min Effect Percent Minimum Value
Effect Percent Max Op Effect Percent Maximum Value Operator
Effect Percent Max Effect Percent Maximum Value
Endpoint Endpoint Endpoint
Endpoint Assign. Endpoint Assignment Endpoint Assignment
EE Comment EE Comment Effect Endpoint (EE) Comment
Exp. Design Experimental Design Experimental Design Comment
Exp. Dur. (14 fields)
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Mean Op Exposure Duration Mean Operator
Exposure Duration Mean Exposure Duration Mean Value
Exposure Duration Min Op Exposure Duration Minimum Operator
Exposure Duration Min Exposure Duration Minimum Value
Exposure Duration Max Op Exposure Duration Maximum Operator
Exposure Duration Max Exposure Duration Maximum Value
Exposure Duration Units Exposure Duration Units
Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number
Exp. Type Exposure Type Exposure Type
General Comments General Comments General Comments
Geog. Loc Geographic Location Geographic Location
Geog. Term (2 fields) Geographic Term Geographic Term
Geographic Term Description Geographic Term Description
Gender Gender Gender
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Habitat Habitat Habitat
Hardness (mg/L) (7 fields) Hardness Mean Op Hardness Mean Operator
Hardness Mean Hardness Mean Value
Hardness Min Op Hardness Minimum Operator
Hardness Min Hardness Minimum Value
Hardness Max Op Hardness Maximum Operator
Hardness Max Hardness Maximum Value
Hardness Units Hardness Units
Humic Acid (mg/L) (7 fields) Humic Acid Mean Op Humic Acid Mean Operator
Humic Acid Mean Humic Acid Mean Value
Humic Acid Min Op Humic Acid Minimum Operator
Humic Acid Min Humic Acid Minimum Value
Humic Acid Max Op Humic Acid Maximum Operator
Humic Acid Max Humic Acid Maximum Value
Humic Acid Units Humic Acid Units
Intake Rate (7 Fields) Intake Rate Mean Op Intake Rate Mean Operator
Intake Rate Mean Intake Rate Mean Value
Intake Rate Min Op Intake Rate Minimum Operator
Intake Rate Min Intake Rate Minimum Value
Intake Rate Max Op Intake Rate Maximum Operator
Intake Rate Max Intake Rate Maximum Value
Intake Rate Units Intake Rate Units
Ion (3 fields) Ionic Fraction 1 Ionic Fraction 1
Ionic Fraction 2 Ionic Fraction 2
Ionic Fraction 3 Ionic Fraction 3
Lat/Long Latitude/Longitude Latitude/Longitude
Magnesium (mg/L) (7 fields) Magnesium Mean Op Magnesium Mean Operator
Magnesium Mean Magnesium Mean Value
Magnesium Min Op Magnesium Minimum Operator
Magnesium Min Magnesium Minimum Value
Magnesium Max Op Magnesium Maximum Operator
Magnesium Max Magnesium Maximum Value
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Magnesium Units Magnesium Units
Media Type Media Type Media Type
Number of Doses Number of Doses Number of Doses
Number of Replicates Number of Replicates Number of Replicates
Obs. Dur. (14 fields)
(Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Mean Op Observed Duration Mean Operator
Observed Duration Mean Observed Duration Mean Value
Observed Duration Min Op Observed Duration Minimum Operator
Observed Duration Min Observed Duration Minimum Value
Observed Duration Max Op Observed Duration Maximum Operator
Observed Duration Max Observed Duration Maximum Value
Observed Duration Units Observed Duration Units
Org. Carb. Type
Value (8 fields)
Organic Carbon Mean Op Organic Carbon Mean Operator
Organic Carbon Mean Organic Carbon Mean Value
Organic Carbon Min Op Organic Carbon Minimum Operator
Organic Carbon Min Organic Carbon Minimum Value
Organic Carbon Max Op Organic Carbon Maximum Operator
Organic Carbon Max Organic Carbon Maximum
Organic Carbon Units Organic Carbon Units
Organic Carbon Type Organic Carbon Type
Org. Age (7 fields) Organism Age Mean Op Organism Age Mean Operator
Organism Age Mean Organism Age Mean
Organism Age Min Op Organism Age Minimum Operator
Organism Age Min Organism Age Minimum
Organism Age Max Op Organism Age Maximum Operator
Organism Age Max Organism Age Maximum
Age Units Age Units
Org. Comment Organism Comment Organism Comment
Species Final Weight (7
fields)
Species Final Weight Mean
Op
Species Final Weight Mean Operator
