Background
OECD Test Guidelines display an important tool to evaluate the impacts of chemicals on the environment. The update of the Test Guidelines is organised by the Working Party of National Coordinators for the OECD Test Guidelines Programme (WNT) and the OECD Secretariat. The procedure relies on proposals from OECD member countries and does not contain a regular update check.
The German Environment Agency contracted Fraunhofer IME, Fraunhofer ITEM and Ramboll to identify and prioritise any potential update need and to come up with a list for potential actions. It is emphasised that the project shall rely on feedback from the international community.
Aim
The research project is intended to review which OECD Test Guidelines do not correspond to the current state of science and technology. All Test Guidelines relevant for the assessment of effects on the environment are to be reviewed. This includes all Test Guidelines from areas 2 (effects on biotic systems) and 3 (behaviour and fate to the environment) and partly Test Guidelines from area 1 (physicochemical properties), which are relevant for the evaluation of effects of chemicals on the environment (e.g. octanol-water coefficient, hydrolysis, water solubility).
Informational material
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The final report is now available on: Review of the OECD Test Guidelines relevant to environmental assessment with regard to the state of the art in science and technology | Umweltbundesamt