ABSTRACT
In Australia the assessment of agricultural and veterinary chemicals and pesticides is carried out under the federal Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Act, through the Australian Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Council. Toxicological assessments on these chemicals are carried out by expert committees of the National Health and Medical Research Council. Toxicity studies required by NH & MRC are: toxicokinetic studies, acute toxicity testing, sub-chronic toxicity studies, chronic toxicity studies, oncogenicity studies, reproduction and developmental toxicity, and genotaxicity studies. The bulk of Information required for assessment is in the form of submissions from industry which contain detailed toxicology data and results of pesticide residue trials. Toxicokinetlc studies are studies on absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of the chemical in the body of the experimental animal. Acute toxicity studies involve the administration of a single dose or multiple doses of the chemical, given within 24 hours, and the observation of adverse effects occurring from the time of administration up to 14 days post-exposure.