Species Final Weight Mean Species Final Weight Mean
Species Final Weight Min Op Species Final Weight Minimum Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Species Final Weight Min Species Final Weight Minimum
Species Final Weight Max Op Species Final Weight Maximum Operator
Species Final Weight Max Species Final Weight Maximum
Species Final Weight Units Species Final Weight Units
Organism Initial Length (8
fields)
Organism Initial Length Mean
Op
Organism Initial Length Mean Operator
Organism Initial Length Mean Organism Initial Length Mean
Organism Initial Length Min
Op
Organism Initial Length Minimum Operator
Organism Initial Length Min Organism Initial Length Minimum
Organism Initial Length Max
Op
Organism Initial Length Maximum
Operator
Organism Initial Length Max Organism Initial Length Max
Organism Initial Length Type Organism Initial Length Type
Organism Initial Length Units Organism Initial Length Units
Organism Initial Weight (7
fields)
Organism Initial Weight Mean
Op
Organism Initial Weight Mean Operator
Organism Initial Weight Mean Organism Initial Weight Mean
Organism Initial Weight Min
Op
Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Operator
Organism Initial Weight Min Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Organism Initial Weight Max
Op
Organism Initial Weight Maximum
Operator
Organism Initial Weight Max Organism Initial Weight Max
Organism Initial Weight Units Organism Initial Weight Units
Org. Lifestg. Organism Lifestage Organism Lifestage
Organism Source Organism Source Organism Source
Organism Strain Organism Strain Organism Strain
Other Effects Other Effects Other Effects
pH (6 fields) pH Mean Op pH Mean Operator
pH Mean pH Mean Value
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
pH Min Op pH Minimum Operator
pH Min pH Minimum Value
pH Max Op pH Maximum Operator
pH Max pH Maximum Value
Potassium (7 Fields) Potassium Mean Op Potassium Mean Operator
Potassium Mean Potassium Mean Value
Potassium Min Op Potassium Minimum Operator
Potassium Min Potassium Minimum Value
Potassium Max Op Potassium Maximum Operator
Potassium Max Potassium Maximum Value
Potassium Units Potassium Unit
Pub. Year Publication Year Publication Year
Ref # Reference Number ECOTOX Reference Number
Reference Citation (4 fields) Author Author
Title Title
Publication Year Publication Year
Source Source
Resp. Site Response Site Response Site
Result Comment Result Comment
Result Percent Lipid (6
Fields)
Result Percent Lipid Mean Op Result Percent Lipid Mean Operator
Result Percent Lipid Mean Result Percent Lipid Mean Value
Result Percent Lipid Min Op Result Percent Lipid Minimum Operator
Result Percent Lipid Min Result Percent Lipid Minimum Value
Result Percent Lipid Max Op Result Percent Lipid Maximum Operator
Result Percent Lipid Max Result Percent Lipid Maximum Value
Result Number Result Number
Result Sample Number and
Unit (7 fields)
Result Sample Number Mean
Op
Result Sample Number Mean Operator
Result Sample Number Mean Result Sample Number Mean Value
Result Sample Number Min Op Result Sample Number Minimum Operator
Result Sample Number Min Result Sample Number Minimum Value
Result Sample Number Max
Op
Result Sample Number Maximum
Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Result Sample Number
Max
Result Sample Number Maximum Value
Result Sample Unit Result Sample Number Unit
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight (7 fields)
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Mean Op
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Mean
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
Value
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Min Op
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Min
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Value
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Max Op
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Max
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight
Maximum Value
Dry/Wet Denotes dry or wet weight basis
for Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight
