Incheon, May 03 - The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER, President Kim Dong-jin), an affiliate of the Ministry of Environment, plans to expand research into developing more effective hazard assessments of chemical substances, minimizing animal testing. The NIER will invest a total of KRW 4.2 billion for the next five years. Since 2020, the NIER has been conducting a pilot project to replace animal testing for dermal hypersensitivity, among test subject matters requiring animal testing data when assessing the hazard of chemical substances. In addition, starting with genetic toxicity, the NIER has been engaged in the “five-year research on hazard assessments of chemical substances using non-testing techniques.” The non-testing technique is a method for assessing toxicity that relies on non-test data, such as s and a prediction of outcomes, rather than conducting an additional test at the point of evaluating a chemical substance.

Starting with the reproductive toxicity criteria, in 2022, the NIER pursued the “production and verification of alternative data for toxicity assessment (2022-2026)” for each test subject matter that requires animal testing involving lab mice and other animals. Reproductive toxicity data is required when registering a chemical substance produced or imported more than 10 tons per year. It is unnecessary to sacrifice dozens of animals for each test if a process is established to evaluate reproductive toxicity without animal testing.

Starting this year until 2027, the NIER will publish a series of guidebooks and leaflets that contain the checkpoints for evaluating the weight of evidence1 of toxicity data for each item in line with the research of hazard evaluation using the non-testing technique. The first guidebook, issued on April 29, introduces the projects on genetic toxicity that were conducted in 2021. It also clarifies the points that should be considered by a registration agency or a chemical substance evaluator when evaluating the weight of evidence of genetic toxicity data and includes explanations and examples. The NIER will distribute a checklist in the form of a booklet to the industries and evaluators to easily check if any evaluation items are missing when evaluating the weight of evidence of genetic toxicity data. The guidebook and booklet can also be downloaded from the Ministry of Environment’s Information Center for Industry website (www.chemnavi.or.kr) or the Chemicals Information System (ncis.nier.go.kr).

The NIER reorganized the Non-test Harmfulness Evaluation Research Group that it had operated since 2020 into the “Forum of Experts in Non-test Harmfulness Evaluation” from April 29. The reorganization is to expand the base of chemical substance evaluation using alternative data and enhance completion in related studies. This year, the forum will consist of more than ten outside experts in toxicity, alternative testing, toxicity prediction, and non-test evaluation. It will meet six times, including an advisory meeting, to draft the (tentative) process for non-test reproduction toxicity assessment.

Director Jeong Hyeon-mi of the NIER Environmental Health Research Department said, “We will keep conducting research projects to use alternative data better and provide our findings to the industry. It will lay a foundation for minimizing animal sacrifice and safely managing chemical substances.”

1 Deciding which data are more important as evidence by considering the test method, test executer, exposure route, and other matters when evaluating a chemical substance using several data, including alternatives to animals

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