On October 21, 2020, scientists from the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Centre (JRC) published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicology Letters outlining strategies aimed to reduce the chemical testing needed under the EU’s Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation for hazard-based risk management. The authors point out that redundancy in testing and data collection exists, with toxicity testing being performed but not necessarily linked to an impact on the safe use of the chemical. To optimize this, the authors developed a set of testing strategies using a dataset based on active substances in biocides and plant protection products. The study reports identifying two testing strategies that provide the same level of protection as current approaches but require between 6-8.8% fewer tests, as well as a third strategy that offers equal protection while reducing animal testing.
The authors write that “the intentionally simplistic approach to optimized testing strategies presented here could be used beyond the assessment of biocides and plant protection products to gain efficiencies in the safety assessment of other chemical groups, saving animals and making regulatory testing more time- and cost-efficient.”
Reference
Da Silva, E. et al. (October 21, 2020). “Optimising testing strategies for classification of human health and environmental hazards – A proof-of-concept study.” Toxicology Letters
Read More
Emma Davies (November 5, 2020). “JRC team develops optimised testing strategies in bid to reduce tests.” Chemical Watch
