ECOTOX 5.

5 User Guide

EPA/600/R-22/217

ECOTOX
ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase System
User Guide – Version 5.5

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

August 2022
 ECOTOX 5.5 User Guide

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 the ECOTOX
Knowledgebase 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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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.
Researchers or managers using ECOTOX for analyses or summary projects
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

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
GETTING STARTED .............................................................................................................. 2
Access.................................................................................................................................. 2
Navigating within ECOTOX ................................................................................................. 2
Home ................................................................................................................................ 2
Search .............................................................................................................................. 3
Explore ............................................................................................................................. 3
OVERVIEW OF SEARCH OPTIONS FOR DATA IN ECOTOX ............................................ 5
Search Strategy Basics ....................................................................................................... 5
Overview of Search and Explore Pages ............................................................................. 6
Moving Within Pages and Target Menu .......................................................................... 6
Selection Box and Types ................................................................................................. 6
Key Functions .................................................................................................................. 6
Options for Searching in ECOTOX ................................................................................. 7
ECOTOX DATA SEARCHES ............................................................................................... 11
USING ‘SEARCH’ TO LOCATE DATA ............................................................................. 11
Chemical Searches ........................................................................................................... 11
Chemical Entry ............................................................................................................... 12
Predefined Chemical Groups ........................................................................................ 12
Search Tips for Chemicals ............................................................................................ 12
Search by Effect Measurements ....................................................................................... 13
Search by Endpoints ......................................................................................................... 14
Search by Taxonomy......................................................................................................... 14
Taxonomic Entry ............................................................................................................ 15
Predefined Species Groups........................................................................................... 15
Search Tips for Taxonomic Searches ........................................................................... 16
Search by Test Conditions ................................................................................................ 17
Test Location .................................................................................................................. 17
Exposure Media ............................................................................................................. 17
Exposure Type ............................................................................................................... 17
Control Type ................................................................................................................... 17
Chemical Analysis .......................................................................................................... 18
Duration .......................................................................................................................... 18
Search by Publication Options .......................................................................................... 19
Publication Year(s)......................................................................................................... 19
Author(s) ......................................................................................................................... 19
Reference Number......................................................................................................... 19
Independently Compiled Data ....................................................................................... 19
Recent Modifications and Additions .............................................................................. 19
Output and Report Format Options................................................................................... 20
Display Fields ................................................................................................................. 21
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USING ‘EXPLORE’ TO LOCATE DATA ........................................................................... 21

Explore by Chemical.......................................................................................................... 21
Predefined and Custom Chemical Groups ................................................................... 21
Refining/Filtering data using Query filters ..................................................................... 23
Data Visualization Plots ................................................................................................. 23
Explore by Species ............................................................................................................ 23
Predefined and Custom Species Groups...................................................................... 23
Refining/Filtering data using Query filters ..................................................................... 25
Data Visualization Plots ................................................................................................. 25
Explore by Effects .............................................................................................................. 25
Predefined and Custom Effects Groups ....................................................................... 25
Refining/Filtering data using Query filters ..................................................................... 27
Data Visualization Plots ................................................................................................. 27
Exporting Data in Explore.................................................................................................. 27
EXITING ECOTOX ................................................................................................................ 28
APPENDIX A: ECOTOX SEARCH PLANNING FORM ....................................................... 29
Chemicals .......................................................................................................................... 29
Species .............................................................................................................................. 30
Test Results ....................................................................................................................... 30
Test Conditions .................................................................................................................. 31
Publications........................................................................................................................ 31
Report Output .................................................................................................................... 32
APPENDIX B: PRACTICE SEARCHES ............................................................................... 34
Example A .......................................................................................................................... 34
Example B .......................................................................................................................... 34
Example C ......................................................................................................................... 35
Example D ......................................................................................................................... 35
ADDITIONAL SEARCH and EXPLORE EXAMPLES ...................................................... 36
APPENDIX C: ECOTOX KNOWLEDGEBASE OVERVIEW ............................................... 39
Data Sources ..................................................................................................................... 39
Quality Assurance.............................................................................................................. 40
Test and Result Identification ............................................................................................ 40
Aquatic Data Elements ...................................................................................................... 41
Terrestrial Data Elements.................................................................................................. 41
References ......................................................................................................................... 42
APPENDIX D: SPECIES AND CHEMICAL VERIFICATION ............................................... 43
Species Verification ........................................................................................................... 43
Predefined Special Interest Sources ................................................................................ 44
Chemical Verification ......................................................................................................... 45
APPENDIX E: ECOTOX DATA FIELD DESCRIPTIONS .................................................... 46
Bibliographic Fields ........................................................................................................... 46
Author ............................................................................................................................. 46
Reference Number......................................................................................................... 46
Title ................................................................................................................................. 46
Source ............................................................................................................................ 46
Publication Year ............................................................................................................. 46

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Reference Citation ......................................................................................................... 46

Chemical Fields ................................................................................................................. 46
CAS Number .................................................................................................................. 46
Chemical Name.............................................................................................................. 46
Chemical DTXSID .......................................................................................................... 46
Chemical Grade ............................................................................................................. 46
Chemical Purity .............................................................................................................. 47
Chemical Formulation .................................................................................................... 47
Chemical Comment ....................................................................................................... 47
Chemical Radiolabel ...................................................................................................... 47
Chemical Carrier ............................................................................................................ 47
Species Fields ................................................................................................................... 47
Species ECOTOX Number ............................................................................................ 47
Species Scientific Name ................................................................................................ 47
Species Common Name ................................................................................................ 47
Species NCBI TaxID ...................................................................................................... 47
Organism Source ........................................................................................................... 47
Organism Lifestage ........................................................................................................ 47
Organism Age ................................................................................................................ 47
Gender............................................................................................................................ 47
Organism Initial Weight.................................................................................................. 48
Organism Comment ....................................................................................................... 48
Species Group ............................................................................................................... 48
Species Taxonomic Information .................................................................................... 48
Kingdom ......................................................................................................................... 48
Test Condition Fields ......................................................................................................... 48
Media Type..................................................................................................................... 48
Test Location .................................................................................................................. 49
Study Duration ............................................................................................................... 49
Exposure Duration ......................................................................................................... 49
Exposure Type ............................................................................................................... 50
Habitat ............................................................................................................................ 50
Chemical Analysis .......................................................................................................... 50
Application Frequency ................................................................................................... 50
Study Type ..................................................................................................................... 50
Test Type ....................................................................................................................... 50
Test Method ................................................................................................................... 50
Control ............................................................................................................................ 51
Number of Doses ........................................................................................................... 51
Doses ............................................................................................................................. 51
Experimental Design ...................................................................................................... 51
Exposure Sample Number ............................................................................................ 51
Ionic Fraction .................................................................................................................. 51
Test Result Parameters ..................................................................................................... 51
Test Number .................................................................................................................. 52
Result (Record) Number ................................................................................................ 52

