Safety assessment of drug residues.

The safety assessment of drug residues is part of the process for defining the conditions for the safe use of drugs in food-producing animals. The information needed to assess the safety of drug residues is provided by chemical and toxicity tests. Toxicity tests are conducted to identify the type of effect produced and to determine the exposure concentrations that would be expected not to produce the effect. These tests include acute, subacute, and chronic toxicity tests, as well as reproduction studies and other special tests. The results are used to find an acceptable daily intake for drug residues that can be used to set a tolerance.