| 13th Meeting of the Scientific Group on Methodologies for the Safety Evaluation of Chemicals (SGOMSEC): Alternative Testing Methodologies and Conceptual Issues Bas J. Blaauboer,1 Michael Balls,2 Martin Barratt,3 Silvia Casati,2 Sandra Coecke,2 Mostafa K. Mohamed,4 Jack Moore,5 David Rall,6 Kirk R. Smith,7 Raymond Tennant,8 B.A. Schwetz,9 William S. Stokes,8 and Maged Younes10 1RITOX, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; 2ECVAM, European Commission, Ispra, Italy; 3Unilever Environmental Safety Laboratory, Bedford, England; 4Department of Community Medicine,
Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 5Institute for Evaluating Health Risks, Washington, DC; 6National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Washington, DC; 7School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California; 8National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; 9National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Arkansas; 10International Programme on Chemical Safety, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland Abstract
Substantial world-wide resources are being committed to develop improved toxicological testing methods that will contribute to better protection of human health and the environment. The development of new methods is intrinsically driven by new knowledge emanating from fundamental research in toxicology, carcinogenesis, molecular biology, biochemistry, computer sciences, and a host of other disciplines. Critical evaluations and strong scientific consensus are essential to facilitate adoption of alternative methods for use in the safety assessment of drugs, chemicals, and other environmental factors. Recommendations to hasten the development of new alternative methods included increasing emphasis on the development of mechanism-based methods, increasing fundamental toxicological research, increasing training on the use of alternative methods, integrating accepted alternative methods into toxicity assessment, internationally harmonizating chemical toxicity classification schemes, and increasing international cooperation to develop, validate, and gain acceptance of alternative methods. -- Environ Health Perspect 106(Suppl 2) :413-418 (1998) . http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1998/Suppl-2/413-418blaauboer/abstract.html Key words: risk assessment, alternative methods, toxicology, in vitro methods, reduction, refinement, replacement, testing, QSAR, PBBK modeling, transgenic models
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