The Commission of the European Union (EU) has authorized additional test methods that can be used to assess the properties of materials under its regulations related to the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH).
Published in the Official Journal of the European Union in March 2014, Commission Regulation No. 260/2014 authorizes the use of 17 new and updated alternative test methods for demonstrating compliance with various requirements of the REACH regulation. The Regulation provides extensive details on each of the new and updated alternative test methods, updating and expanding the Annex to Regulation 440/2008, which originally defined the test methods that could be used under the REACH Regulation.
The new and updated alternative test methods published in Regulation 260/2014 for physico-chemical properties, toxicity and eco-toxicity were adopted in order to reduce the number of animals used for testing and experimental purposes.
