Testing times

The European and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies and chemical companies have been shocked into action by a report released by the U.S. green lobby group Environmental Defense Fund. The EDF found that among 100 high production volume chemicals (HVC produced at over 450 tons per year) selected at random, toxicological information could not be found for three quarters of them. Previously, public opinion was that testing was taking so long industry's slowness to test chemicals for toxicological effects. The study shows the magnitude of inaction by both the chemical companies and countries' governments. Of nineteen HVCs that were studied, risk reduction steps were found necessary for fourteen. Chemical companies swiftly agreed to testing.