Protocol for the Derivation of Environmental and Human ... - CCME

Denitrification: The gaseous loss of nitrogen from soil, water, or
sediment by biological and chemical reduction of nitrate to
compounds other than ammonia.
Detritus: Organic debris from decomposing plants and animals.
Dose: The amount or concentration of a substance absorbed into the
body exposed to the substance.
EEE
EC 50 : Median Effective Concentration: The concentration of a chemical
in the medium that results in some sublethal effect to 50% of the
test organisms. The EC 50 is normally reported as a time
dependent value with the sublethal endpoint observed (e.g., 5-
day EC 50 , reproduction).
Ecological receptor: A non-human organism potentially experiencing
adverse effects from exposure to contaminated soil either
directly (contact) or indirectly (food chain transfer).
Ecosystem: A community of organisms, interacting with one another
and with the environment.
Effects-based: The use of adverse effects data from toxicological
studies to form the basis for guidelines derivation. In this
document, effects-based pertains to data from toxicological
tests on organisms to support guidelines derivation.
Endpoint measurement: An effect on an ecological component that
can be measured and described quantitatively.
Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and determinants of disease
frequency in humans. Epidemiology may involve the
observation of unusual clusters of a rare disease, descriptive
statistics on morbidity and mortality patterns, ecologic studies
correlating disease occurrence rates with geographic or spatial
risk factors, and analytical studies of the relationship between
disease occurrence rates and exposure to particular toxicants.
Estimated daily intake: Total "background" exposure to a chemical
experienced by most Canadians. Estimated daily intake arises
from the low levels of contamination commonly found in air,
water, food, soil, and consumer products (e.g., tobacco, paints,
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