Acute and prolonged toxicity tests.

An answer to the question of whether acute and prolonged toxicity tests are good candidates for standardization is developed by reviewing (1) the factors that are presumed to influence the results of these tests and (2) the collaborative studies that have been reported in the literature. In regard to acute toxicity tests it is clear that competent laboratories give due consideration for the control of factors that are known to influence these tests. Also competent laboratories using their own procedures provide reliable results, even though the procedures vary from laboratory to laboratory. In regard to prolonged toxicity tests there are no examples of controlled collaborative investigations which could be used to evaluate interlaboratory variation and its relation to the protocols involved. It is recommended that guidelines rather than rigid protocols would be an appropriate approach for improving the quality and accuracy of these toxicologic tests. Examples of such guidelines are given.