The two types of benchmark doses (BMD-zSD and BMD-xfold) proposed by the EFSA (2017) are computed for each responsive item using the best fit dose-reponse model previously obtained (see Larras et al. 2018 for details). - the BMD-xfold considers a x-fold change of the control response which makes it equivalent to a x% inhibition/enhancement concentration. The so-called BMD-xfold is calculated as the concentration corresponding to a Benchmark Response (BMR-xfold) defined as follows: BMR-xfold = y0 +/- y0*x/100, where y0 is the mean control response and x is the percentage of change (x fixed at 10 by default). The BMD-xfold is thus hazardously sensitive to the signal level : if the control response is low so will be the x-fold change. - the BMD-zSD detects the concentration leading to a level of change compared to the control response that takes data variability of the modelled curve into account. It is calculated as the concentration corresponding to a Benchmark Response (BMR-zSD) defined as follows: BMR-zSD = y0 +/- z*SD, where y0 is the mean control response, and SD is the residual standard deviation of the considered CRC and z is the factor of SD (z fixed at 1 by default). We recommend the latter approach (BMD-zSD). - In cases where the BMD cannot be reached due to the asymptote at high doses, NaN is returned. - In cases where the BMD is not reached at the highest tested dose, NA is returned. - Very low BMD values obtained by extrapolation between 0 and the smallest non null tested dose, that correspond to very sensitive items (that we do not want to exclude), are thresholded at "minBMD", a parameter by default fixed at the smallest non null tested dose divided by 100 (considered as a negligible dose). -- REFERENCES -- EFSA Scientific Committee, Hardy A, Benford D, Halldorsson T, Jeger MJ, Knutsen KH, ... & Schlatter JR (2017). Update: use of the benchmark dose approach in risk assessment. EFSA Journal, 15(1), e04658. Larras F, Billoir E, Baillard V, Siberchicot A, Scholz S, Wubet T, Tarkka M, Schmitt-Jansen M and Delignette-Muller ML (2018). DRomics: a turnkey tool to support the use of the dose-response framework for omics data in ecological risk assessment. Environmental science & technology.\doi{10.1021/acs.est.8b04752}