Quality Assurance/Quality Control

While constructing the database, care was taken to note the presence or absence of information within each reviewed paper that might reflect on the data quality. Any pertinent information is contained within the QA field within a particular record. It is the responsibility of the users to ensure that the studies cited within the database are appropriate for their particular application or need. Users should review the primary source literature cited in the database when making decisions regarding the applicability of the summarized data.

Toxicological Effects

When using the database for regulatory purposes, such as dredged material evaluations, consideration must be given to the nature of the biological effect associated with a particular residue level. The database contains information on a broad range of biological effects caused by the presence of a particular contaminant in the tissue of an organism, from the induction of particular enzymes or enzyme systems to whole-organism effects on survival, growth, or reproduction.

A stronger inferential link exists between whole-organism toxicological effects (e.g., reduced survival) and ecological impacts on populations, communities, and ecosystems (i.e., effects the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act and the Clean Water Act specifically state should be avoided). Cellular/subcellular responses are most appropriately used as biomarkers of exposure; they are biological indicators that the organism has been exposed to some type of stress. The causal relationship between the induction of such biomarkers and higher order effects such as whole-organism survival, growth, reproduction, or ecological impacts is unknown in most cases.