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EPA New Approach Methods Work Plan
Citation:
Thomas, R., T. Henry, A. Lowit, L. Scarano, K. Yozzo, E. Craig, M. Perron, S. Blair, A. Guiseppi-Elie, M. Linnenbrink, N. Sipes, AND M. Gwinn. EPA New Approach Methods Work Plan. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/X-21/209, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
The work plan discusses the short- and long-term strategies EPA will deploy to accomplish the reduction in using mammals to test chemicals, working across offices and with stakeholders, and the different deliverables on which the Agency will focus, so the public can track EPA's progress.
Description:
Reducing the use of mammals and other laboratory animals for toxicity testing is a priority for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, as such, the Agency is working on the development and application of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). NAMs are defined as any technology, methodology, approach, or combination that can provide information on chemical hazard and risk assessment to avoid the use of animal testing. In this document, EPA describes its updated roadmap and identifies tangible steps to pursuing and achieving a reduction in the use of mammals for toxicity testing and related research while ensuring that the Agency's regulatory, compliance, and enforcement activities, including chemical and pesticide approvals and Agency research, remain fully protective of human health and the environment. In doing so, EPA will have to ensure its regulatory framework is robust and flexible enough to accommodate the development and the use of NAMs; establish baselines, measurements and reporting mechanisms to track progress in meeting its goals; establish scientific confidence in NAMs and demonstrate application to regulatory decisions; develop NAMs that fill critical information needs; and continue to engage and communicate with stakeholders to incorporate their knowledge and address concerns as EPA moves away from mammalian testing. In this work plan, EPA discusses the short- and long-term strategies it will deploy to accomplish these five objectives, working across offices and with stakeholders, and the different deliverables on which the Agency will focus, so the public can track EPA's progress.