The latest news about safe, sustainable and bio-based materials and products

EPA Announces Plan to Reduce Animal Testing

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this month that they will provide $4.25 million in funding to five universities to research the development and use of alternative test methods and strategies with the goal of reducing, replacing, or refining animal testing in the U.S.

Alternate Testing, Policy, RegulationJames EdeSeptember 20, 2019Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alternative test methods, reducing, replacing, alternative testing strategiesComment

Revised EU Cosmetic Guidance Updates Nanomaterial-specific Considerations

The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) released its latest guidance on testing and evaluating the safety of cosmetics.

Alternate Testing, Nanomaterials, Leadership, Guidance, Risk AnalysisJames EdeDecember 4, 2018European Commission, Vireo Advisors, European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), guidance on testing and evaluating the safety of cosmetics, nanomaterials, non-animal testing strategies, weight of evidence/genotoxicity, mutagenicity toolbox, EU cosmetic legislation, gglomeration/aggregation potential, lack of solubility, nanomaterial safety assessmentComment

Vireo Advisor's Kimberly Ong to Present Work of NanoAOP Project at Nano Canada 2017

Dr. Kimberly Ong of Vireo Advisors will present Vireo’s ongoing collaborative work* entitled, "Advancing Adverse Outcome Pathways as a Tool for the Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials – the NanoAOP Project", during NanoCanada's first national conference: Converging on Nanomanufacturing from September 25-26, 2017 in Montréal, Canada.

The Push for the EPA to Accept Non-Animal Safety Data

Many chemical manufacturers are hoping that non-animal safety data will be well received in the U.S. by the EPA.

Alternate Testing, Guidance, RegulationJames EdeJuly 31, 2017non-animal testing, U.S. EPA, Afton Chemical Corp., REACH, EU, European Chemicals Agency, TSCA, EPA, Tala Henry, risk assessment, Alternative Testing StrategyComment

NanoCRED: A transparent framework to assess the regulatory adequacy of ecotoxicity data for nanomaterials

"NanoCRED: A transparent framework to assess' the regulatory adequacy of ecotoxicity data for nanomaterials – Relevance and reliability revisited", by Hartmann, et al., was released in March 2017 (Science Direct).

Nanomaterials, Innovation, Alternate TestingJames EdeApril 17, 2017Science Direct, Vireo Advisors, nanomaterials, ecotoxicity, ecotoxicity test systems, Moermond et al., Klimisch et al. 1997, by Hartmann et al.Comment

OECD Publishes Report on Alternative Testing Strategies in Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials Led by Vireo Advisors Collaboration

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Alternative Testing Strategies in Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Current State of Knowledge and Research Needs to Advance Their Use.

Alternate Testing, Leadership, Nanomaterials, Risk AnalysisJames EdeFebruary 3, 2017Vireo Advisors, OECD, manufactured nanomaterials, Alternative Testing Strategy, Risk Analysis, SRAComment

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) provides new advice on using non-animal test methods

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently updated its guidance on how to use non-animal testing methods to gather data for REACH substance registration.

Alternate Testing, GuidanceJames EdeJanuary 30, 2017ECHA, Vireo Advisors, REACH, non-animal testing, OECD, EU, weight-of-evidence, WOE, The Cosmetics' Directive, animal-testingComment

Special issue of Risk Analysis Journal Explores Alternate Testing Strategies for Nanomaterials

Several themes were explored by The Emerging Nanoscale Materials Specialty Group (ENMSG) of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) co-organized by Jo Anne Shatkin and Kimberly Ong with a wonderful team of collaborators in a 2014 workshop on the use of alternate testing strategies (ATS) for risk assessment of nanomaterials.

PETA Workshop Furthers Work on Developing Alternate Testing Strategies for Studying the Effects of Nanomaterials in the Lung

A workshop organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Science Consortium Ltd. has led to several publications developing alternate testing strategies (non-animal methods) for studying nanomaterial effects in the lung.

Alternate Testing, NanomaterialsJames EdeJuly 19, 2016PETA, Archives of Toxicology, ATS, Alternative Testing Strategy, Nanomaterials, in vivo, pulmonary fibrosis, in vitro, non-animal testing, Safety, Carbon NanotubesComment

Harper Group from Oregon State University Investigate the Effects of Chemical Modification on the Toxicity of Cellulose Nanomaterials

A publication in Cellulose this month investigated the effects of physical and chemical characteristics on cellulose nanomaterial toxicity.

Alternate Testing, Commercialization, Environment, Leadership, NanoEHS News, Nanomaterials, Nanotechnology, Risk AnalysisJames EdeJune 27, 2016Nanocellulose, Nanomaterials, NanoEHS News, Nanotechnology, Risk Analysis, Environmental Risk AssessmentComment