Archive

Pharmaceutical

August 16, 2016
Pharmaceutical companies can use in vitro testing for assessing worker safety. Pharmaceutical intermediates should be evaluated to determine the primary hazards associated with them so that those involved in the manufacturing process can take necessary precautions to avoid hazardous exposures. Pharmaceutical compounds can vary widely in their physical forms, such as powders, liquids, and creams. Many in vitro assays such as those using 3-dimensional tissue constructs, and the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) Assay, are suitable for testing different test...

Occupational Safety & Industrial Hygiene

July 28, 2016
Employers are required to inform workers of the hazards of the chemicals or products that they are using. Many in vitro assays are suited to accomplish this goal. As Hazard Communication is now aligned with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), assays that are approved for assigning GHS hazard categories can provide a method for properly labelling chemicals and preparing safety data sheets. Skin Corrosion assays (Reconstructed Human Epidermis (OECD TG 431) and Membrane Barrier Test (OECD TG 435)) can be used...

Agro/Petrochemical

July 28, 2016
Agricultural chemicals consist of multiple product types including fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. As a result, these chemicals can cover a wide range in the irritation spectrum, from materials that are classified as mild irritants to those that are designated as corrosive. Classification is needed for registration through organizations such as the US EPA, REACH, or Brazil ANVISA. Multiple in vitro assays have OECD test guidelines that can be used to provide GHS hazard classifications that may meet necessary testing requirements. Ocular...

Evaluation of the Validated In Vitro Skin Irritation Test (OECD TG 439) for the Assignment of EPA Hazard Categories

April 1, 2016
Progress within the in vitro toxicology field has made available testing platforms based on reconstructed tissue models that are validated to address the skin corrosion and irritation endpoints. While the validated in vitro assays can be used for the hazard identification of chemicals irritant to skin in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, they were not calibrated to address the classification system used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency...

Momentum Grows for Modernizing the US EPA “Six-Pack” Battery of Acute Toxicity Tests

January 15, 2016
In the current global regulatory climate favorable for further advancement of in vitro test methods, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is driving significant efforts in the United States. The latest endeavor targets the modernization of the battery of acute toxicity tests classically known as the “six-pack” (Fig. 1a). Known for many years as an “all in vivo” testing strategy for products registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the six-pack has recently been revised to...

Momentum Grows for Modernizing the US EPA “Six-pack” Battery of Acute Toxicity Tests

January 13, 2016
In the current global regulatory climate favorable for further advancement of in vitro test methods, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is driving significant efforts in the United States. The latest endeavor targets the modernization of the battery of acute toxicity tests classically known as the “six-pack” (Fig. 1a). Known for many years as an “all in vivo” testing strategy for products registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the six-pack has recently been revised to include...