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Up-and-Down Procedure for Acute Oral Toxicity

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Overview and Recommendations

A peer review panel meeting to evaluate the validation status of a revised Up-and-Down Procedure (UDP) for acute oral toxicity was held in July 2000, and was followed by a teleconference in August 2001. The Panel endorsed revisions to further reduce the number of animals needed to estimate a median lethal dose (LD50) necessary for hazard classification and labeling of chemicals and products. In agreement with the peer review panel, the ICCVAM recommended that the revised UDP test guideline should: (1) replace the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) UDP test guideline from 1998 and (2) be used instead of the conventional LD50 test to determine the acute oral toxicity hazard of chemicals. ICCVAM concluded that use of the revised UDP test guideline will reduce and refine animal use.

Results of the peer review were used to prepare a revised OECD Test Guideline and Guidance Document on Acute Toxicity that was adopted in December 2001. ICCVAM's recommendations to use the revised UDP in place of the conventional LD50 test were transmitted to Federal agencies on March 21, 2003. Agency responses were made available to the public on March 10, 2004.

ICCVAM Test Method Recommendations on Acute Oral Toxicity

  • ICCVAM Test Method Recommendations: Appendix A of Peer Review Evaluation Report

  • Transmittal Letter on Acute Systemic Toxicity from Dr. Kenneth Olden to the Agency Heads (March 21, 2003) [PDF]

  • Agency Responses:

    • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
      • Response from Henry Falk, Assistant Administrator (August 25, 2003) [PDF]

    • Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)

    • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
      • Response from Joseph Merenda, Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy (December 2, 2003) [PDF]

    • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      • Response from Mark McClellan, Commissioner of Food and Drugs (September 9, 2003) [PDF]

    • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
      • Response from Andrew von Eschenbach, Director (August 25, 2003) [PDF]

    • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
      • Letter from Dr. Olden to the NIEHS Record (September 9, 2003) [PDF]

    • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
      • Response from Elias Zerhouni, Director (September 5, 2003) [PDF]

    • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
      • Response from John Howard, Director (September 30, 2003) [PDF]

    • National Library of Medicine (NLM)
      • Response from Donald Lindberg, Director (August 8, 2003) [PDF]

    • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
      • Response from John Henshaw, Office of the Assistant Secretary [PDF]

    • U.S. Department of Agriculture
      • Response from Bobby Acord, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (September 22, 2003) [PDF]

    • U.S. Department of Defense
      • Response from Charles Holland, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Science and Technology (September 30, 2003) [PDF]

    • U.S. Department of Energy
      • Response from Marvin Frazier, Director, Life Sciences Division (September 24, 2003) [PDF]

    • U.S. Department of the Interior
      • Response from Charles Groat, Director, U.S. Geological Survey (August 27, 2003) [PDF]

    • U.S. Department of Transportation
      • Response from Samuel Bonasso, Acting Director, Research and Special Programs Administration (May 7, 2003) [PDF]
      • Reference: United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals - Report Of The Secretary-General (E/2003/46) [ Definition of LD50 for acute oral toxicity to be amended in 13th Revised Edition]
        Definition located in Chapter 2.6, Section 2.6.2.1.1, on Page 14.


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