Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS)
Benchmark dose
doseThe amount of a substance available for interactions with metabolic processes or biologically significant receptors after crossing the outer boundary of an organism. The POTENTIAL DOSE is the amount ingested, inhaled, or applied to the skin. The APPLIED DOSE is the amount presented to an absorption barrier and available for absorption (although not necessarily having yet crossed the outer boundary of the organism). The ABSORBED DOSE is the amount crossing a specific absorption barrier (e.g. the exchange boundaries of the skin, lung, and digestive tract) through uptake processes. INTERNAL DOSE is a more general term denoting the amount absorbed without respect to specific absorption barriers or exchange boundaries. The amount of the chemical available for interaction by any particular organ or cell is termed the DELIVERED or BIOLOGICALLY EFFECTIVE DOSE for that organ or cell. (BMDBMDAn exposure due to a dose of a substance associated with a specified low incidence of risk, generally in the range of 1% to 10%, of a health effect; or the dose associated with a specified measure or change of a biological effect.) methodology is EPA’s preferred methodology and is fast becoming the world’s standard for dose-responseresponseThe biological result of an exposure or dose. Biological responses can be quantified in several ways. Some examples of the type of response data that can be used in a BMD dose-response analysis are dichotomous data (quantal data), nested data, continuous data, and categorical data. analysis, which in turn drives risk estimates for the majority of chemicals evaluated and regulated by EPA.
doseThe amount of a substance available for interactions with metabolic processes or biologically significant receptors after crossing the outer boundary of an organism. The POTENTIAL DOSE is the amount ingested, inhaled, or applied to the skin. The APPLIED DOSE is the amount presented to an absorption barrier and available for absorption (although not necessarily having yet crossed the outer boundary of the organism). The ABSORBED DOSE is the amount crossing a specific absorption barrier (e.g. the exchange boundaries of the skin, lung, and digestive tract) through uptake processes. INTERNAL DOSE is a more general term denoting the amount absorbed without respect to specific absorption barriers or exchange boundaries. The amount of the chemical available for interaction by any particular organ or cell is termed the DELIVERED or BIOLOGICALLY EFFECTIVE DOSE for that organ or cell. (BMDBMDAn exposure due to a dose of a substance associated with a specified low incidence of risk, generally in the range of 1% to 10%, of a health effect; or the dose associated with a specified measure or change of a biological effect.) methodology is EPA’s preferred methodology and is fast becoming the world’s standard for dose-responseresponseThe biological result of an exposure or dose. Biological responses can be quantified in several ways. Some examples of the type of response data that can be used in a BMD dose-response analysis are dichotomous data (quantal data), nested data, continuous data, and categorical data. analysis, which in turn drives risk estimates for the majority of chemicals evaluated and regulated by EPA.Some dose-response tools require the assessor to be familiar with multiple statistical programs or operating systems, or focus on a single model or algorithm for fitting data, or do not provide easy ways to manage large or multiple datasets.
EPA has developed its own BMD tools to address these issues and standardize its approach to conducting exposure or dose-response assessments. Its tools – Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS) and Categorical Regression (CatReg) – use a standard Windows interface and offer a dependable user experience. EPA encourages the use of these tools to support the development of toxicity assessments and welcomes feedback to improve future versions of the software.
This site’s purpose is to help EPA risk assessors learn to use BMDS and CatReg to evaluate data from a variety of bioassay study designs in a manner consistent with EPA BMD methods.
Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS)
Categorical Regression (CatReg)
Determine whether data from separate toxicological or epidemiological studies can be pooled into a single dose-response-time meta-analysis.
- Download the software
- Review the user guide
- Learn about CatReg’s advantages compared to other dose-response tools
New to BMDS?
- Download BMDS.
- View the BMDS training webinars to understand basic concepts.
- Use the BMDS Quick Start Guide for a hands-on self-paced tutorial.
- Sign up to receive news on the latest updates to BMDS, model codes, source code, and more.