OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, among nanomaterials

Posted on by vbodmer

The OECD releases 17 new, updated, corrected or deleted Test Guidelines accepted internationally as standard methods for safety testing. These Test Guidelines are regularly updated to reflect scientific and technical progress. They determine physical and chemical properties, effects on human health and wildlife, environmental fate and behaviour, and pesticide residue chemistry.

The release contains:

  • Test Guidelines to address the Safety of Nanomaterials ( TG 412, TG 413 and TG 318 – Read more)
  • Test Guidelines to better characterise the effects of chemicals on bees or other pollinators (TG 245, TG 246, TG 247)
  • Test Guidelines that use less animals to determine acute inhalation and acute dermal toxicity (TG 433 and TG 402)
  • A Test Guideline on in vitro methods for skin sensitisation, updated with an additional assay (TG 442E)
  • A Test Guideline to measure the toxicity of chemicals to organisms essential to the proper functioning of sewage-treatment plants (TG 244)
  • Corrected Test Guidelines for Eye Hazard Potential to include a new reference to a Guidance Document on integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (TG 405, TG 437, TG 438, TG 460, TG 491 and TG 492)
  • The cancellation of TG 415 on the One-Generation Reproductive Toxicity Study (dating from 1983) because it is no longer used and better alternatives are available to address current regulatory needs.

The OECD Guidelines are a unique tool for assessing the potential effects of chemicals on human health and the environment. Accepted internationally as standard methods for safety testing, the Guidelines are used by professionals in industry, academia and government involved in the testing and assessment of chemicals (industrial chemicals, pesticides, personal care products, etc.). These Guidelines are regularly updated with the assistance of thousands of national experts from OECD member countries. OECD Test Guidelines are covered by the Mutual Acceptance of Data, implying that data generated in the testing of chemicals in an OECD member country, or a partner country having adhered to the Decision, in accordance with OECD Test Guidelines and Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), be accepted in other OECD countries and partner counties having adhered to the Decision, for the purposes of assessment and other uses relating to the protection of human health and the environment.

 

*In 2017, the section 3 “Degradation and Accumulation” was renamed to“ Environmental Fate and Behaviour”  to take into account Test Guidelines measuring endpoints such as dispersion, aggregation.

Test Guidelines that have been deleted or replaced by updated versions

These obsolete Test Guidelines have been deleted in order to allow national/regional regulations that make reference to specific Test Guidelines and versions to be updated accordingly.  They should not be used for new testing. They are included here because it may be useful to consult them in the framework of the assessment of substances based on old study reports. The guaranties of Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) would not apply if these Test Guidelines were used for new testing.

In November 2012, the Joint Meeting of the Chemicals Committee and Working Party on Chemicals, Pesticides and Biotechnology decided on a transition period of 18 months, between the Council Decision and the effective deletion, for Test Guidelines that have been updated or deleted. For more information, please read the presentation: Update of Test Guidelines and the Mutual Acceptance of Data.

Further reading

The link below leads also to more details on what the OECD is undertaking in regard to chemicals, thus it is recommended to visit the site!

http://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/testing/