Salin. (7 fields) Salinity Mean Op Salinity Mean Operator
Salinity Mean Salinity Mean Value
Salinity Min Op Salinity Minimum Operator
Salinity Min Salinity Minimum Value
Salinity Max Op Salinity Maximum Operator
Salinity Max Salinity Maximum Value
Salinity Units Salinity Units
Sig. Level (6 fields) Significance Level Mean
Op
Significance Level Mean Operator
Significance Level Mean Significance Level Mean Value
Significance Level Min Op Significance Level Minimum
Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Significance Level Min Significance Level Minimum Value
Significance Level Max Significance Level Maximum Value
Significance Level Max Op Significance Level Maximum Operator
Sodium (7 fields) Sodium Mean Op Sodium Mean Operator
Sodium Mean Sodium Mean Value
Sodium Min Op Sodium Minimum Operator
Sodium Min Sodium Minimum Value
Sodium Max Op Sodium Maximum Operator
Sodium Max Sodium Maximum Value
Sodium Units Sodium Units
Spec. Common Name Species Common Name Species Common Name
Spec. Sci. Name Species Scientific Name Species Scientific Name
Species Group Species Group Species Group
Species Taxon Info. (10
fields)
Species Kingdom Species Kingdom
Species Phylum/Division Species Phylum/Division
Species Subphylum Species Subphylum
Species Superclass Species Superclass
Species Class Species Class
Species Order Species Order
Species Family Species Family
Species Genus Species Genus
Species Species
Variety Variety
Spec. Eco # Species ECOTOX Number Species ECOTOX Number
Spec. NCBI ID Species NCBI TaxID Species Taxonomy ID from NCBI
Stat. Signif. Statistical Significance Statistical Significance
Steady State Steady State
Study Duration (14 fields)
(Author) or (Days)
Study Duration Mean Op Study Duration Mean Operator
Study Duration Mean Study Duration Mean Value
Study Duration Min Op Study Duration Minimum Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Study Duration Min Study Duration Minimum Value
Study Duration Max Op Study Duration Maximum Operator
Study Duration Max Study Duration Maximum Value
Study Duration Units Study Duration Units
Study Type Study Type Study Type
Sub-Habitat (3 fields) Sub-Habitat Sub-Habitat Term
Sub-Habitat Description Sub-Habitat Description
Sub-Habitat Comment Sub-Habitat Comment
Substr. Term Substrate Term (field only) Substrate Term (field only)
Substr. Comments Substrate Comment (field only) Substrate Comment (field only)
Sulfate (7 fields) Sulfate Mean Op Sulfate Mean Operator
Sulfate Mean Sulfate Mean Value
Sulfate Min Op Sulfate Minimum Operator
Sulfate Min Sulfate Minimum Value
Sulfate Max Op Sulfate Maximum Operator
Sulfate Max Sulfate Maximum Value
Sulfate Units Sulfate Unit
Sulfur (7 fields) Sulfur Mean Op Sulfur Mean Operator
Sulfur Mean Sulfur Mean Value
Sulfur Min Op Sulfur Minimum Operator
Sulfur Min Sulfur Minimum Value
Sulfur Max Op Sulfur Maximum Operator
Sulfur Max Sulfur Maximum Value
Sulfur Units Sulfur Units
Temperature (7 fields) Temperature Mean Op Temperature Mean Operator
Temperature Mean Temperature Mean Value
Temperature Min Op Temperature Minimum Operator
Temperature Min Temperature Minimum Value
Temperature Max Op Temperature Maximum Operator
Temperature Max Temperature Maximum Value
Temperature Units Temperature Units
Test # Test Number Test Number
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition
Test Location Test Location Test Location
Test Method Test Method Test Method
Test Type Test Type Test Type
Title Title Title of the Publication
Trend Trend Trend
Water Depth (7 fields) Water Depth Mean Op Water Depth Mean Operator
Water Depth Mean Water Depth Mean Value
Water Depth Min Op Water Depth Minimum Operator
Water Depth Min Water Depth Minimum Value
Water Depth Max Op Water Depth Maximum Operator
Water Depth Max Water Depth Maximum Value
Water Depth Units Water Depth Units
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
13.2. Terrestrial Delimited Report Output Fields
A forward slash (/) within a field refers to an associated comment in a separate field.
Users should review the full publication for proper interpretation.
