US EPA and Unilever aim to advance nonanimal toxicity tests

Building on a 5-year collaboration to develop nonanimal methods for evaluating risks associated with chemicals in consumer products, the US Environmental Protection Agency and Unilever have agreed to commit more than $2 million to test at least 40 chemicals using the new methods. Half the chemicals will be of low risk to human health, while half will have known adverse effects. The goal is to compare the results from the two sets to determine how well various nonanimal toxicity tests predict risks to human health. All data generated by the collaboration will be accessible to the public. Ultimately, the partnership aims to advance the use of nonanimal toxicity tests in regulatory decisions. Unilever has been using nonanimal tests to ensure that its consumer products “are safe and sustainable by design,” Julia Fentem, head of Unilever’s Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre, says in a statement. The new collaboration with the EPA aims to build confidence in such approaches within the global scientific and regulatory communities, she says.