New Guidance Available for Review of Developmental Neurotoxicity Studies
For Release: March 15, 2017
EPA and Health Canada have developed new guidance for interpreting developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) data in support of a pesticide registration. This guidance will help scientists in the EPA and Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) evaluate these studies more consistently.
The Developmental Neurotoxicity study assesses behavioral and neurobiological parameters to ascertain the effects of chemicals on the developing animal. The basic purpose of DNT guideline testing is to screen for the potential of chemicals to cause adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
The guidance was developed to resolve some inconsistencies in the way U.S. and Canadian regulators were evaluating DNT studies, but it may also be useful for other international regulatory agencies or those interpreting data generated under the auspices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or EPA DNT guidelines. While it was meant for government scientists, we are posting it in the interest of transparency and to ensure everyone (regulated community and NGOs alike) knows how we are evaluating the data.