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Better Science
Non-Animal
Product Safety Tests
What product safety tests are available
that do not use animals?
Corrositex is a non-animal
based test that has been validated by the Interagency Coordinating
Committee for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM)—a
committee that consists of representatives from 14 federal
regulatory and research agencies and programs.
Corrositex, manufactured by InVitro
International, is an in vitro test that determines chemical
corrosivity. This test replaces the rabbit test of dermal
corrosivity.
In addition to Corrositex, other commonly
used safety testing methods that do not use animals are:
- Agarose Diffusion Method
– This alternative to the Draize eye irritancy test (an
animal test) uses human cells.
- Cell and Tissue Cultures
– Cells or tissues can be obtained from human volunteers,
surgical operations, biopsies and post-mortem specimens,
and used for in vitro studies. Some cells can be immortalized
to form cell lines that provide a constant supply of identical
test material.
- Clinical Studies – Carefully
managed clinical trials provide information about the safety
of certain products.
- EpiDerm and SkinEthics –
These are three dimensional human skin equivalent systems.
EpiDerm Corrosivity Test (manufactured by MatTek of Ashland,
Massachusetts) has been validated by the European Centre
for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) as an
in vitro alternative corrosivity test and is currently undergoing
validation trials by ICCVAM.
- EpiOcular – This is a three-dimensional
human ocular tissue equivalent system which mimics characteristics
of the epithelium of the eye.
- Irritection Assay System
– Manufactured by InVitro International, this is a standardized,
quantitative in vitro test method that can be employed to
detect, rank, and predict the ocular and/or dermal irritation
potential of cosmetics, consumer products, pharmaceuticals,
and chemical raw materials. This advanced technology enhances
and replaces InVitro International’s earlier Eytex and Skintex
products.
- Human Keratinocyte/Neutral Red
Bioassay – Cells that are representative of the eye
and skin epithelium and human cells that are derived from
donors.
November 2001
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