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Endpoint ......................................................................................................................... 52
Effect .............................................................................................................................. 52
Effect Measurement ....................................................................................................... 53
Trend .............................................................................................................................. 53
Response Site ................................................................................................................ 54
EE_Comment ................................................................................................................. 54
Effect % (Effect Percent) ............................................................................................... 54
Statistical Level .............................................................................................................. 54
Bioconcentration ............................................................................................................ 54
Steady State ................................................................................................................... 54
Concentration Type........................................................................................................ 54
Endpoint Assignment ..................................................................................................... 54
Concentration/Dose ....................................................................................................... 55
Result Sample Number.................................................................................................. 55
Observed Duration ......................................................................................................... 55
Intake Rate ..................................................................................................................... 55
Result Percent (%) Dry/Wet Weight .............................................................................. 56
Result Percent Lipid ....................................................................................................... 56
Species Final Weight ..................................................................................................... 56
Other Effects .................................................................................................................. 56
Result Comment ............................................................................................................ 56
General Comment .......................................................................................................... 56
Water Chemistry Parameters (Aquatic only) .................................................................... 57
Outdoor Test Parameters (Field only) .............................................................................. 58
Sub-Habitat Term/Description ....................................................................................... 58
Sub-Habitat Comment ................................................................................................... 58
Latitude/Longitude ......................................................................................................... 58
Substrate Term/Description ........................................................................................... 58
Water Depth ................................................................................................................... 58
Geographic Term ........................................................................................................... 58
Geographic Location ...................................................................................................... 58
Application Type............................................................................................................. 58
Application Rate ............................................................................................................. 58
Chemical Half-Life .......................................................................................................... 58
Application Date/Season ............................................................................................... 59
Terrestrial Only Parameters .............................................................................................. 59
Test Comment................................................................................................................ 59
Exposure Comment ....................................................................................................... 59
Observed Response Mean/Min/Max ............................................................................. 59
Soil Parameters (Terrestrial only) ..................................................................................... 60
Temperature ................................................................................................................... 60
Soil Type ........................................................................................................................ 60
Soil Sand %, Soil Silt %, Soil Clay % ............................................................................ 60
Soil pH ............................................................................................................................ 60
Media Organic Matter .................................................................................................... 60
Media Moisture............................................................................................................... 60

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Media Cation Exchange Capacity ................................................................................. 60

Soil Dose Measured....................................................................................................... 60
APPENDIX F: INDEPENDENTLY COMPILED DATA FILES ............................................ 61
APPENDIX G: COMMENT FIELD HEADER NAMES ......................................................... 65
Aquatic Comment Abbreviations ....................................................................................... 65
Terrestrial Comment Abbreviations .................................................................................. 67
APPENDIX H: DELIMITED OUTPUT HEADER NAMES .................................................... 70
Aquatic Report Output Fields ............................................................................................ 70
Terrestrial Delimited Report Output Fields ....................................................................... 83

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INTRODUCTION
In the development and implementation for ecosystem management decisions 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 (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 peer
reviewed 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
Researchers or managers using ECOTOX for analyses or summary projects
should consult the original scientific paper to ensure an understanding of the
context of the data retrieved from ECOTOX.

For more information on the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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: [email protected]

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GETTING STARTED
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 that browser support 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.

Navigating within ECOTOX

Home
The Home page provides a general overview of the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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 Knowledgebase, 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 the
ECOTOX Knowledgebase, 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

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ECOTOX.

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”.

Search
The ECOTOX Knowledgebase ‘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.
Explore
The ECOTOX Knowledgebase ‘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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase. Data not satisfying these
requirements are excluded from the ECOTOX Knowledgebase.

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Minimum Data Requirements

Criteria Requirement/Inclusions Limitations/Exclusions

Chemical • Single chemicals relevant to • Mixtures (petroleum fuels,
environmental exposure tank mix, effluent)
• Verifiable Chemical Abstract • Air pollution (CO2 and ozone)
Services (CAS) number • Plastics and microplastics
• Clay and diatomaceous earth
products
• Biological toxicants (e.g.,
algal species with registered
CAS numbers)
Species • Ecologically relevant • Human, monkey,
species bacteria, viral and yeast
• 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

Effect/ • Biological adverse or neutral

Response response of an acceptable
organism to a chemical
toxicant.
• Adverse effects are priority
(beneficial or nutritional effects
are lower priority)

Exposure • Concurrent environmental • Inhalation dose route

Amount chemical concentration or dose (including intratracheal
(Concentration reported as concentration, dose, instillation)
/ Dose) or application rate. • Lead shot
• Sediment studies which have a • Sediment only concentration
reported water concentration • Concentration only reported
as a log value

Exposure • Known duration from the time of

Duration initial exposure to the time of
measurement for a biological
effect
Publication /Data • Primary data source • Reviews
Format • Full text in English (some Non- • Full text foreign language
English papers with an English • Abstract only format
abstract have data extracted)

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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.
• In ‘Search’, exports are limited to 10,000 search results. For search results with 5,000 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 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 ranges of publications years (e.g., 1990-2000) that fits within
the record limits. 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.

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’.

Search Strategy Basics

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
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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 may want to 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 the
ECOTOX Knowledgebase and Appendix E for specific data field descriptions.

Overview of Search and Explore Pages

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.

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.

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).
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.

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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.

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 the
ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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”
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”
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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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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.

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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. 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.

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.

