EPA shifts away from animal testing to assess eye irritation

Washington — A new Environmental Protection Agency decision framework for determining the eye irritation or corrosion potential of new chemicals aims to “provide results more relevant to humans” – without animal testing.

The Toxic Substances Control Act requires EPA to review new chemical substances, determine potential hazards to human health and the environment, and make risk determinations within 30 to 90 days of manufacturer submittal. EPA traditionally has tested live rabbits to evaluate a chemical’s eye irritation or corrosion hazards.

“However,” the agency states in a press release, “these tests do not provide consistent results, particularly for chemicals that cause mild to moderate irritation, raising questions about how applicable the test results are to humans.”

Announced Jan. 8, the framework for prioritizing data from test methods that use human cells or tissues. If data from eye irritation or corrosion tests isn’t available, EPA may consider test methods that determine skin irritation or corrosion potential.

The agency may use other information if eye and skin irritation or corrosion data is unavailable, but states “a hazard determination may not be possible” should no data exist.

“This framework will provide a standard approach for EPA to use when evaluating new chemicals for potential eye irritation or corrosion hazards leading to improved consistency across final risk assessments as well as improved transparency,” the agency says in the release.