Derivation of freshwater quality criteria for zinc using interspecies correlation estimation models to protect aquatic life in China

► Interspecies correlation estimation (ICE) models were used to predict toxicity data for zinc in China. ► There were no significant differences between the ICE- and the measured-based SSDs and HC5s. ► The most sensitive species to zinc were invertebrates, especially crustaceans. ► A combination of measured and ICE-derived data will prove useful to derive water quality criteria.