SOT Statements

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The Society of Toxicology is committed to providing sound, balanced science information on toxicological topics of importance to human, environmental, and animal health. If you have a topic that you would like the Society to address, please consult the SOT Statements Procedure document and submit a proposal form to the SOT Communications Director.

Toxicology Impact Statements

Over the years, toxicological research has helped identify risks and has informed rules, regulations, and tests to protect public health. Below are statements—written by SOT members and approved by SOT Council—which describe public health situations in which toxicology helped provide solutions and protection.

For additional information about toxicology, how it impacts public health, and how it is connected to other sciences, visit the “Relevance of Toxicology to Public Health” web page.

Use of Animals in Research

SOT Guiding Principles in the Use of Animals in Toxicology (Last revised in July 2016)

Currently, research involving laboratory animals is necessary to ensure and enhance human and animal health and the protection of the environment, but the Society of Toxicology also supports the development and use of alternatives to the use of animals. The Society expects its members to consider alternative procedures that reduce the number of animals used, refine the use of whole animals, or replace whole animals (e.g., in vitro models, invertebrate organisms) in research, when appropriate. If the use of animals is necessary, the animals should be used and treated in a responsible manner.

Express Statements

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Issue Statements

SOT Issue Statements represent official viewpoints of the Society and present a balanced view of toxicological science and connected sciences. They are written by subject-matter experts, reviewed by SOT membership at large, and approved by SOT Council. Prior to 2010, SOT Issue Statements were referred to as Position Statements.

Express Statements

SOT members have produced information on toxicology topics that impact human, animal, and environmental health. The following documents are not official issue or position statements by the Society, but SOT has made every effort to make these information sheets balanced and science-driven. Prior to 2015, Express Statements were referred to as Tox Topics.

 
 

Regulation and Policy Communications

Throughout the year, SOT expresses support for efforts to strengthen science or the use of sound science in regulations and policy by adding its voice to those of like-minded colleagues in letters and other communications. SOT Council formalized the SOT Requests for Comment Procedure on May 13, 2020.

View previous “Regulation and Policy Communications” on the “Publications and Historical Documents” web page.

TSCA Reform

SOT Statement on the Signing of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (6/22/16)

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the statute by which many chemicals in commerce are regulated in the United States, was passed in 1976 and had not been significantly updated since that time. In the 2010s, various members of the US Congress attempted to update the act, and as a result, the Society formed a TSCA Task Force that had a goal of “ensuring that the science of toxicology and the application of risk assessment are considered in all discussions related to the TSCA reform initiatives.”

Specifically, the TSCA Task Force was committed to providing:

  • Education and discussion on scientific topics that are directly related or tangential to legislation
  • Insight on how transformations in toxicology and risk assessment may influence future chemical regulation such that legislative expectations and implementation are scientifically feasible.

To help in this effort, the Task Force adopted guiding principles in relation to its work on TSCA reform. These guiding principles were that TSCA legislation should ensure that:

  • The language affords flexibility in selection of the best available science for generating and evaluating information used in the safety and risk assessment process.
  • The language protects the authority of the US Environmental Protection Agency, working with the scientific community, to judge when and how to apply new techniques and methods.
  • The language ensures the terms and concepts used in the legislative language that apply to the science of toxicology are consistent, accurate, and unambiguous.

Task Force Actions