Note: OP = operator (>, >=, <. =<, =)
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Appl. Date Application Date
Appl. Freq. (7 fields) Application Frequency Mean
Op
Application Frequency Mean Operator
Application Frequency Mean Application Frequency Mean Value
Application Frequency Min Op Application Frequency
Minimum Operator
Application Frequency Min Application Frequency Minimum Value
Application Frequency Max
Op
Application Frequency
Maximum Operator
Application Frequency Max Application Frequency Maximum Value
Application Frequency Unit Application Frequency Unit
Appl. Rate (2 fields) Application Rate Application Rate
Application Rate Units Application Rate Units
Appl. Seas. (2 fields) Application Season Application Season
Application Season
Description
Application Season
Description
Application Type Application Type Application Type
Application Type
Description
Application Type Description
Author Author Author
BCF/BAF (8 fields)
** BCF/BAF values are
located in “Observed
Response Mean” field in
the Excel/Delimited
reports**
Observed Response Mean Op Bioconcentration Factor Mean Operator
Observed Response Mean Bioconcentration Factor Mean Value
Observed Response Min Op Bioconcentration Factor
Minimum Operator
Observed Response Min Bioconcentration Factor Minimum Value
Observed Response Max Op Bioconcentration Factor
Maximum Operator
Observed Response Max Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Value
Observed Response Value Bioconcentration Factor Value
Observed Response Units Bioconcentration Factor Units
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
CAS # CAS Number Test Chemical Abstracts Service Registry
Number
Chem. DTXSID Chemical DTXSID Test Chemical DSSTox Substance
Identifier
Chemical Carrier Chemical Carrier Contains all carriers (up to three) and all
the associated information (CAS
#|Chemical Name|Chemical
Grade|Chemical Formulation|Chemical
Radiolabel|Chemical
Characteristics|Chemical Purity).
Chem. Anal. Chemical Analysis Method Chemical Analysis Method
Chem. Comment Chemical Comment Test Chemical Comment
Chem. Grade Chemical Grade Test Chemical Grade
Chem. Form. Chemical Formulation Test Chemical Formulation
Chemical Name Chemical Name Test Chemical Name
Chemical Purity (6 fields) Chemical Purity Max Op Chemical Purity Maximum Operator
Chemical Purity Max(%) Chemical Purity Maximum Percentage
Chemical Purity Mean Op Chemical Purity Mean Operator
Chemical Purity Mean(%) Chemical Purity Mean Percentage
Chemical Purity Min Op Chemical Purity Minimum Operator
Chemical Purity Min(%) Chemical Purity Minimum Percentage
Chem. Radiolabel Chemical Radiolabel Test Chemical Radiolabel
Chem. Half Life (7 fields) Chemical Half Life Mean OP Chemical Half Life Mean Operator
Chemical Half Life Mean Chemical Half Life Mean
Chemical Half Life Min Op Chemical Half Life Minimum Operator
Chemical Half Life Min Chemical Half Life Minimum
Chemical Half Life Max Op Chemical Half Life Maximum Operator
Chemical Half Life Max Chemical Half Life Maximum
Half Life Unit Chemical Half Life Unit
Conc (24 fields) (Author)
[Excel and Delimited only]
Conc 1 Mean Op (Author) Concentration 1 Mean Operator
Conc 1 Mean (Author) Concentration 1 Mean Value
Conc 1 Min Op (Author) Concentration 1 Minimum Operator
Conc Min 1 (Author) Concentration 1 Minimum Value
Conc 1 Max Op (Author) Concentration 1 Maximum Operator
Conc 1 Max (Author) Concentration 1 Maximum Value
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Conc 1 Units (Author) Concentration 1 Units
Conc 1 Type (Author) Concentration 1 Type
Conc 2 Mean Op (Author) Concentration 2 Mean Operator
Conc 2 Mean (Author) Concentration 2 Mean Value
Conc 2 Min Op (Author) Concentration 2 Minimum Operator
Conc Min 2 (Author) Concentration 2 Minimum Value
Conc 2 Max Op (Author) Concentration 2 Maximum Operator
Conc 2 Max (Author) Concentration 2 Maximum Value
Conc 2 Units (Author) Concentration 2 Units
Conc 2 Type (Author) Concentration 2 Type
Conc 3 Mean Op (Author) Concentration 3 Mean Operator
Conc 3 Mean (Author) Concentration 3 Mean Value
Conc 3 Min Op (Author) Concentration 3 Minimum Operator
Conc Min 3 (Author) Concentration 3 Minimum Value
Conc 3 Max Op (Author) Concentration 3 Maximum Operator
Conc 3 Max (Author) Concentration 3 Maximum Value
Conc 3 Units (Author) Concentration 3 Units
Conc 3 Type (Author) Concentration 3 Type
Dose (7 fields) Dose Mean Op Dose Mean Operator
Dose Mean Dose Mean Value
Dose Min Op Dose Minimum Operator
Dose Min Dose Minimum Value
Dose Max Op Dose Maximum Operator
Dose Max Dose Maximum Value
Dose Units Dose Units
