Review of the OECD Test Guidelines relevant to environmental assessment with regard to the state of the art in science and technology

OECD Test Guidelines (TG) are internationally standardized methods for testing chemicals. Industry, academia and authorities use the data collected with these methods for the evaluation of chemicals (such as industrial chemicals) with regard to their hazards to humans and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary that the TGs be continuously expanded and updated to reflect the state of the art in science and technology. However, a regular review of the OECD TGs has not been provided for in the current procedure so far. The aim of the present project was therefore to identify the OECD TGs that do not currently correspond to the state of the art in science and technology. For this purpose, only the OECD TGs that are used for the assessment of effects on the environment were considered. Based on a detailed questionnaire, a comprehensive survey was conducted to identify the need for revision. Proposals for revising TGs were evaluated in a second survey. Both surveys were open to all interested parties from industry, academia, contract laboratories, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies. After completion of the surveys, the results were discussed in three thematic workshops. Recommendations for the revision of the OECD TGs were developed and prioritized, which were finally presented to the members of the Working Party of National Coordinators for the OECD Test Guidelines Programme (WNT).