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Guidance on
Searching for Chemical Information and Data
Guidance on
Searching for Chemical Information and Data
Introduction
Introduction
This search guide has been
prepared to assist industry participating in the HPV
Challenge Program in successfully locating existing test data
on high production
volume (HPV) chemicals. Once identified and obtained, the
data must then undergo a review to determine their adequacy (see the HPV
Challenge Guidance
Document on Determining Adequacy of Existing Data for more
information). This guide was developed by EPA for use by manufacturers
or importers of chemicals included in the HPV Challenge. Companies
are encouraged to follow this guidance before considering new testing
under the Challenge program.
While this guide is designed to assist chemical companies and other interested parties in locating as many of these studies as possible, it is, of necessity, limited to providing general guidance on conducting information searches. Depending on the specifics of a given chemical, the sponsor needs to be alert to the role of and need for customization of the strategy to account for specific circumstances.
Sponsors are familiar with their chemicals in ways no one else is and thus may have access to proprietary data or be familiar with data sources possessed by no one else. This guidance is intended to help sponsors supplement the information already identified by EPA in its availability study. In addition to searching their files, sponsors also might want to consult Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) as well as the data availability study done by the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA), which includes a number of sources beyond those in EPA's original analysis. The sources included in this guidance should not be considered a "minimum", but are intended to serve as a starting point for a data search. HPV sponsors have special knowledge of the chemicals they make and are encouraged to apply that knowledge to identify other potential data sources.
The fact that non-EPA information sources are included in this guide does not mean that EPA is endorsing those sources. Nor does it mean that data included in or referenced by those sources will automatically be found to meet data adequacy requirements. As noted above, studies and data will need to meet the requirements as spelled out in the guidance document on data adequacy in order to be accepted for use by EPA under the HPV Challenge Program.
The guide also considers the need for careful searching of company records to identify files containing relevant test data. In this regard all manufacturers and importers of a given chemical, regardless of whether they are sponsoring the chemical, are encouraged to search their files and to provide relevant test data to the companies sponsoring a given chemical.
Sponsors that follow the basic approach outlined in this guide will, in most cases, be successful in identifying existing relevant information. Nonetheless, sponsors under the HPV Challenge Program, as chemical manufacturers and importers of the chemical in question, should "know" the chemical. Sponsors must apply this knowledge and understanding to customize their searches to improve their ability to identify relevant test data.
Disclaimer
IMPORTANT: The fact that a resource
is included in this guide does not mean that EPA is endorsing those sources.
Nor does it mean that EPA will automatically accept data included in or
referenced by those sources. Studies and data will need to
meet the requirements as spelled out in the guidance
document on data adequacy in order to be accepted under the HPV Challenge
Program.
Send comments to the Chemical Right to Know staff (oppt.chemrtk@epa.gov)