QSAR Toolbox: Guidance on importing databases

03-May-2011

A guidance document for importing databases into the OECD QSAR Toolbox is now available. The QSAR Toolbox is a software application intended to be used by governments, industry and other stakeholders to fill gaps in (eco)toxicity data needed for assessing the hazards of chemicals. This new document specifically provides guidance on how users can import their own proprietary experimental data into the Toolbox and use them to fill data gaps by read-across or trend analysis.

Update of OECD Harmonised Templates

29-Apr-2011

The OECD Harmonised Templates (OHT) are standard data formats for reporting studies done on chemicals to determine their properties or effects on human health and the environment. Minor updates were recently made to 37 OHTs, based on the experience and suggestions for improvement from users implementing them in databases such as IUCLID 5.3 (managed by the European Chemical Agency).

Details of additions brought or changes made in February 2011 in these templates and associated XML files are accessible on the OHTs Webpage, “Update Overview ” link.

Report on Structural Alerts for the Identification of Protein-Binding Chemicals now published

11-Apr-2011

This document is a report of the expert consultation held on 20 October 2010 with the aim to evaluate a set of structural alerts for estimating covalent binding of chemicals with proteins. The resulting set of alerts have been implemented in version 2.0 of the OECD QSAR Toolbox.

PRTR: Summary of Estimation Techniques for Releases from Products is now available

07-Apr-2011

The release of chemicals used in products is one of the key area where better knowledge is needed for a sound risk assessment and management of chemicals. OECD has just published a summary of estimation techniques for releases from products. This document outlines currently available techniques for quantifying releases of chemicals to the environment from the use phase of end-products. It also includes 11 case studies which target specific substances (e.g. lead) and product types (e.g. building and car care products and packages).

India: joins OECD agreement on mutual acceptance of chemical safety data

06-Apr-2011

India has become the third key emerging economy to join the OECD system for the Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) in the Assessment of Chemicals, ensuring that the results of non-clinical chemical safety testing done there will be accepted in all other participating countries

Two new data sources participate in eChemPortal

04-Apr-2011

The Canadian Categorization Results (CCR) and AGRITOX - Base de données sur les substances actives phytopharmaceutiques were recently added as new participating data sources in eChemPortal, the Global Portal to Information on Chemical Substances. eChemPortal provides direct links to collections of information prepared for government chemical review programmes at national, regional, and international levels.

Estimates for dissociation constant now available in the OECD QSAR Toolbox

29-Mar-2011

One of the major new features in version 2.1 of the OECD QSAR Toolbox is the availability of estimates of pKa for more than 100000 chemicals. Following an agreement with the company ChemAxon, pKa estimates have been generated with Chemaxon’s pKa calculator  and stored in the Toolbox. The availability of these estimates will greatly enhance the potential of the Toolbox to predict the behaviour of chemicals in the environment as well as their effects in animals and humans.

PESTICIDES: Report of the OECD Seminar on Risk Reduction through Prevention,Detection and Control of the Illegal International Trade in Agricultural Pesticides

11-Mar-2011

This report presents the results of an OECD Seminar (OECD, Paris, May 2010) that reviewed various key issues associated with risk reduction through prevention, detection and control of the illegal international trade in agricultural pesticides.  The seminar recommend the setting of an OECD network of experts and inspectors knowledgeable and active in fighting illegal trade of pesticides that could be used for rapid exchange of information on suspicious or rejected shipments.

PESTICIDES: Report of the OECD Seminar on Risk Reduction through Prevention,Detection and Control of the Illegal International Trade in Agricultural Pesticides

11-Mar-2011

This report presents the results and recommendations of an OECD Seminar on risk reduction through prevention, detection and control of the illegal international trade in agricultural pesticides. This one-day Seminar, held on 19 May 2010, was chaired by Wolfgang Zornbach (Germany), Chairman of the OECD Risk Reduction Steering Group (RRSG), and took place at OECD, in Paris, France.

Main Report
Presentations

Update of QSAR Toolbox (version 2.1) now available for free download

17-Feb-2011

(Quantitative) Structure-Activity Relationships or (Q)SARs are methods for estimating properties of a chemical from its molecular structure. The QSAR Toolbox is a software intended to be used by governments, the chemical industry and other stakeholders to apply (Q)SARs to fill data gaps needed for assessing the hazards of chemicals. This updated version 2.1 contains a number of new functionalities and bug fixes. The release is part of a collaboration between OECD and the European Chemicals Agency.