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The distribution of relative error of toxicity of herbicides and metals to Arabidopsis
Author(s) -
Shirazi M. A.,
Ratsch H. C.,
Peniston B. E.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620110213
Subject(s) - toxicity , ec50 , distribution (mathematics) , statistics , range (aeronautics) , toxicology , standard error , mathematics , environmental science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , biology , materials science , biochemistry , mathematical analysis , organic chemistry , in vitro , composite material
Median toxicity end points such as EC50 and LC50 numbers are commonly reported in the literature for summarizing results of a whole test. A median number is frequently accompanied with a statement of error often derived from theoretical and idealized models. Toxicity end points other than EC50 are seldom reported, and the distribution of their error based on real data remains unexplored. More general toxicity estimates—for example, EC X , where X is any percent response—frequently are needed in environmental risk assessment. An analysis of distribution of the standard error (SE) of toxicity EC X for an array of chemicals tested with Arabidopsis shows that EC X errors cannot be extrapolated from EC50 errors. The analysis includes detailed chemical‐by‐chemical toxicity end points covering the full range of tested concentrations. A generalized relative error distribution is produced from the data, and its utility for research and environmental management is discussed.