(a) Record retention requirements set forth in this section do not supersede the record retention requirements of any other regulations in this subchapter.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, documentation records, raw data, and specimens pertaining to a study and required to be retained by this part shall be retained in the archive(s) for whichever of the following periods is longest:
(1) In the case of any study used to support an application for a research or marketing permit approved by EPA, the period during which the sponsor holds any research or marketing permit to which the study is pertinent.
(2) A period of at least 5 years following the date on which the results of the study are submitted to the EPA in support of an application for a research or marketing permit.
(3) In other situations (e.g., where the study does not result in the submission of the study in support of an application for a research or marketing permit), a period of at least 2 years following the date on which the study is completed, terminated, or discontinued.
(c) Wet specimens, samples of test, control, or reference substances, and specially prepared material which are relatively fragile and differ markedly in stability and quality during storage, shall be retained only as long as the quality of the preparation affords evaluation. Specimens obtained from mutagenicity tests, specimens of soil, water, and plants, and wet specimens of blood, urine, feces, and biological fluids, do not need to be retained after quality assurance verification. In no case shall retention be required for longer periods than those set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.
(d) The master schedule sheet, copies of protocols, and records of quality assurance inspections, as required by § 160.35(c) shall be maintained by the quality assurance unit as an easily accessible system of records for the period of time specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
(e) Summaries of training and experience and job descriptions required to be maintained by § 160.29(b) may be retained along with all other testing facility employment records for the length of time specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
(f) Records and reports of the maintenance and calibration and inspection of equipment, as required by § 160.63 (b) and (c), shall be retained for the length of time specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
(g) If a facility conducting testing or an archive contracting facility goes out of business, all raw data, documentation, and other material specified in this section shall be transferred to the archives of the sponsor of the study. The EPA shall be notified in writing of such a transfer.
(h) Specimens, samples, or other non-documentary materials need not be retained after EPA has notified in writing the sponsor or testing facility holding the materials that retention is no longer required by EPA. Such notification normally will be furnished upon request after EPA or FDA has completed an audit of the particular study to which the materials relate and EPA has concluded that the study was conducted in accordance with this part.
(i) Records required by this part may be retained either as original records or as true copies such as photocopies, microfilm, microfiche, or other accurate reproductions of the original records.