The works of the Division focus on developing various toxicity test methods or animal models for chemical pesticides and bio-pesticides, and to explore the toxicology mechanism, as well as to evaluate the potential hazards of chemical pesticides and bio-pesticides. The toxicity studies concentrate on adhering to governmental pesticide regulations for the safe and effective use of pesticides, and preparing toxicological data of pesticides for local manufacturers. The Department achievements can be summarized as follows:
1.To construct a specific pathogen free(SPF)animal house, as well as set up animal health monitoring system and related standard operation procedures for ensuring that toxicological tests comply with Good Laboratory Practice guidelines.
2.To set up animal whole necropsies, postmortem examinations, tissues and specimens processed and photographed with light/electron microscopy, pathology diagnoses techniques etc. for identifying the target organs of different toxicants or pathogens.
3.To establish various toxicity test methods for evaluating the impacts of pesticides on mammals, including seven different acute toxicity tests, 28-day and 90-day sub-chronic toxicity tests, genetic/epigenetic toxicity and rapid carcinogenicity tests, teratogenicity and reproductive toxicity tests, acute toxicity/pathogenicity tests for microbial agents, animal immunity function tests, etc.
4.Rodent control targets biological property and population ecology studies, bait research and development, rodent control measures and efficacy evaluation methods studies as the chief areas of interest.