Control Control Control
EE Comment EE Comment Effect Endpoint (EE) Comment
Effect Effect Effect
Effect Meas. Effect Measurement Effect Measurement
Eff. Percent (6 fields) Effect Percent Mean Op Effect Percent Mean Value Operator
Effect Percent Mean Effect Percent Mean Value
Effect Percent Min Op Effect Percent Minimum Value Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Effect Percent Min Effect Percent Minimum Value
Effect Percent Max Op Effect Percent Maximum Value Operator
Effect Percent Max Effect Percent Maximum Value
Endpoint Endpoint Endpoint
Endpoint Assign. Endpoint Assignment Endpoint Assignment
Experimental Design Experimental Design Experimental Design Comment
Exp. Type Exposure Type Exposure Type
Exposure Comment Exposure Comment Exposure Comment
Exp. Dur (14 fields) (Author
or Days)
Exposure Duration Mean Op Exposure Duration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Mean Exposure Duration Mean Value (Author)
or (Days)
Exposure Duration Min Op Exposure Duration Minimum Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Min Exposure Duration Minimum Value
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Max Op Exposure Duration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Max Exposure Duration Maximum Value
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Unit (Author) or (Days)
Exp. Sample Number (6
fields)
Exposure Sample Number
Mean Op
Exposure Sample Number Mean Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number
Mean
Exposure Sample Number Mean Value
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Min
Op
Exposure Sample Number Minimum
Operator (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Min Exposure Sample Number Minimum
Value (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number
Max Op
Exposure Sample Number Maximum
Operator (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number
Max
Exposure Sample Number Maximum
Value (Author) or (Days)
Gender Gender Gender
Gen. Comments General Comments General Comments
Geographic Location Geographic Location Geographic Location
Geographic Term (2 fields) Geographic Term Geographic Term
Geographic Term Description Geographic Term Description
Habitat Habitat Habitat
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Intake Rate (7 Fields) Intake Rate Mean Op Intake Rate Mean Operator
Intake Rate Mean Intake Rate Mean Value
Intake Rate Min Op Intake Rate Minimum Operator
Intake Rate Min Intake Rate Minimum Value
Intake Rate Max Op Intake Rate Maximum Operator
Intake Rate Max Intake Rate Maximum Value
Intake Rate Units Intake Rate Units
Ion (3 fields) Ionic Fraction 1 Ionic Fraction 1
Ionic Fraction 2 Ionic Fraction 2
Ionic Fraction 3 Ionic Fraction 3
Lat/Long (2 fields) Latitude Latitude
Longitude Longitude
Media CEC (7 fields) Media CEC Mean Op Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Mean Operator
Media CEC Mean Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Mean Value
Media CEC Min Op Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Minimum Operator
Media CEC Min Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Minimum Value
Media CEC Max Op Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Maximum Operator
Media CEC Max Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Maximum Value
Media CEC Units Media Cation Exchange Capacity Units
Media Moist. (6 fields) Media Moisture Mean Op(%) Media Moisture Mean Operator
Media Moisture Mean(%) Media Moisture Mean Value Percent
Media Moisture Min Op(%) Media Moisture Minimum Operator
Media Moisture Min(%) Media Moisture Minimum Value Percent
Media Moisture Max Op(%) Media Moisture Maximum Operator
Media Moisture Max(%) Media Moisture Maximum Value Percent
Media Orgnc. Mat. (8 fields) Media Organic Matter Mean
Op
Media Organic Matter Mean Operator
Media Organic Matter Mean Media Organic Matter Mean Value
Media Organic Matter Min Op Media Organic Matter Minimum Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Media Organic Matter Min Media Organic Matter Minimum Value
Media Organic Matter Max Op Media Organic Matter Maximum Operator
Media Organic Matter Max Media Organic Matter Maximum Value
Media Organic Matter Type Media Organic Matter Type
Media Organic Matter Units Media Organic Matter Units
Media Type Media Type Media Type
Number of Replicates Number of Replicates Number of Replicates
Observed Duration (14
fields) (Author or Days)
Observed Duration Mean Op Observation Duration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Mean Observation Duration Mean Value
(Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Min Op Observation Duration Minimum
