title: Statistical tools for determining appropriate selection of regression models for analysis of environmental fate datasets.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the NAFTA regulatory community, a currently consistent methodology used to estimate dissipation times for environmental fate data is not applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This work demonstrates through a case study that the inappropriate use of pseudo-first-order regression models can result in inaccurate estimates of soil degradation rates, and it proposes some statistical tools that can be used to identify an appropriate statistical model to fit a particular environmental fate dataset. Diagnostic procedures have been proposed to identify the appropriate scale, and statistical testing procedures have been proposed to select the appropriate model within that scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this work demonstrate that, unless the proposed diagnostic and statistical procedures are used, inaccurate estimates of dissipation times may result.
authors.affiliation: RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aldworth
authors.forename: Scott H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D008956:Models, Chemical; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D010573:Pesticide Residues