USING ‘SEARCH’ TO LOCATE DATA

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
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in the ECOTOX system. In Search, the Collective Indices name is identified as

the preferred name within the ECOTOX Knowledgebase, 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.
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 made be entered for
ECOTOX searches, but exact CAS Registry number with hyphens is preferred for
the CompTox Chemicals Dashboard searches.
Predefined Chemical Groups
The option to select from predefined lists is available in the ‘Search’ function. Chemical
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.

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
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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.

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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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
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.

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Post-exposure Measurements: Within the “All Effects” tab, this option allows users to
exclude results of responses observed during a post-exposure period. A post-
exposure 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 in 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.

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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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
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.

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

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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 Knowledgebase will present the results using the currently acceptable genus
and species name.

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 sub-
string 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.)

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
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.

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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.

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
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
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selecting it in the output.

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, Exposures types, Control types and Chemical
analysis. These options are briefly described below.
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.
Exposure Media
The default within ECOTOX is that all data, regardless of test media, are included in
search result. To selectively search on a specific exposure type, 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. Not Reported (NR) is used if a
determination cannot be made regarding the use of either freshwater or saltwater.
Terrestrial exposure media selections are focused on tests using a substrate (e.g., soil
or artificial media). If the terrestrial organism does not utilize a substrate for nutrition
(e.g., birds, mammals), do not select any exposure media types.
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
same species criteria requirements as those for whole organisms (ecologically relevant
and exclude humans, monkeys, rats and mice).
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:

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o Concurrent (C) - run simultaneously with the exposure

o Multiple (M) - multiple type of controls reported, noted individually
o Baseline (B) - parameters measured before administration of test chemical
o Other (O) - control is run in a different system than exposures
o Solvent (V) - exposed to carrier or solvent only
o Positive (P) - an exposure that causes a desired effect in the experiment
o Historical (H) - data collected often during a long-term survey of the area
o Undefined (K) - control is presented but without accompanying
methodology
Historical ECOTOX Control Types
o Insufficient (I) - not enough information presented to determine control type
o Multiple Controls (OK) - multiple type of controls reported
o Satisfactory (S) - run in the same system, low mortality
o Unsatisfactory (U) - chemical entered control, high mortality
Control Not Reported
o No Control Used (Z) - authors state no control used
o Not Reported (NR) - was not reported

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
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.

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
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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).

Search by Publication Options

Publication Year(s)
The default within the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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.
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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase are returned.
Reference Number
Each publication abstracted for the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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.
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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase. For further information on these
data files, refer to Appendix F.
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 the Knowledgebase, 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.
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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
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
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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.

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.

USING ‘EXPLORE’ TO LOCATE DATA

About Explore
The ‘Explore’ feature is a great tool for searching the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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.

Explore by Chemical

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
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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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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.

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.

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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’.

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
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 the Knowledgebase. In ‘Search’ additional
filtering options are available and the output can be expanded to include more fields
using the ‘Customize Output Fields’ button.

Explore by Species

Predefined and Custom Species Groups

The option to select from predefined group or a Custom Group is available in the
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‘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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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:

To create a custom group of species, 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 the Knowledgebase. In ‘Search’ additional filtering options are

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available and the output can be expanded to include more fields using the
‘Customize Output Fields’ button.

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.

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,
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 the
Knowledgebase.

Explore by Effects

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
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unselect, click on the checkbox again.

After a specific group is selected, click on the “Explore Data” button.

The default within the ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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:

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

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select “Send Query filters to Search” to apply the search parameters to the
‘Search’ feature of the Knowledgebase. In ‘Search’ additional filtering options are
available and the output can be expanded to include more fields using the
‘Customize Output Fields’ button.

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.

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,
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 the Knowledgebase.

Exporting Data in Explore

Tabular data output can be exported to CSV file by clicking on button and
saving 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 the ECOTOX Knowledgebase window to refine your
search strategy.

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Once search is completed, and report window closed, users will be returned to the
ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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.

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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APPENDIX A: ECOTOX SEARCH PLANNING FORM

Use this form to help plan your searches or to document searches for yourself or others
to perform.

Chemicals
Chemical Names CAS Numbers Predefined Groups
Metal Compounds Organic Compounds
Aluminum Conazoles
Antimony Cyanotoxins
Arsenic DDT and metabolites
Barium Dibenzofurans
Beryllium Explosives
Cadmium Glycol Ethers
Chromium Major Ions
Cobalt Neonicotinoids
Copper Nitrosamines
Iron Perchlorates
Lead Phthalate Esters
Manganese Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)
Mercury Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)
Nickel Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
Organotin Pharmaceutical Personal Care (PPCP)
Selenium Strobins
Silver Thallium
Vanadium
Zinc Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

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Species

Scientific Names/ Species

Taxonomic Levels Common Names ECOTOX Predefined Taxonomic Groups
Numbers or
NCBI TaxIDs
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
Standard Test Species
US Threatened/Endangered Species
US Exotic/Nuisance

Test Results
Endpoints:
____Concentration Based
____Time Based
____Bioaccumulation/bioconcentration Factor
____Statistics, No endpoint
_ _ _ __
Effect Groups:
Accumulation Mortality
Behavior Physiology
Biochemical Population
Cellular Reproduction
Growth Ecosystem
Specific Effect Measurements _
Include Post-exposure Measurements (for recovery or delayed effects)

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Test Conditions
Test Location(s):
Lab All Field Tests
Field Artificial
_ Field Natural
_ Field Undeterminable
Exposure Media:
WATER: Freshwater Saltwater __ Not Specified
SOIL: __ Artificial ___ Humus ___Litter ___Manure ___Mineral Soil _____Natural Soil
__Unspecified Soil ____Soil Mixture
ARTIFICIAL: ___Hydroponic ____Other
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 __ Multiple Controls
Baseline __ Satisfactory
Solvent __ Unsatisfactory
Positive
__ Historical Control Not Reported:
__ Undefined __ No Control
Other __ Not Reported

