An alternative for NOEC exists, but the standard model has to be replaced first

Kooijman, S. A. L. M. 1996. An alternative for NOEC exists, but the standard model has to be replaced first. Oikos, 75: 310 - 316

Abstract

Ryszard Laskowski discussed the bad properties of the No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) in the last issue of Oikos (Laskowski, 1995). I fully agree with him that the NOEC should be banned. Within the OECD and SETAC, discussions have been initiated to replace the NOEC by a `small'-effect concentration (EC5 or EC10), but I will argue that this alternative is also far from ideal and propose a better alternative: the No Effect Concentration (NEC). It cannot be implemented successfully in the standard log-logistic or log-probit model. This is, however, hardly a handicap, because the biological foundations of those models are anyway extremely shaky.

Full text in pdf format