Lautenberg Chemical Safety Legislation Should Prioritize High-Tech Test Methods

WASHINGTON—The Physicians Committee—a nonprofit of 12,000 doctors—is calling on Congress to pass the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. This bill, which would revise the decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act, will ensure the replacement of animals in chemical tests with quick and human-relevant test methods.
 
The bill requires that alternatives to animal tests be developed, considered, and used, and places restrictions on animal testing–which are stronger than current law–that will over time facilitate the development and adoption of human-relevant, nonanimal methods. This will allow the Environmental Protection Agency to collect better information more quickly than current tests allow.
 
“We lack information on many chemicals and how they affect a diverse human population, because we rely too heavily on slow, unreliable, and expensive animal tests,” says Kristie Sullivan, M.P.H., vice president of research policy. “The policies in this legislation—supported by many environmental and public health groups, as well as a bipartisan coalition of senators—will ensure strong protection of human health and the environment by modernizing toxicity test methods.”

Since 2007, the Physicians Committee has worked to share with Congress the importance of updating U.S. toxicity testing guidelines.

Take Action: Tell your Representative to Limit Animal Testing​