EPA Announces New Robotic Toxic Chemical Testing System

Under a collaborative effort between the EPA, the FDA, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Toxicology Program, a new robotic chemical screening process has been unveiled. The robotic system is part of Tox21, a multi-agency program designed to help protect the health of Americans through advanced testing for toxic chemicals.

The new system is located at the National Institutes of Health Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC). The system has the ability to test some 10,000 chemicals found in industrial and consumer products, food additives and drugs. In addition to testing advancements, the Tox21 program is also designed to help scientists understand and predict how chemicals will people and the environment.

“Understanding the molecular basis of hazard is fundamental to the protection of people’s health and the environment,” said Dr. Paul Anastas, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development, “Tox21 allows us to obtain deeper understanding and more powerful insights, faster than ever before.”

Most recently, the Tox21 program was used to screen the different types of oil spill dispersants during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Tox21 has used robots to screen chemicals since 2008, but this new robot system is dedicated to screening a much larger compound library,” said NHGRI Director Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D. The director of the NCGC at NHGRI, Christopher Austin, M.D., added “The Tox21 collaboration will transform our understanding of toxicology with the ability to test in a day what would take one year for a person to do by hand.”

SOURCE: EPA