Operator (Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Min Observation Duration Minimum Value
(Author) or (Days))
Observed Duration Max Op Observation Duration Maximum
(Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Max Observation Duration Maximum
Value (Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Unit (Author) or (Days)
Observed Response (8
Fields)
* Includes Terrestrial
bioconcentration factor
(BCF) and bioaccumulation
factor data (BAF)
Observed Response Mean Op Observed Response Mean
Operator
Observed Response Mean Observed Response Mean Value
Observed Response Min Op Observed Response Minimum Operator
Observed Response Min Observed Response Minimum Value
Observed Response Max Op Observed Response Maximum Operator
Observed Response Max Observed Response Maximum Value
Observed Response Value Bioconcentration Factor Value
Number of Doses Number of Doses Number of Doses
Org. Comment Organism Comment Organism Comment
Org. Age (7 fields) Organism Age Mean OP Organism Age Mean Operator
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Organism Age Mean Organism Age Mean
Organism Age Min OP Organism Age Minimum Operator
Organism Age Min Organism Age Minimum
Organism Age Max OP Organism Age Maximum Operator
Organism Age Max Organism Age Maximum
Organism Age Units Organism Age Units
Org. Comment Organism Comment Organism Comment
Organism Initial Length (8
fields)
Organism Initial Length Max Organism Initial Length Maximum
Organism Initial Length Max
Op
Organism Initial Length Maximum
Operator
Organism Initial Length Mean Organism Initial Length Mean
Organism Initial Length Mean
Op
Organism Initial Length Mean Operator
Organism Initial Length Min Organism Initial Length Minimum
Organism Initial Length Min Op Organism Initial Length Minimum
Operator
Organism Initial Length Type Organism Initial Length Type
Organism Initial Length Units Organism Initial Length Units
Org. Init. Wt. (7 fields) Organism Initial Weight Mean
OP
Organism Initial Weight Mean Operator
Organism Initial Weight Mean Organism Initial Weight Mean
Organism Initial Weight Min
OP
Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Operator
Organism Initial Weight Min Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Organism Initial Weight Max
OP
Organism Initial Weight Maximum
Operator
Organism Initial Weight Max Organism Initial Weight Maximum
Organism Initial Weight Units Organism Initial Weight Units
Org. Lifestg. Organism Lifestage Organism Lifestage
Org. Source Organism Source Organism Source
Organism Strain Organism Strain Organism Strain
Other Effects Other Effects Other Effects
Ref. # Reference Number ECOTOX Reference Number
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ECOTOX 5.6 User Guide
Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Reference Citation (4
fields)
Click on “References”
to obtain full citation
Author Author
Title Title
Publication Year Publication Year
Source Source
Resp. Site Response Site Response Site
Result Comment Result Comment Result Comment
Result % Dry/Wet Weight
(7 fields)
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Mean OP
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Mean
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Min OP
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Min
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Max OP
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet
Weight Max
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Media Measurement
(wet/dry)
Denotes dry or wet weight basis for Result
% Dry/Wet Weight
Result % Lipid (6 fields) Result Percent Lipid Max Result Percent Lipid Maximum
Result Percent Lipid Max Op Result Percent Lipid Maximum Operator
Result Percent Lipid Mean Result Percent Lipid Mean
Result Percent Lipid Mean Op Result Percent Lipid Mean Operator
Result Percent Lipid Min Result Percent Lipid Minimum
Result Percent Lipid Min Op Result Percent Lipid Minimum Operator
Result Rec. Num. Result Record Number Result (Record) Number
Result Sample Number
and Unit (7 fields)
Result Sample Number Mean
Op
Result Sample Number Mean Operator
Result Sample Number Mean Result Sample Number Mean Value
Result Sample Number Min Op Result Sample Number Minimum
Operator
Result Sample Number Min Result Sample Number Minimum Value
Result Sample Number Max Op Result Sample Number Maximum
Operator
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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Result Sample Number
Max
Result Sample Number Maximum Value
Result Sample Unit Result Sample Number Unit
