A website has been launched to serve as an information hub on the development of the key characteristics (KC) framework to identify hazardous chemicals. Led by Martyn Smith, a professor of toxicology at the University of California Berkeley, KCs are being proposed to be used as a standardized tool to efficiently evaluate chemicals for hazards and to help prioritize further assessments. Smith presented on the development of KCs during a Food Packaging Forum webinar in May 2020 (FPF reported), covering recent research carried out by a working group of 90 scientists focused on understanding KCs of carcinogens, male and female reproductive toxicants, and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
The new website “will serve as a hub for current information related to the key characteristics including resources, such as relevant assays and MeSH [(medical search heading)] terms, that can be used by regulators in the application to hazard assessment.” The site outlines relevant presentations, publications, events, and ongoing projects to expand the approach to identifying other hazardous chemicals including cardiovascular toxicants, hepatotoxicants, neurotoxicants, and other soon-to-be launched areas of focus.
Read More
Key Characteristics (September 10, 2020). “Identifying the Key Characteristics of Hazardous Chemicals and Other Exposures: A Collaborative Approach.”
