PETA Science Group, EPA, and VITO Collaborate to Advance Human-Relevant, Non-Animal Inhalation Testing

For Immediate Release:
September 14, 2026

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

A new study co-authored by PETA Science Consortium International e.V., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) shows that laboratory-grown human airway models can be used to assess the inhalation toxicity of surfactants, a class of chemicals commonly found in products ranging from soaps and cleaners to agricultural formulations.

The paper, “Human in vitro airway models to assess point-of-contact respiratory toxicity of surfactants and derive human equivalent concentrations after single dose exposure,” published in Toxicological Sciences, describes the use of human cells and computational models to assess the potential respiratory effects of surfactants and translate the resulting data into information that can be useful for protecting humans.

Anatomical and physiological differences between human and rat respiratory tracts limit the ability of rats to reliably predict how inhaled chemicals will affect humans. The Science Consortium and its collaborators are advancing state-of-the-art methods grounded in human biology that can provide information more directly relevant to humans.

“This collaborative work shows the power of combining human biology with cutting-edge cellular and computational tools,” says Science Consortium President Dr. Amy Clippinger. “Human cell-based approaches for assessing respiratory tissue irritation can provide information about chemicals that is more relevant to humans and doesn’t use animals.”

The method and data presented in this publication were recently used to inform guidance from the EPA that prioritizes data from human cell–based methods and the use of these data to make regulatory decisions about surfactants. The Science Consortium continues to partner with the EPA to evaluate additional surfactants with this method to further build a robust data set.

The testing approach used in this study also fed into an international, multi-laboratory effort funded and coordinated by the Science Consortium. Scientists in laboratories across the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and India independently tested about 20 chemicals using the human cell–based method and demonstrated its transferability and reliability.

This work helped lay the foundation towards broader international uptake. In August 2026, the project proposal was added to the work plan of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Test Guidelines Programme. While additional testing, analysis, and documentation are still needed, this represents a milestone in the path to global adoption of this non-animal method.

For more information, please visit ThePSCI.eu.