CEETV FAQs

What do the fields mean?

For a complete description of every field in this database, see Documentation.

How current are the data?

The database is updated once a year at minimum. The Advanced Search Form contains the date of the last update under the title.

Do I need to fill in all the fields? Are any fields required?

There are no required fields. You can fill in as many or few boxes as you’d like depending on the specificity of the search you wish to conduct.

Why am I not getting any hits?

Try one of the following:

• Simplify (broaden) your search;
• Go to the Advanced Search Form and click the link for “Table of Choices” under the field that you’re searching. If the term that you’re searching for does not appear in this table, then no data were found and the database does not contain information for this species, location, contaminant, etc. If the term does appear, check the spelling, hyphenation, etc. You may wish to copy and paste the term from the table directly into the search form.

One of the following symbols/codes appears in my Search Results: *, -1, -2. What does this mean?

An asterisk (*) in the Location field indicates that an exact location within the state or county could not be determined. Latitude and longitude coordinates given are for state capitals or county seats (see Documentation, Field 10 for more information). The code “-2.0” in a contaminant or analyte (i.e., metals or trace element) field indicates that the contaminant was not detected. The code “-1.0” indicates that the contaminant/analyte was present in the sample at very low levels that could not be accurately quantified (i.e., “trace” quantities).

I’d like to access a source document from your reference list, but I am having trouble locating it. Can you send it to me?

Hard copies of all source documents are retained in our offices and we’d be glad to send you a copy. Please use the Contact page to request the document from the appropriate office, depending on region (Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Pacific coast, Great Lakes).

Which contaminants or analytes are included in your database?

We include information on any contaminant that appears in the literature. Beyond those listed in the Simple Search Form, the CEETV database contains a total of 88 individual contaminant/analyte fields that may be searched using the Advanced Search form. See the Documentation for a list and description of these fields. The “Other contaminants” field contains information on an additional 103 substances. A link to this table appears near the bottom of the Advanced Search form.

Where do the data come from?

Data have been compiled through computerized search of published literature, review of existing databases, and solicitation of unpublished reports from conservation agencies, private groups, and universities. (See Documentation: Sources of Information for details.)

What quality control measures are utilized in preparing this database?

The quality of individual data sources is not evaluated. Data are entered from every source as reported. The information entered into the database is spot-checked for accuracy in recording data. If you note or suspect a problem, please email us.

How should I cite information from these web pages?

Please use the following citation when referring to this document:

Barnett A. Rattner, ...[et al.]. 2008. Contaminant Exposure and Effects--Terrestrial Vertebrates (CEE-TV) Database. Version 8.0. [Updated March 2008*; cited **]. U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland. Available from: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/contaminants-online/.

* enter the date of the last update reported on the Contaminant Exposure and Effects--Terrestrial Vertebrates (CEE-TV) Database website.

** enter the date you actually visited the website.

Can I download data in a more usable format?

Not at present. For large datasets, please contact our offices and we may be able to send you the information you need.

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