Research Product

Most testing of chemicals for toxic effects has traditionally focused on concerns regarding safety of humans. Such testing, however, invariably is conducted with surrogate species whose responses approximate human response. Over the years, published literature provides a measure of confidence that such an approach, with the appropriate safety factors applied, has provided data that can be extrapolated to protect human health. The literature primarily reports results of tests with chemicals and a variety of laboratory animals species, including mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, and occasionally primates. Two important recent considerations in the discipline of toxicology have extended the limited testing protocols of the past. First, scientists have discovered animal species that more closely mimic the human response than traditionally used laboratory animals (92). Secondly, it is recognized today that there are important implications for human health in the response to xenobiotics of feral animals in their own environments. Thus, today the subdiscipline of ecotoxicology has emerged with research emphasis on bioindicators of ecosystem health. With the inclusion of additional species in toxicity testing has come the need to develop protocols to standardize methodology for use of such species. This chapter provides some principles and examples of the development of such protocols.