Chemical Analysis: ___ Measured Unmeasured Not Reported

Duration: specific # of Days:___ range of Days: ≥___ ≤___

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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Report Output
Aquatic Output Elements Terrestrial Output Elements
Standard default output elements are listed in bold. Some output Standard default output elements are listed in bold. Some output
options are available for Field Data only and are indicated by ‘field options are available for Field Data only and are indicated by ‘field
only’. only’.
Alkalinity Application Date (field only)
Application Date (field only) Application Date /Season (field only)
Application Date /Season (field only) Application Frequency
Application Frequency Application Rate (field only)
Application Rate (field only) Author
Application Type (field only) CAS Number/ Chemical Name
Author Chemical DTXSID
BCF Value Chemical Analysis Method
Calcium Chemical Carrier (includes all associated fields)
CAS Number Chemical Comment
CAS Number/ Chemical Name Chemical Formulation
Chemical DTXSID Chemical Grade
Chemical Analysis Chemical Half Life (field only)
Chemical Carrier (includes all associated fields) Chemical Name
Chemical Comments Chemical Purity
Chemical Formulation Chemical Radiolabel
Chemical Grade ___ Conc (Author) (Excel and Delimited only)
Chemical Half Life (field only) ___ Control Type
Chemical Name Dose (Author)
Chemical Purity Doses
Chemical Radiolabel EE Comment
Chlorine Effect
Concentration (Author) Effect %
Concentration (Standardized) Effect Measurement
Conductivity Endpoint
Control Endpoint Assignment
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Endpoint / BCF/BAF
Dissolved Oxygen Experimental Design
Doses Exposure Comment
EE Comment Exposure Duration (Author)
Effect Exposure Duration (Days)
Effect % Exposure Sample Number
Effect Measurement Exposure Type
Effect /Effect Measurement Exposure Type/Chemical Analysis method
Endpoint Gender
Endpoint Assignment General comments
Endpoint / BCF value ___ Geographic Term (Field Data Only)
Experimental Design Geographic Location (Field Data Only)
___ Exposure Duration (Author) Habitat
Exposure Duration (Days) Intake Rate
Exposure Sample Number Ionic Fraction
Exposure Type Longitude/Latitude (Field Data Only)
Exposure Type/Chemical Analysis method Media Cation Exchange Capacity
Gender Media Moisture
General comments Media Organic Matter and Type
___ Geographic Term (Field Data Only) Media Type
Geographic Location (Field Data Only) Media Type/Test Location
Habitat Number of Doses
Hardness Observed Duration (Author)
Humic Acid Observed Duration (Days)
Intake Rate Observed Response [includes BCF/BAF]
Ionic Fraction Organism Age
Longitude/Latitude (Field Data Only) Organism Comment
Magnesium Organism Initial Weight
Media Type Organism Lifestage
Media Type/Test Location Organism Source
Number of Doses Other Effects
Number of Doses/Result Sample Unit

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Observed Duration (Author) Publication Year

Observed Duration (Days) Reference Citation
Organic Carbon Type/Value Reference Number
Organism Age Response Site
Organism Comment Response Site/Exposure Duration (Days)
Organism Initial Weight Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight
Organism Lifestage Result Comment
Organism Source Result Percent Lipid
Other Effects Result Sample Number/Unit
pH Result Sample Number
Potassium Result Sample Unit
Publication Year Significance Level
Reference Citation Significance Level/Statistical Significance
Reference Number Soil Clay %
Response Site Soil Dose Measured
Response Site/Exposure Duration (Days) Soil pH
Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Soil Sand %
Result Comment Soil Silt %
Result Percent Lipid Soil Type
Result Sample Number/Unit Species Common Name
Result Sample Number Species ECOTOX Number
Result Sample Unit Species Final Weight
Salinity Species Group
Season Species NCBI TaxID
Significance Level Species Scientific Name
Significance Level/Statistical Significance Species Scientific Name/Species Common Name
Sodium Species Taxonomic Information
Species Common Name Statistical Significance
Species ECOTOX Number Steady State
Species Final Weight Study Duration (Author)
Species Group Study Duration (Days)
Species NCBI TaxID Study Type
Species Scientific Name ___ Sub-Habitat Term (Field only)
Species Scientific Name/Species Common Name ___ Sub-Habitat Description (Field only)
Species Taxonomic Information ___ Sub-Habitat Comment (Field only)
Statistical Significance Substrate Term (Field only)
Steady State Substrate Comment (Field only)
Study Duration (Author) Temperature
Study Duration (Days) Test Comments
Study Type Test Location
Sub-Habitat Term (Field only) Test Method
Sub-Habitat Description (Field only) Test Number
Sub-Habitat Comment (Field only) Test Type
Substrate Term (Field only) Trend
Substrate Comment (Field only Trend/Effect %
Sulfate
Sulfur
Temperature
Test Location
Test Method
Test Number
Test Type
Trend
Trend/Effect %
Water Depth

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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.
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.

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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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 2010 from the first drop down list and select 2018 from the
second drop down list.

5. Click on the “Update Search” button

6. Note: Only ‘Aquatic’ data should be presented in the table.

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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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’ on the top banner.
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
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 smaller
group of results, such as WORMS.
If you are seeing anything that you feel may be in error or “bugs”, please “View All
Applied” and Copy/Save and send the information to [email protected] .

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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The second example is using the ‘EXPLORE’ feature. You might use this when you
are not sure of what type of chemical information or species are in contained in the
knowledgebase.
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 begin exploring.

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 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
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’ (red ‘x’ at the bottom of
the ‘Query Filters’. Using the browser Back key or closing out the tab above,
will bring you all the way back to the Home page. You can then Select ‘Group
Summary’ to see 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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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)).
a) Dur x Chem: Duration (in days) on x-axis, Exposure Concentration on y- axis,
Chemical for point shape and color
b) Dur x Endpt: Duration (in days) on x-axis, Exposure Concentration on y- axis,
Endpoint for point shape and color
c) Effect x Chem: Effect Groups on x-axis, Exposure Concentration on y-axis,
Chemical for point shape and color
d) 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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APPENDIX C: ECOTOX KNOWLEDGEBASE OVERVIEW

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 Knowledgebase 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 cross-
reference 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
Knowledgebase 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

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inclusion into ECOTOX.

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.

