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On August 12, 2020, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MoE) issued an announcement [1] to solicit public comments on a revision to the Notice on Test Methods of New Chemicals. The consultation is set to end on September 10.
In accordance with the Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL, see ChemLinked Chempedia [2]), the examination of new chemicals, in principle, must be performed based on the test methods stipulated in the Notice.
The revision is proposed in order to keep aligned with the established amendments to OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals 203: Fish, Acute Toxicity Test[3]. It majorly includes four key points:
1. Four fish species (gasterosteus aculeatus, cyprinodon variegatus, dicentrarchus labrax and pagrus major) are proposed to be added into the list of recommended test fish species for fish acute toxicity tests, making the total number 11; the recommended fish length and test temperature is to be modified; two more test items, namely salinity and hardness, are proposed.
2. The content concerning measurement and humanitarian treatment of fish is proposed to be added.
3. The methodology of observation is made more specific: for instance, the revision provides the time of observation after exposure, frequency of observation per day, records made when any abnormality is observed, etc.
4. An amendment to the format of the Report of Fish Acute Toxicity Test Results is proposed as well.