Result Statistical Method Result Statistical Method Result Statistical Method
Sig. Level (6 fields) Significance Level Max Significance Level Maximum
Significance Level Max Op Significance Level Maximum Operator
Significance Level Mean Significance Level Mean
Significance Level Mean Op Significance Level Mean Operator
Significance Level Min Significance Level Minimum
Significance Level Min Op Significance Level Minimum Operator
Soil Dose Meas. Soil Dose Measured Soil Does Measured
Soil Clay % (6 fields) Soil Clay Percent Mean Op Soil Clay Percent Mean Operator
Soil Clay Percent Mean Soil Clay Percent Mean Value
Soil Clay Percent Min Op Soil Clay Percent Minimum Operator
Soil Clay Percent Min Soil Clay Percent Minimum Value
Soil Clay Percent Max Op Soil Clay Percent Maximum Operator
Soil Clay Percent Max Soil Clay Percent Maximum Value
Soil Sand % (6 fields) Soil Sand Percent Mean Op Soil Sand Percent Mean Operator
Soil Sand Percent Mean Soil Sand Percent Mean Value
Soil Sand Percent Min Op Soil Sand Percent Minimum Operator
Soil Sand Percent Min Soil Sand Percent Minimum Value
Soil Sand Percent Max Op Soil Sand Percent Maximum Operator
Soil Sand Percent Max Soil Sand Percent Maximum Value
Soil Silt % (6 fields) Soil Silt Percent Mean Op Soil Silt Percent Mean Operator
Soil Silt Percent Mean Soil Silt Percent Mean Value
Soil Silt Percent Min Op Soil Silt Percent Minimum Operator
Soil Silt Percent Min Soil Silt Percent Minimum Value
Soil Silt Percent Max Op Soil Silt Percent Maximum Operator
Soil Silt Percent Max Soil Silt Percent Maximum Value
Soil pH (6 fields) Soil pH Mean Op Soil pH Mean Operator
Soil pH Mean Soil pH Mean Value
Soil pH Min Op Soil pH Minimum Operator
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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Soil pH Min Soil pH Minimum Value
Soil pH Max Op Soil pH Maximum Operator
Soil pH Max Soil pH Maximum Value
Soil Type Soil Type Soil Type
Source Source Bibliographic Source
Spec. Common Name Species Common Name Species Common Name
Study Type Study Type Study Type
Org. Final Wt (7 fields) Species Final Weight Mean Op Species Final Weight Mean Operator
Species Final Weight Mean Species Final Weight Mean
Species Final Weight Min Op Species Final Weight Minimum Operator
Species Final Weight Min Species Final Weight Minimum
Species Final Weight Max Op Species Final Weight Maximum Operator
Species Final Weight Max Species Final Weight Maximum
Species Final Weight Units Species Final Weight Units
Species Group Species Group Species Group
Species Taxon Info. (10
fields)
Species Kingdom Species Kingdom
Species Phylum/Division Species Phylum/Division
Species Sub phylum Species Sub phylum
Species Superclass Species Superclass
Species Class Species Class
Species Order Species Order
Species Family Species Family
Species Genus Species Genus
Species Species
Variety Variety
Spec. Eco # Species ECOTOX Number Species ECOTOX Number
Spec. NCBI ID Species NCBI TaxID Species Taxonomy ID from NCBI
Spec. Sci. Name Species Scientific Name Species Scientific Name
Statistical Significance (2
fields)
Statistical Significance Statistical Significance
Statistical Significance
Description
Statistical Significance Description
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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition
Steady State Steady State Steady State
Study Duration (14 fields)
(Author) or (Days)
Study Mean Op Study Duration Mean Operator
Study Mean Study Duration Mean Value
Study Min Op Study Duration Minimum Operator
Study Min Study Duration Minimum Value
Study Max Op Study Duration Maximum Operator
Study Max Study Duration Maximum Value
Study Duration Unit Study Duration Units
Sub-Habitat (3 fields) Sub-Habitat Sub-Habitat Term
Sub-Habitat Description Sub-Habitat Description
Sub-Habitat Comment Sub-Habitat Comment
Substr. Term Substrate Term (field only) Substrate Term (field only)
Substr. Comments Substrate Comment (field only) Substrate Comments (field only)
Temperature (7 fields) Temperature Mean Op Temperature Mean Operator
Temperature Mean Temperature Mean Value
Temperature Min Op Temperature Minimum Operator
Temperature Min Temperature Minimum Value
Temperature Max Op Temperature Maximum Operator
Temperature Max Temperature Maximum Value
Temperature Units Temperature Units
Test Comments Test Comments Test Comments
Test Loc. Test Location Test Location
Test # Test Number Test Number
Test Method Test Method Test Method
Test Type Test Type Test Type
Trend Trend Trend
Title Title Title of Publication
Pub. Year Year Publication Year