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. Ten percent of the publications are
independently reviewed by two different reviewers, and all documents are QA’d by more
experienced data curators. These reviews are compared and differences (if any) are
documented, discussed, and resolved by the data coordinator.

Test and Result Identification

Each reference included in ECOTOX may include multiple unique tests. A computer-
generated 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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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.

Terrestrial Data Elements

Toxicity data includes toxic effect results from exposures of single chemicals to
terrestrial organisms. Only quantitative data are abstracted from the publication;
qualitative data are excluded. Graphical data may be recorded as ranges and are
reported by using <, > or ~ operators with the value.
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,
and the lifestage being tested. The test conditions identify the test location, exposure

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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, whales) are included in the terrestrial database. 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, honey bee, 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.

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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APPENDIX D: SPECIES AND CHEMICAL VERIFICATION

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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Predefined Special Interest Sources

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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Chemical Verification
A standardized identification number and name for each chemical recorded in the
database is used for consistency. Chemicals reported in the ECOTOX Knowledgebase
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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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).

Bibliographic Fields
Author
Publication author name(s), if available.

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.

Title
Publication title.

Source
Publication source or journal name.

Publication Year
Publication year.

Reference Citation
The reference number, author, publication year, title and source combined in one field.

Chemical Fields
CAS Number
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Number.

Chemical Name
CAS Collective Index Name.

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).

Chemical Grade
Grade of chemical.

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Chemical Purity
Percent purity or active ingredient.

Chemical Formulation
Formulation of chemical.

Chemical Comment
Chemical formulation term, trade names, synonyms, isomer names.

Chemical Radiolabel
The isotope of a test or carrier chemical.

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).

Species Fields
Species ECOTOX Number
Unique number assigned by ECOTOX software.

Species Scientific Name

Currently accepted scientific name (genus, species).

Species Common Name

Species or taxonomic grouping common name(s).

Species NCBI TaxID

Numerical taxonomy identified from National Center for Biotechnology
Information (NCBI) Taxonomy Database.

Organism Source
The source from which the test organism was obtained.

Organism Lifestage
Initial test organism lifestage. Lifestage of the organism at the time of
measurement is recorded in the Result Sample Unit field.

Organism Age
Initial age of the test organism.

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.

Organism Initial Weight

Initial weight of organism.

Organism Comment
Initial age, weight, length, developmental stage or cell concentration of test
organism.

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.

Species Taxonomic Information

Organism classification hierarchy (Kingdom, Phylum/Division, Subphylum, Superclass,
Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, Variety).

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.)

Test Condition Fields

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,
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.
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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.

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).

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).
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

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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).

Exposure Type
The mechanism by which the toxicant was applied.
Aquatic - Exposures must either be aqueous, through diet, by injection, or in vitro.
Terrestrial - The mechanism by which the toxicant was applied. Organisms are typically
exposed to toxicants 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).

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).

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).

Application Frequency
Author reported frequency of dosing application.

Study Type
Used to identify field simulation studies. Examples of field study types include
exposures conducted in a mesocosm, microcosm or enclosure.

Test Type
Author reported test type for the toxicity study (e.g. ACUTE, CHRONIC, ELS (Early
Life Stage), FLC (Full Life Cycle), or Generational).

Test Method
Denotes the test methodology used for the study, e.g. U.S.EPA or OECD guideline.

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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.

Number of Doses
The total number of exposure doses or concentrations, including the control(s), for
each independent test design.

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’.

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.

Exposure Sample Number

Sample number reflects the initial sample size for each exposure dose, i.e., the number
of test organisms per treatment.

Ionic Fraction
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).

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).

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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.

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.

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
acronym should appear in EE Remark field.

Effect
Effect information must be provided by the author in order for the test to be included.
For ECOTOX Knowledgebase 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).

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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 represented by three subgroups, avoidance
(AVO), general behavior (BEH) and feeding behavior (FDB). All effects 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. Biochemical has three
subgroups, biochemical (BCM), enzyme (ENZ) and hormone (HRM) effects.
Cellular (CEL) - Changes in structure and chemical composition of cells and tissues in
organisms. Three cellular subgroups include cellular (CEL) effects, genetics (GEN)
and histology (HIS).
Growth (GRO) - Encompasses individual organism weight, length, development and
morphology. Development (DVP) covers effects on tissue organization in growing early
life stages. Growth (GRO) represents length and weight changes at any point in the life
cycle. Morphology (MPH) measurements and endpoints address the structure (bones)
and form (organ/tissue development) of an organism at any stage of its life history.
Mortality (MOR) - Death of individuals or measurements that indicate death.
Physiology (PHY) - Basic cell and tissue activities. Subgroups include injury (INJ),
immunity (IMM) and intoxication (ITX).
Population (POP) - Effects on species or taxonomic group occupying the same area at
a given time.
Reproduction (REP) - Reproductive behavior, physiology and care of progeny
measurements. Offspring development effects are found in Growth effect group.
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.

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).

Trend
The observed or measured response (effect measurement) trend as compared to the
control is abstracted when textually or graphically reported.

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Response Site
A response site or tissue term is used to identify specific body, organ or tissue effect
sites for associated effect measurement.

EE_Comment
This field contains additional endpoint and/or effect text as described by the author.

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.

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.

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
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.

Steady State
Denotes if the residue/bioconcentration/bioaccumulation data at the time of the result is at steady
state.

Concentration Type
Concentrations based on the active ingredient or formulation, or as the total, un-ionized
or dissolved concentration, are identified.

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.

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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. If 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.

Result Sample Number

The sample number reflects the sample size (e.g., 10 embryos) that the observation or
response value is based on at each exposure level. Sample units correspond to the
sample number (i.e., the unit on which the measurement or endpoint is based).
For generational studies and measurements based on the progeny, F1, F2, etc. are
noted in the sample unit field.

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).

Intake Rate
Denotes the amount of food taken by the organism.

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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).

Result Percent Lipid

Percent lipid in the whole organism or response site.

Species Final Weight

Weight of the organism at the time of observation.

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 (//).

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.

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 GI: Comment Field Header Names.

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Water Chemistry Parameters (Aquatic only)

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

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Outdoor Test Parameters (Field only)

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 )

Sub-Habitat Comment
The author's description of the test study area (e.g. brackish marsh, wooded swamp, boreal
forest, citrus orchard).

