General Assembly Discusses Endocrine Disruptors, Nano, Animal Alternatives and More

By: Claire Thévenin

Posted: July 12, 2012

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Last but not least, inhalation exposure of sprays has to be evaluated, as it can be significant. Measurement after spraying and exposure calculation via math models are necessary, especially for propellant-driven aerosol sprays.

Animal Testing Alternatives

Due to the 7th Amendment of the Cosmetics Directive, animal testing will be banned starting March 2013. This means that industry must work on the third of the “3 Rs,” which is “replacement” methods. Research on alternative methods started 20 years ago, but some end-points are still challenging.

Horst Wenck, PhD, chair of Cosmetics Europe's Strategic Project Team on Alternatives to Animal Testing, gave highlights on the recent progress in R&D and validation. For eye irritation, the validation study is completed and the data evaluation is in progress. Regarding genotoxicity, there are novel assays with drastically reduced false positive results and sufficient sensitivity. On skin sensitization, a comprehensive evaluation of hazard identification assays is in progress. And for systemic toxicity, the most difficult end-point , the Safety Evaluation Ultimately Replacing Animal Testing (SEURAT) program is now in its second year. In 2011, industry had engaged in this major joint research effort with the EC, each bringing €25 million, and this initiative will last five years and involve 70 research institutions.