EVALUATING PRODUCTS FOR THEIR POTENTIAL TO CAUSE DERMAL AND OCULAR IRRITATION AND CORROSION

Among the most fundamental assessments of the safety of a product or, indeed, of any material that has the potential to be in contact with a significant number of people in our society, are tests in animals that seek to predict potential eye and skin irritation or corrosion (that is, local tolerance to chemicals in the most common body regions to exposure). As in all the other tests in what is called range-finding, tier 1, or acute battery studies, the tests used here are both among the oldest designs and are currently undergoing the greatest degree of scrutiny and change. All currently established test methods for these endpoints use the same model—the rabbit (almost exclusively the New Zealand White). These tests have become the first focus point of concern and protest by those concerned with the humane treatment and rights of animals. Because of this, the design and technique used in these tests have been modified. Also, alternatives have been developed that use models other than the rabbit or other mammals, and await regulatory recognition.