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...

Webinar: Regulatory Initiatives for New Approaches to Traditional Toxicity Testing

July 1, 2016
This one-hour webinar features presentations by Dr. Jennifer McLain, Deputy Director, Office of Pesticide Programs, Antimicrobial Division and IIVS CEO Dr. Rodger Curren. Dr. McLain discusses the EPA OPP's plans to reduce the use of animal testing in acute toxicity testing and provides suggestions on how stakeholders and EPA can cooperate to advance animal reduction goals. Dr. Curren then talks about IIVS' activities in developing the current non-animal strategy for eye irritation, and recent investigations into in vitro methods to...

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...