Classification of the Substances on the Basis of the Acute-Toxic-Class Method (ATC)

The acute-toxic-class method (ATC) is an alternative to the classical LD50 test. Four substances were tested with an ATC testing procedure. The results were compared with LD50 data obtained from the literature. Great importance was attached to the observations of toxic signs following administration. The results of this study have shown that the ATC method allows allocation to toxicity classes in the same manner as on the basis of the classical LD50 tests. The ATC method uses fewer animals and yields the same information on toxic signs. Introducing the ATC method into the quality system allows estimating the acute oral toxicity of chemicals according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD; OECD, 1992, 1996).