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NewsPosted: 08/12/09 First REACH animal tests demanded by ECHAThe European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has made its first decision regarding a testing proposal under the new REACH system. At a meeting of the Member State Committee at ECHA last week, where Dr Katy Taylor from the BUAV represented the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), the first testing proposal for a new chemical was discussed. Even though the registrant of the chemical did not want to do any animal tests and had proposed a mechanism by which the testing could be waived, ECHA unanimously decided that this was not sufficient. The registrant now has to conduct two animal tests, a 90-day repeated dose test and a developmental toxicity test, in line with REACH requirements. These tests will use 100 and 1056 animals respectively, probably rats, including hundreds of pups in the developmental toxicity study who will be removed from their mothers and killed one day before they are due to be born. The ECEAE is disappointed by this news and thinks it shows that the ECHA is being overly strict in complying with REACH requirements. We are also disturbed to have found that, as stakeholder observers, we were not allowed to be present during the discussion about the testing proposal at the meeting, where we could have made a positive contribution. The ECEAE will be writing to the ECHA Management board about this. |
