Public health policy and the National Toxicology Program.

[The NTP] had to be more responsive to critical issues in public health policy. Since its inception in 1978, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) has made considerable progress toward achieving its goal of international prominence based on excellence in toxicological studies. In the early 1990s when we first developed significant interactions with the NTP, we were struck by the reputation of the NTP in conducting and reporting toxicological studies. Clearly, the NTP rodent bioassay was and still is recognized as the standard for carcinogen identification, without any close competition. The dedication of the NTP staff was inspiring and is a tribute to the former Director of the NIEHS and the NTP, David Rall. This objective, science-based approach to critical issues in toxicology had a profound impact on emphasizing the linkages between basic science and public health policy in support of the goals of the NTP which are to: *Provide toxicological evaluation on substances of public health concern *Develop and validate improved methods (sensitive, specific, faster) *Develop approaches and generate data to strengthen the science base for risk assessments *Communicate with all stakeholders. As we immersed ourselves in the workings of the NTP, including interactions with federal and state agencies, industry, and public interest groups, we came to the realization that good toxicology was not enough. The NTP needed to be more than a rodent-testing program. It had to contribute more to strengthening the science base for risk assessments, and it had to be more responsive to critical issues in public health policy involving concerns over health effects of exposure to chemical agents in our environment, at home and in the workplace, in the food we eat, in the water we drink, and in the air we breathe. To be successful, the NTP had to do three things. First, it had to broaden and extend existing partnerships and develop new ones. The NTP's two clients are the American public and governmental agencies at the federal and state levels who rely on data from the NTP to make credible decisions in order to protect public health without increasing the regulatory burden on American industry. Second, the NTP had to embrace the concept of mechanism-based toxicology. The decision by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in 1978 to center the NTP at the NIEHS was for the explicit purpose of creating new opportunities for taking advantage of advances …