ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES AND TESTS IN ECOTOXICOLOGY - A REVIEW OF THE PRESENT POSITION AND THE PROSPECTS FOR CHANGE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ECVAMS DUTIES, TOPIC SELECTION AND TEST CRITERIA

The objectives of this review are to summarise the present position co ncerning the use of vertebrates in ecotoxicity testing, giving particu lar attention to tests that cause suffering, and to discuss in some de tail, alternatives to them, and the prospects for change. The report h as been written with the objectives of the European Centre for the Val idation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) in mind, and some recommendatio ns for action have been made at the end of the discussion section. The first section of the review describes the present requirements within the European Union for the ecotoxicity testing of industrial chemical s in general, and for pesticides in particular, and the very limited d ocumentation of the tests that are actually carried out. The next four sections describe the many different assays and systems used to evalu ate the harmful effects of chemicals on free-living organisms and natu ral populations, and the extent to which they might be suitable altern atives to vertebrate toxicity tests that cause suffering. Attention is drawn to certain assays and strategies that can already be used as sa tisfactory alternatives, and thus provide the basis for short-term cha nge. Included here are nondestructive assays on vertebrates which are available for certain types of chemicals, and which provide a direct a nd relatively uncomplicated approach to the problem. Other approaches are described which still require development, but hold considerable p romise in the longer term. The growth of knowledge in the broad field of biochemical toxicology and the development of related technologies should lead to the development of better and more-sophisticated altern atives in the future. In vitro assays employing vertebrate cell system s are of particular interest here. The last section of the review deal s with conclusions and recommendations. The recommendations are made w ith a view to the activities and responsibilities of ECVAM.