EPA Updates New Approach Methods To Replace Animal Testing For Chemical Assessments

In a significant move toward modernizing chemical safety assessments, on June 2, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two major actions aimed at replacing traditional, animal-based testing with advanced scientific alternatives, typically known as New Approach Methods (NAM), for chemical assessments under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA is also introducing a streamlined process for researchers, companies, and other stakeholders to nominate NAMs for consideration in pesticide and chemical assessments.

According to EPA, these two actions mark major strides in meeting its goal of eliminating all mammalian animal testing by 2035 — an ambitious target set during the first Trump Administration that Administrator Lee Zeldin recommitted to meeting earlier this year. EPA has made gradual progress toward this goal in the past few years, including implementation of its first-ever lab animal