European Union (EU) regulators are one step closer to phasing out animal testing in the hazard assessment of chemicals.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced an investigation into a new test method to replace current aquatic toxicity testing methods involving the use of fish.
The agency has commissioned the Fraunhofer Institute – a Germany-based research organisation – to explore whether the Fish Embryo Toxicity (FET) test could be considered as a valid alternative to chronic fish toxicity testing when enhanced with transcriptomics measurements.
Transcriptomics being the study of an organism’s RNA.
In ecotoxicological assessment, fish are currently used to evaluate short and long-term toxicity of chemicals in the aquatic environment.
They are also used to assess modes of toxicological action, such as endocrine-disrupting effects, in the environment.
Fish embryos are not a protected life stage under the EU’s animal welfare regulation.
As such, the ECHA said the FET test could be considered as a non-animal method for regulatory hazard assessment.
Cosmetic ingredients cannot be used in the EU if they have been tested on animals anywhere in the world to meet the requirements of the EU consumer cosmetics regulation.
However, cosmetic ingredients must also meet the requirements of another EU regulation, REACH – the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals.
This is not a consumer regulation; it exists to ensure human health in the workplace and the environment.
Under REACH, the collection of new data on cosmetic ingredients using animal tests may be mandated.
This has been a pain-point for animal rights campaigners.
Last year, the General Court of the European Court of Justice became a focus for activist ire when it ruled against German cosmetic ingredients manufacturer Symrise.
The company was pushing to overturn a decision mandating that it test two of its cosmetic-only ingredients on animals.
At the time, Cruelty Free International dubbed the decision a “huge backwards step”, which made the EU’s cosmetic testing bans “virtually meaningless”.