STRATEGY OVERVIEW
The EPA's New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) work plan aims to reduce and eventually eliminate vertebrate animal testing for chemical safety assessments. This strategic initiative integrates high-throughput screening, computational toxicology, and in vitro methods to evaluate the safety of chemicals under TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act).
KEY INITIATIVES
- ToxCast/Tox21: High-throughput screening of 10,000+ chemicals across 700+ assays
- CompTox Chemicals Dashboard: Public database with NAMs data for 900,000+ chemicals
- IRIS Program: Integrated Risk Information System updates incorporating NAMs
- PFAS Testing: NAMs-first approach for emerging contaminants
- 2035 Goal: Eliminate mammalian testing requirements for chemical safety
IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE
- 2019: NAMs Strategic Plan published under Administrator Wheeler
- 2025: 30% reduction in mammalian study requests
- 2030: 50% reduction target
- 2035: Eliminate mammalian testing requirements entirely
TSCA INTEGRATION
Under the 2016 Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act amendments to TSCA, EPA must reduce vertebrate animal testing to the extent practicable. NAMs provide scientifically valid alternatives for chemical risk assessments, enabling faster and more cost-effective evaluations of the 40,000+ chemicals in commerce.