Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment Research Articles

A modular one-generation reproduction study as a flexible testing system for regulatory safety assessment

The European Union's Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) legislation mandates testing and evaluation of approximately 30,000 existing substances within a short period of time, beginning with the most widely used "high production volume" (HPV) chemicals. REACH testing requirements for the roughly 3000 HPV chemicals specify three separate tests for reproductive toxicity: two developmental toxicity studies on different animal species (OECD Test Guideline 414) and a two-generation reproduction toxicity study (OECD TG 416). These studies are highly costly in both economic and animal welfare terms. OECD TG 416 is a fertility study intended to evaluate reproductive performance of animals in the P and F1-generations following repeated exposure to a test substance. It can also be used to detect adverse effects on structural and functional development. Thus, it has conventionally been preferred to the one-generation study (OECD TG 415). Recently, the Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ACSA) Technical Committee of the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) proposed that routine two-generation studies could in most cases be replaced with an "enhanced" one-generation study (Reuter et al. [1]). The flexible design proposed by HESI-ACSA allows for the addition of one or more specialised modules, if triggered (e.g. production of a second generation or the investigation of classical developmental toxicity or developmental neuro- or immunotoxicity). Significantly, however, the HESI-ACSA proposal was designed for use in the safety assessment of pesticidal, as opposed to industrial, chemicals. Thus for the purposes of REACH, a streamlined one-generation study that also examines structural development would be the most efficient means of addressing current information requirements for HPV chemicals. This study represents a flexible testing system that can be modified to meet regulatory needs in a variety of sectors.

To mate or not to mate: A retrospective analysis of two-generation studies for evaluation of criteria to trigger additional mating in the extended one-generation design

An extended one-generation study is proposed to replace the standard two-generation study, and would eliminate breeding F1 animals unless triggered by effects on parental reproduction or pup development. Nine two-generation studies in rats were reviewed to determine whether reproductive or developmental toxicity was more pronounced in the F2 generation. Three studies lacked reproductive effects, one had reproductive toxicity only in parental animals, three had mostly equivalent effects between generations, and two showed greater toxicity in the second generation. In each study with relevant effects, criteria proposed by Cooper et al. [Cooper RL, Lamb IV JC, Barlow SM, Bently K, Brady AM, Doerrer NG, et al. A tiered approach to life stages testing for agricultural chemical safety assessment. Crit Rev Toxicol 2006;36:69–98.] were applied to determine whether additional breeding would be triggered in the extended one-generation design. Additional mating was triggered for all but one study with more pronounced F1 reproductive toxicity. Thus, while the extended one-generation design may be a useful substitution for the two-generation study, more stringent criteria must first be developed to determine whether additional mating is actually needed.

Current developments in reproductive toxicity testing of pesticides

A protocol to evaluate the potential developmental and reproductive effects of test chemicals has been developed by the Life Stages Task Force of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ACSA) Technical Committee. Since the original publication, several international groups have provided public comment on conducting the test. The extended one-generation reproductive toxicity test is now under consideration as a potential test guideline. The protocol uses a flexible approach that is markedly different from the current multigenerational guidelines. It encourages the use of toxicokinetics when setting the doses, evaluates more than one rat per sex per litter in the F1 offspring and does not necessarily require mating of the F1 to produce an F2 (F1 mating may be triggered by the presence of effects in the P0 and developing F1 rats). A number of additional reproductive endpoints, and the neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity cohorts are included. The ACSA protocol was developed with the goal of assuring that the methods are scientifically appropriate and the toxicological endpoints and exposure durations are relevant for risk assessment. Compared to existing testing strategies, the proposed approach uses substantially fewer animals, provides additional information on the neonate, juvenile and pubertal animal, and includes an estimation of human exposure potential for making decisions about the extent of testing required. In this paper, the evolution of the protocol since the 2006 publication is discussed. These changes reflect the collective input of a U.S. expert panel of government and industrial scientist convened in 2007 and discussions of an OECD expert group held in Paris, France (October, 2008).

An analysis of the results from Two-Generation Reproduction Toxicity Studies to assess the value of mating animals of the second (F1) generation for the detection of adverse treatment-related effects on reproductive performance

The need to routinely perform a two-generation study to assess reproductive performance is under debate. This review has analysed the results from 22 consecutive Two-Generation Reproduction Toxicity Studies performed within our laboratories, to determine the value of mating each generation in the detection of treatment-related effects on reproductive performance. The chemicals included 13 agrochemicals, 5 industrial chemicals and 4 food additives. Four chemicals (all from the agrochemical group) were found to have clear treatment-related effects and in three studies effects were confined to the second (F1) generation. For the three studies with second (F1) generation effects, we applied the triggers, proposed by the Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ASCA) Technical Committee of HESI, for extension of the one-generation study and found that mating of the second (F1) generation would have been triggered in these studies by effects on the F1 offspring growth and sexual maturation. No effects were seen in the original parental (F0) generation which would have activated the change from a one- to a two-generation study.

