Assessing the impact of chemical pollution on benthic invertebrates from three different European rivers using a weight-of-evidence approach

► This is the first study to include soft-sediment meio- and macrobenthic field data within a SQT. ► The identification of benthic groups on a species level is necessary in assessments of toxic impacts on soft sediments. ► A broad methodological approach is required in the risk assessment of sites subjected to multiple stresses. ► A scoring system was successfully developed to combine the results obtained of the sediment-quality triad.