title: CRED: Criteria for reporting and evaluating ecotoxicity data.
abstract: Predicted-no-effect concentrations (PNECs) and environmental quality standards (EQSs) are derived in a large number of legal frameworks worldwide. When deriving these safe concentrations, it is necessary to evaluate the reliability and relevance of ecotoxicity studies. Such evaluation is often subject to expert judgment, which may introduce bias and decrease consistency when risk assessors evaluate the same study. The Criteria for Reporting and Evaluating Ecotoxicity Data (CRED) project attempts to address this problem. It aims to improve the reproducibility, transparency, and consistency of reliability and relevance evaluations of aquatic ecotoxicity studies among regulatory frameworks, countries, institutes, and individual assessors. In the present study, the CRED evaluation method is presented. It includes a set of 20 reliability and 13 relevance criteria, accompanied by extensive guidance. Risk assessors who participated in the CRED ring test evaluated the CRED evaluation method to be more accurate, applicable, consistent, and transparent than the often-used Klimisch method. The CRED evaluation method is accompanied by reporting recommendations for aquatic ecotoxicity studies, with 50 specific criteria divided into 6 categories: general information, test design, test substance, test organism, exposure conditions, and statistical design and biological response. An ecotoxicity study in which all important information is reported is more likely to be considered for regulatory use, and proper reporting may also help in the peer-review process.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Caroline T A
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Moermond
authors.affiliation: Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kase
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Toxicology, EAWAG, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Muris
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korkaric
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ågerstrand
mesh_terms: D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000592:standards*; D007391:International Cooperation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Aquatic toxicology; Relevance; Reliability; Reporting recommendation; Study evaluation