Abstract |
The passage of the Toxic Substances Control Act and the recognition over the past several years of the relationship between cancer incidence, other health effects, and environmental agents, prodded EPA-wide interest in test development. Even prior to these occurrences, the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) recognized the importance of tests per se to research, regulation, and compliance assurance. ORD thus established efforts along these lines as part of its air and water programs and subsequently in the toxics program, to improve investigative tools to determine and predict health and environmental processes and effects. It is generally agreed that such improvements should strive for increased sensitivity and reliability, and at the same time decrease the cost and amount of time required to obtain results. |