A tiered approach for life stages testing for agricultural chemical safety assessment

A tiered approach for life stages testing for agricultural chemical safety assessment

The Acquisition and Application of Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME) Data in Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessments

A proposal has been developed by the Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ACSA) Technical Committee of the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) for an improved approach to assessing the safety of crop protection chemicals. The goal is to ensure that studies are scientifically appropriate and necessary without being redundant, and that tests emphasize toxicological endpoints and exposure durations that are relevant for risk assessment. Incorporation of pharmacokinetic studies describing absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion is an essential tool for improving the design and interpretation of toxicity studies and their application for safety assessment. A tiered approach is described in which basic pharmacokinetic studies, similar to those for pharmaceuticals, are conducted for regulatory submission. Subsequent tiers provide additional information in an iterative manner, depending on pharmacokinetic properties, toxicity study results, and the intended uses of the compound.

A Tiered Approach to Life Stages Testing for Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment

Aproposal has been developed by the Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ACSA) Technical Committee of the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) for an improved approach to assessing the safety of crop protection chemicals. The goal is to ensure that studies are scientifically appropriate and necessary without being redundant, and that tests emphasize toxicological endpoints and exposure durations that are relevant for risk assessment. The ACSA Life Stages Task Force proposes a tiered approach to toxicity testing that assesses a compound's potential to cause adverse effects on reproduction, and that assesses the nature and severity of effects during development and adolescence, with consideration of the sensitivity of the elderly. While incorporating many features from current guideline studies, the proposed approach includes a novel rat reproduction and developmental study with enhanced endpoints and a rabbit development study. All available data, including toxicokinetics, ADMEdata, and systemic toxicity information, are considered in the design and interpretation of studies. Compared to existing testing strategies, the proposed approach uses fewer animals, provides information on the young animal, and includes an estimation of human exposure potential for making decisions about the extent of testing required.

A Tiered Approach to Systemic Toxicity Testing for Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment

Aproposal has been developed by the Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment (ACSA) Technical Committee of the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) for an improved approach to assessing the safety of crop protection chemicals. The goal is to ensure that studies are scientifically appropriate and necessary without being redundant, and that tests emphasize toxicological endpoints and exposure durations that are relevant for risk assessment. The ACSA Systemic Toxicity Task Force proposes an approach to systemic toxicity testing as one part of the overall assessment of a compound's potential to cause adverse effects on health. The approach is designed to provide more relevant data for deriving reference doses for shorter time periods of human exposure, and includes fewer studies for deriving longer term reference doses—that is, neither a 12-month dog study nor a mouse carcinogenicity study is recommended. All available data, including toxicokinetics and metabolism data and life stages information, are taken into account. The proposed tiered testing approach has the potential to provide new risk assessment information for shorter human exposure durations while reducing the number of animals used and without compromising the sensitivity of the determination of longer term reference doses.

Agricultural Chemical Safety Assessment: A Multisector Approach to the Modernization of Human Safety Requirements

Better understanding of toxicological mechanisms, enhanced testing capabilities, and demands for more sophisticated data for safety and health risk assessment have generated international interest in improving the current testing paradigm for agricultural chemicals. To address this need, the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute convened a large and diverse group of international experts to develop a credible and viable testing approach that includes scientifically appropriate studies that are necessary without being redundant, and that emphasize toxicological endpoints and exposure durations that are relevant for risk assessment. Benefits of the proposed approach include improved data for risk assessment, greater efficiency, use of fewer animals, and better use of resources. From the outset of this endeavor, it was unanimously agreed that a tiered approach should be designed to incorporate existing knowledge on the chemistry, toxicology, and actual human exposure scenarios of the compound, with integration of studies on metabolism/kinetics, life stages, and systemic toxicities. Three international task forces were charged with designing study types and endpoints on metabolism/ kinetics, life stages, and systemic toxicities to be used in the tiered approach. This tiered testing proposal departs from the current standardized list of hazard studies used by many national authorities, and represents the first comprehensive effort of its kind to scientifically redesign the testing framework for agricultural chemicals.

720 Agricultural chemical safety assessment: A multi-sector, international project

720 Agricultural chemical safety assessment: A multi-sector, international project