Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 29 May 1986 on a programme of action of the European Communities on toxicology for health protection
Date: 1986-05-29
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: action programme, exchange of information, public health, research method, scientific cooperation, toxicology













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41986X0723

Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of 29 May 1986 on a programme of action of the European Communities on toxicology for health protection  


Official Journal C 184 , 23/07/1986 P. 0001 - 0002 





RESOLUTIONof the Council and the  representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meetingwithin the Council,of 29 May 1986on  a programme of action of the European Communities on toxicology for health protection(86/C  184/01)THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS  OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL, Having regard to the Treaties establishing the  European Communities Having regard to the draft resolution submitted by the Commission (1) , Having  regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2) , Having regard to the opinion of the Economic  and Social Committee (3) , Whereas one of the main objectives of the present programme is to  contribute towards improving expertise, which is indispensable for the sectoral activities relating  to toxicology carried out at Community level (relating, for example, to pharmaceuticals and  cosmetics, human foodstuffs and animal feedingstuffs, including additives as well as chemicals  present in the environment, pesticides and agents harmful to the domestic and working environment)  ; Whereas the various scientific research programmes of the Community, whether planned or under  way, cover from the research point of view several areas of the present programme and will  therefore provide a valuable input of new knowledge; Whereas this programme, by fostering the  development of experimental toxicology, clinical toxicology and the integration of experimental  clinical and analytical data,  should help to ensure the quality and comparability of data and of  testing methods, and to promote the elimination of certain non-tariff barriers to trade; whereas to  this end a better understanding must be achieved of the normal variability of biochemical and  physiological parameters, and staff training in toxicology must be improved; whereas for the same  reasons the exchange of experience and information in this field should be encouraged; Whereas in  addition this programme, by helping to ensure the quality and comparability of data and by listing  existing testing facilities and ongoing testing programmes, should help to eliminate any  unnecessary duplication of effort by promoting a more rational and more economic use of the  toxicological experiments carried out within the Communiy and facilitate their acceptance at  international level; Whereas the pursuit of the above objectives should result in limiting the  number of animals to be used and the number of toxicological tests on animals; Whereas  toxicological awareness should be encouraged and, in the longer term, toxicological testing methods  should be harmonized; Whereas cooperation with the various international agencies active in this  area, in particular the World Health Organization (WHO) , the United Nations Environment Programme  (UNEP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) , through their Joint International  Programme on Chemical Safety, as well as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and  the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) , and where appropriate the  implementation of joint measures with those agencies, are necessary to avoid duplication of effort;  Whereas toxicology and national priorities in this field are developing rapidly and it is therefore  necessary to update the annual working schedule each year in liaison with the Member States, after  consulting the international agencies concerned, I Express the political will to take, in keeping  with the urgency of the matter and bearing in mind what is feasible at national and Community  level, the measures required so that between now and the end of 1990 the following priority actions  in particular can be undertaken: 1. Experimental toxicology with the exception of ecotoxicology (i)  Compile and maintain a list of: - existing structures in the Member States for toxicological  testing; -toxicological tests carried out in them in order to assess the toxicity of chemical  products and preparations; (ii) assess current toxicological methods and practice and those being  developed, in order to improve the quality and comparability of toxicological data, to facilitate  their acceptability in the Community and internationally bearing in mind the activities of  international agencies in this field, and to pay particular attention to tests involving a  reduction in the number and suffering of animals thus used and to new approaches (in vitro, etc. )  ; (iii) assess the reliability of extrapolating toxicological data from animal and in vitro tests  to human beings and encourage the development of new approaches to the subject; (iv) examine the  normal variability of the biochemical and physiological parameters in the animals to be used in  toxicological tests in order to have common criteria for the assessment of toxicity. 2. Clinical  toxicology (i) Systematically review the role and functioning of clinical toxicological services,  poison centres and other appropriate structures in order to implement pilot projects relating to  exchanges of experience and information and to develop the use of clinical toxicology data (acute  and chronic) within the framework of the overall assessment of the impact of chemical products and  preparations on human health; (ii) systematically review current practice in the assessment of  normal variability of biochemical and physiological parameters and seek common criteria. 3.  Training and information (i) Promote the exchange of experience between Member States on needs for  toxicology experts in all sectors and at all levels and establish guidelines for the training of  toxicology experts; (ii) promote the exchange of expertise and information between Member States on  toxicological data. II Request the Commission to prepare and submit, in collaboration with the  Member States and on a coordinated basis with them, after the first year following the adoption of  this resolution and thereafter annually, a work programme detailing the work it intends to carry  out in order to implement this resolution. The annual work programme, together with a report on  results achieved, will be forwarded to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and  Social Committee. (1) OJ No C 156, 16. 6. 1984, p. 6. (2) OJ No C 141, 10. 6. 1985, p. 504. (3) OJ No C 104, 25. 4. 1985, p. 2.