Latitude/Longitude
The geographic location, latitude and longitude, of the test site.

Substrate Term/Description
The bottom substrate is recorded using standard substrate definitions or as author reports.

Water Depth
Water depth of the experimental system.

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

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.

Application Type
The method of application of the chemical for an aquatic species in a field study.

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).

Chemical Half-Life
The test chemical half-life in the system.
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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.

Terrestrial Only Parameters

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.

Exposure Comment
Additional information related to dose methodology or techniques used in the test. This includes
Dose Comments.

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.

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Soil Parameters (Terrestrial only)

Temperature
Expressed as reported by author.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 (*).

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.

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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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 5.5 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:

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) 5 references (#3217,
volumes contact: 12447, 12448, 12858,
12859)
University of Wisconsin/ Lake Superior Research Institute
PO Box 2000
Superior, WI 54880 1231 aquatic records
Contact: Matt TenEyck
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 715-394-8160
For technical information on the database contact:
U.S. EPA/ORD/CCTE/GLTED
Contact: Jennifer Olker
E-mail: [email protected]
French (OECD-IRCHA)
Ecotoxicology Department, INERIS 13 references (#20, 3397,
Rue Lavoisier, B.P. 1 3516, 3517, 3518, 3519,
F-91710 Vert Le Petit 3520, 3521, 5161, 6771,
France 9170, 10724, 15300)

Most recent contact:

http://www.ineris.fr/ 256 aquatic records
Contact: Dr. Roger Cabridenc
Phone: 33-1-45960956; Fax: 33-1-45960957

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 ECOTOX 5.5 User Guide

Institution Contact Information Data Summary and

Reference Numbers

German (OECD)
190 references (citation
Umweltbundesamt, Federal Environmental Agency
refers to OECDG
Dienstgebaude Berlin-Mitte
Database)
Mauerstrabe 45-52
0-1080 Berlin Germany
Wörlitzer Platz 1
11511aquatic records
06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Germany 1857 terrestrial records

Most recent contacts:

Telephone: +49-340-2103-0
Fax: +49-340-2103-2285
Email: [email protected]
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: [email protected]

Dutch (OECD)
National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection 17 references (#5180,
(RIVM/ACT) 5331, 5333, 5336, 5337,
PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven 5356, 5367, 5370, 5374,
The Netherlands 5375, 5378, 5390, 5400,
http://rivm.nl/en/ 5411, 5414, 11039,
11044)

Most recent contact:

1992 aquatic records
Contact: Dr. Hans Canton
E-mail: [email protected]

Russia
Borok Institute, Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Academy of Sciences 56 references
152742 Borok, Nekouz, Yaroslavsky Region
Russian Republic
http://www.ibiw.ru/ 263 aquatic records

Most recent contact:

Contact: Victor Komov
E-mail: [email protected]

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 ECOTOX 5.5 User Guide

Institution Contact Information Data Summary and

Reference Numbers

EPA: Office of Pesticides Program Database (OPP) Reference #344

(Pesticide Ecotoxicity Database -formerly Ecological Effects Database) 16,956 aquatic records
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 17,681 terrestrial records
Office of Pesticide Programs
Environmental Fate and Effects Division, Reference #184644
(Bee Studies)
Ecological Effects Branch
4,225 terrestrial records
401 M St. SW
Washington, DC 20460
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-contacts/office-pesticide-programs-contacts-
division-and-topic
Contact: Houbao Li
E-mail: [email protected]

USGS Acute Toxicity Database (Mayer & Ellersieck, 1986 - commonly

referred to as the “Gold Book”) 1 reference (#6797)

Columbia Environmental Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey 8761 aquatic records
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: [email protected]

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: [email protected]

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APPENDIX G: COMMENT FIELD HEADER NAMES

Aquatic Comment Abbreviations
Comment headers codes are used to link additional data provided to the primary
database field.

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
HMA Humic Acid Value and Unit

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Header Abbreviation Associated Field Name

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
SUBSTR Substrate Comment
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Header Abbreviation Associated Field Name

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

Terrestrial Comment Abbreviations

Comment headers codes are used to link additional data provided to the primary
database field.

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
EFCT Effect

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Header Abbreviations Associated Field Name

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

SOURCE Organism Source

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Header Abbreviations Associated Field Name

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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APPENDIX H: DELIMITED OUTPUT HEADER NAMES

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 Units Application Frequency Units

Appl. Rate (2 fields) Application Rate Application Rate

Application Units Application Units
Appl. Seas. (2 fields) Application Season Application Season
Application Season Description 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) BCF1 Value Op First Bioconcentration Factor Mean
Operator

Note: The Concentration

BCF1Value First Bioconcentration Factor Mean Value
Type determines the
fraction measured in BCF1 BCF1 Min Op First Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
and BCF 2. Operator
BCF1 Min First Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Value
BCF1 Max Op First Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Operator
BCF1 Max First Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Value
BCF1 Unit First Bioconcentration Factor Unit

BCF2 Value Op Second Bioconcentration Factor Mean

Operator
BCF2 Value Second Bioconcentration Factor Mean
BCF2 Min Op Second Bioconcentration Factor
Minimum Operator
BCF2 Min Second Bioconcentration Factor
Minimum Value
BCF2 Max Op Second Bioconcentration Factor
Maximum Operator
BCF2 Max Second Bioconcentration Factor
Maximum Value
BCF2 Unit Second Bioconcentration Factor
Unit
BCF3 Value Op Third Bioconcentration Factor Mean
Operator
BCF3 Value Third Bioconcentration Factor Mean
BCF3 Min Op Third Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Operator
BCF3 Min Third Bioconcentration Factor Minimum
Value
BCF3 Max Op Third Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Operator
BCF3 Max Third Bioconcentration Factor Maximum
Value
BCF3 Unit Third Bioconcentration Factor Unit

Calcium Mean Calcium Mean Value

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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) Chemical Half Life Mean OP Chemical Half Life Mean Operator
Chemical Half Life Mean Chemical Half Life Mean
Half Life Min OP Half Life Minimum Operator

