This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (25) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Hoffmann, S Articles by Hartung, T Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hoffmann, S Articles by Hartung, T Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Toward an evidence-based toxicology

European Commission, JRC - Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health & Consumer Protection, ECVAM - European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods, 21020 Ispra (VA), Italy, sebastian.hoffmann{at}jrc.it

T Hartung

European Commission, JRC - Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health & Consumer Protection, ECVAM - European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods, 21020 Ispra (VA), Italy

The increasing demands on toxicology of large-scale risk assessment programmes for chemicals and emerging or expanding areas of chemical use suggest it is timely to review the toxicological toolbox. Like in clinical medicine, where an evidence-based medicine (EBM) is critically reviewing traditional approaches, toxicology has the opportunity to reshape and enlarge its methodology and approaches on the basis of compounded scientific knowledge. Such revision would have to be based on structured reviews of current practice, ie, assessment of test performance characteristics, mechanistic understanding, extended quality assurance, formal validation and the use of integrated testing strategies. This form of revision could optimize the balance between safety, costs and animal welfare, explicitly stating and, where possible, quantifying uncertainties. After a self-critical reassessment of current practices and evaluation of the thus generated information, such an evidence-based toxicology (EBT) promises to make better use of resources and to increase the quality of results, facilitating their interpretation. It shall open up hazard and also risk assessments to new technologies, flexibly accommodating current and future mechanistic understanding. An EBT will be better prepared to answer the continuously growing safety demands of modern societies.

Key Words: evidence-based • reliability • test assessment • toxicology • validation • relevance

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 25, No. 9, 497-513 (2006)
DOI: 10.1191/0960327106het648oa


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. S. Bus and R. A. Becker Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A View from the Chemical Industry Toxicol. Sci., December 1, 2009; 112(2): 297 - 302. [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Hartung and G. Daston Are In Vitro Tests Suitable for Regulatory Use? Toxicol. Sci., October 1, 2009; 111(2): 233 - 237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Hartung A Toxicology for the 21st Century--Mapping the Road Ahead Toxicol. Sci., May 1, 2009; 109(1): 18 - 23. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Guzelian, M. Victoroff, C Halmes, and R. James Clear path: towards an evidence-based toxicology (EBT) Human and Experimental Toxicology, February 1, 2009; 28(2-3): 71 - 79. [PDF]

				T Hartung 1 Fundamentals of a an evidence-based toxicology: 1.1 Opening statement Human and Experimental Toxicology, February 1, 2009; 28(2-3): 93 - 94. [PDF]

				C. Guzelian and P. Guzelian Prevention of false scientific speech: a new role for an evidence-based approach Human and Experimental Toxicology, October 1, 2008; 27(10): 733 - 736. [PDF]