Half Life Min Half Life Minimum

Half Life MaxOP 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

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 ECOTOX 5.5 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 Unit Chlorine Unit

Conc (48 fields) (Author) or Concentration1 Mean Op First Concentration Mean Operator
(ug/L) (Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration1 Mean First Concentration Mean Value (Author)
or (ug/L)
Concentration1 Min Op First Concentration Minimum Operator
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration1 Min First Concentration Minimum Value
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration1 Max Op First Concentration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration1 Max First Concentration Maximum Value
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration Type1 First Concentration Type (Author) or
(ug/L)
Concentration2 Mean Op Third Concentration Mean Operator
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration2 Mean Third Concentration Mean Value (Author)
or (ug/L)
Concentration2 Min Op Third Concentration Minimum (Author) or
(ug/L) Operator
Concentration2 Min Third Concentration Minimum Value
Concentration2 Max Op Third Concentration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration2 Max Third Concentration Maximum Value
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration Type 2 Third Concentration Type (Author) or
(ug/L)
Concentration3 Mean Op Third Concentration Mean Operator
(Author) or (ug/L)

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

Concentration3 Mean Third Concentration Mean Value (Author)
or (ug/L)
Concentration3 Min Op Third Concentration Minimum (Author) or
(ug/L) Operator
Concentration3 Min Third Concentration Minimum Value
Concentration3 Max Op Third Concentration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (ug/L)
Concentration3 Max Third Concentration Maximum Value
(Author) or (ug/L)

Concentration Type 3 Third Concentration Type (Author) or

(ug/L)
Concentration Units Author or ug/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 Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Mean

Carbon (7 fields) Mean Op Operator

Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Mean Value

Mean
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Minimum
Min Op Operator
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Minimum
Min Value

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Maximum
Max Op Operator
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Maximum
Maximum Value
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Units
Units
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) Exposure Duration Op Exposure Duration Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Exposure Duration 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 Geographic Term Geographic Term
Gender Gender Gender
Habitat Habitat Habitat

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

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 Maximum 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 Maximum 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 Maximum Intake Rate Maximum Value
Intake Rate Units Intake Rate Units
Ion (3 fields) Ionic Fraction1 Ionic Fraction1
Ionic Fraction2 Ionic Fraction2
Ionic Fraction3 Ionic Fraction3
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 Maximum Magnesium Maximum Value
Magnesium Units Magnesium Units

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

Media Type Media Type Media Type

Number of Doses Number of Doses Number of Doses

Obs. Dur. (14 fields) Observed Duration Op Observed Duration Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Observed Duration Observed Duration 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 Organic Carbon Mean Op Organic Carbon Mean Operator
Value (8 fields)
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 Maximum 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

Organism Age Units Organism Age Units

Org. Comment Organism Comment Organism Comment
Species Final Weight Species Final Weight Mean Species Final Weight Mean Operator
Op
Species Final Weight Mean Species Final Weight Mean
Species Final Weight Min Op Species Final Weight Minimum Operator

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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 Weight Organism Initial Weight Mean Organism Initial Weight Mean Operator
Op
Organism Initial Weight Mean Organism Initial Weight Mean
Organism Initial Weight Min Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Op Operator
Organism Initial Weight Min Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Organism Initial Weight Max Organism Initial Weight Maximum
Op 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
Other Effects Other Effects Other Effects

pH (6 fields) pH Mean Op pH Mean Operator

pH Mean pH Mean Value

pH Min Op pH Minimum Operator

pH Min pH Minimum Value

pH Max Op pH Maximum Operator

pH Maximum 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 Maximum Potassium Maximum Value
Potassium Unit Potassium Unit
Pub. Year Publication Year Publication Year

Ref # Reference Number ECOTOX Reference Number

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

Reference Citation (4 Author Author
fields) Title Title
Publication Year Publication Year
Source Source
Resp. Site Response Site Response Site
Result Comment Result Comment

Result Percent Lipid (6 Result Percent Lipid Mean Op Result Percent Lipid Mean Operator
Fields)
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 Maximum Result Percent Lipid Maximum Value
Result Number Result Number

Result Sample Number and Result Sample Number Mean Result Sample Number Mean Operator
Unit Op
Result Sample Number Mean Result Sample Number Mean Value
Result Sample Number Min Result Sample Number Minimum
Op Operator
Result Sample Number Min Result Sample Number Minimum Value
Result Sample Number Max Result Sample Number Maximum
Op Operator
Result Sample Number Result Sample Number Maximum Value
Maximum
Result SampleUnit Result Sample Number Unit
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
Weight (7 fields) Weight Mean Op Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
Weight Mean Value
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Weight Min Op Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Weight Min Value
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Weight Max Op Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Weight Maximum Value

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

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 Significance Level Mean Op Significance Level Mean Operator

Significance Level Mean Significance Level Mean Value

Significance Level Min Op Significance Level Minimum Operator
Significance Level Min Significance Level Minimum Value

Significance Level Max Op Significance Level Maximum Operator

Significance Level Max Significance Level Maximum Value
Sodium 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 Unit Sodium Unit

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. Species Kingdom Species Kingdom
(10 fields)
Species Phylum/Division Species Phylum/Division

Species Subphylum Species Subphylum

Species Superclass Species Superclass
Species Class Species Class
Species Order Species Order

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Header Name Definition

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) Study Duration Op Study Duration Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Study Duration Study Duration Value

Study Duration Min Op Study Duration Minimum Operator

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 Substrate Term
Substr. Comments Substrate Comments Substrate Comments
Sulfate 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 Unit Sulfate Unit

Sulfur Sulfur Mean Op Sulfur Mean Operator

Sulfur Mean Sulfur Mean Value
Sulfur Min Op Sulfur Minimum Operator

Sulfur Min Sulfur Minimum Value

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Sulfur Max Op Sulfur Maximum Operator

Sulfur Max Sulfur Maximum Value

Sulfur Unit Sulfur Unit
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

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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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 Application Frequency Mean Operator
Op
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 Application Frequency Maximum

Op Operator

Application Frequency Max Application Frequency Maximum Value

Application Frequency Units Application Frequency Units

Appl. Rate (2 fields) Application Rate Application Rate

Application Units Application Units

Appl. Seas. (2 fields) Application Season Application Season

Application Season Application Season Description
Description
Author Author
BCF/BAF (7 fields) Observed Response Mean Op Bioconcentration Factor Mean Operator
** BCF/BAF values are
located in “Observed
Response Mean” field in
the Excel/Delimited
reports**

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 Unit Bioconcentration Factor Unit

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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 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
Chem. Pur. Chemical Purity Test Chemical Purity
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

Chemical Half Life Unit Chemical Half Life Unit
Conc (7 fields) (Author) Conc 1 Mean Op (Author) Concentration 1 Mean Operator
[Excel and Delimited only]
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
Conc 1 Units (Author)\ Concentration 1 Units

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Dose (7 fields) [Browser Dose Mean Op Dose Mean Operator
only]
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

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

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Exposure Comment Exposure Comment Exposure Comment

Exp. Dur (Author or Days) Exposure Mean Op Exposure Duration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Mean Exposure Duration Mean Value (Author)
or (Days)
Exposure Min Op Exposure Duration Minimum Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Min Exposure Duration Minimum Value
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Max Op Exposure Duration Maximum Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Max Exposure Duration Maximum Value
(Author) or (Days)
Exposure Duration Units (Author) or (Days)
Exp. Sample Number (6 Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Mean
fields) Mean Op Operator (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Mean Value
Mean (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Minimum
Min Op Operator (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Minimum
Min Value (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Maximum
Max Op Operator (Author) or (Days)
Exposure Sample Number Exposure Sample Number Maximum
Max Value (Author) or (Days)
Gender Gender Gender
Gen. Comments General Comments General Comments

Geog. Loc Geographic Location Geographic Location

Geog. Term Geographic Term Geographic Term
Habitat Habitat Habitat

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

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Intake Rate Min Intake Rate Minimum Value

Intake Rate Max Op Intake Rate Maximum Operator

Intake Rate Maximum Intake Rate Maximum Value

Intake Rate Units Intake Rate Units

Ion Ionic Fraction Ionic Fraction
Lat/Long Latitude/Longitude Latitude/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
Media Moisture Min Op Media Moisture Minimum Operator

Media Moisture Min Media Moisture Minimum Value

Media Moisture Max Op Media Moisture Maximum Operator
Media Moisture Max Media Moisture Maximum Value
Media Orgnc. Mat. (7 Media Organic Matter Mean Media Organic Matter Mean Operator
fields) Op
Media Organic Matter Mean Media Organic Matter Mean Value
Media Organic Matter Min Op Media Organic Matter Minimum Operator
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

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Media Organic Matter Units Media Organic Matter Units

Media Type Media Type Media Type

Obs. Dur. (Author), (Days) Observation Duration Mean Observation Duration Mean Operator
Op (Author) or (Days)
Observation Duration Mean Observation Duration Mean Value
(Author) or (Days)
Observation Duration Min Op Observation Duration Minimum Operator
(Author) or (Days)
Observation Duration Min Observation Duration Minimum Value
(Author) or (Days))
Observation Duration Max Op Observation Duration Maximum (Author)
or (Days)
Observation Duration Max Observation Duration Maximum Value
(Author) or (Days)
Observation Duration Unit (Author) or (Days)
Observed Response Observed Response Mean Op Observed Response Mean Operator
* Includes Terrestrial Observed Response Mean Observed Response Mean Value
bioconcentration factor
(BCF) and bioaccumulation Observed Response Min Op Observed Response Minimum Operator
factor data (BAF)
Observed Response Min Observed Response Minimum Value
(7 Fields)
Observed Response Max Op Observed Response Maximum Operator
Observed Response Max Observed Response Maximum Value
Observed Response Units Observed Response Units
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
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

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Org. Init. Wt. Organism Initial Weight Mean Organism Initial Weight Mean Operator
OP
Organism Initial Weight Mean Organism Initial Weight Mean
Organism Initial Weight Min Organism Initial Weight Minimum
OP Operator
Organism Initial Weight Min Organism Initial Weight Minimum
Organism Initial Weight Max Organism Initial Weight Maximum
OP 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

Other Effects Other Effects Other Effects

Ref. # Reference Number ECOTOX Reference Number
Reference Citation (4 Author Author
fields)
Title Year Title
Click on “References”
Source Year
to obtain full citation
Source
Resp. Site Response Site Response Site
Result Comment Result Comment Result Comment
Result % Dry/Wet Weight Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean
(7 fields) Weight Mean OP Operator

Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Mean

Weight Mean
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Weight Min OP Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Minimum
Weight Min
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Weight Max OP Operator
Result Percent Dry/Wet Result Percent Dry/Wet Weight Maximum
Weight Max
Media Measurement (wet/ Denotes dry or wet weight basis for Result
dry) % Dry/Wet Weight
Result % Lipid Result Percent Lipid Result Percent Lipid

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Result Rec. Num. Result Record Number Result (Record) Number

Result Sample Number Result Sample Number Mean Result Sample Number Mean Operator
and Unit Op
Result Sample Number Mean Result Sample Number Mean Value
Result Sample Number Min Result Sample Number Minimum
Op Operator
Result Sample Number Min Result Sample Number Minimum Value
Result Sample Number Max Result Sample Number Maximum
Op Operator
Result Sample Number Result Sample Number Maximum Value
Maximum
Result Sample Unit Result Sample Number Unit

Sig. Level Significance Level Significance Level

Soil Dose Meas. Soil Dose 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 Maximum 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

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

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

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

Study Type Study Type Study Type

Org. Final Wt Species Final Weight Mean Species Final Weight Mean Operator
Op
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. Species Kingdom Species Kingdom

(10 fields)
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

Spec. Sci. Name Species Scientific Name Species Scientific Name

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Report Header Delimited File Header Name Delimited Header Definition

Signif. Statistical Significance Statistical Significance

Steady State Steady State Steady State
Study Duration (14 fields) Study Mean Op Study Duration Mean Operator
(Author) or (Days)
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 Substrate Term
Substr. Comments Substrate Comments Substrate Comments

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 Comment Test Comment

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

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Title Title Title of Publication

Pub. Year Year Publication Year

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