Opinion
Open Access
Scientific Opinion on Risk Assessment for a Selected Group of Pesticides from the Triazole Group to Test Possible Methodologies to Assess Cumulative Effects from Exposure through Food from these Pesticides on Human Health
EFSA Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel),
EFSA Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel)
Search for more papers by this authorEFSA Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel),
EFSA Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel)
Search for more papers by this authorPanel members: Damia Barcelo Culleres, Jos Boesten, Claudia Bolognesi, Alan Boobis, Arne Büchert, Ettore Capri, David Coggon, Anthony Hardy, Andy Hart, Herbert Koepp, Matthias Liess, Robert Luttik, Otto Meyer, Stella Michaelidou-Canna, Mark Montforts, Angelo Moretto, Markus Müller, Bernadette Ossendorp, Walter Steurbaut, Maria Tasheva, Christiane Vleminckx
Correspondence: [email protected]
Acknowledgement: This opinion is based on major contributions from: Mr. Arne Büchert, Ms. Bernadette Ossendorp, Ms. Maria Tasheva, Ms Ursula Banasiak, Ms. Claudia Bolognesi, Mr. Alan Boobis, Mr David Coggon, Mr. Ian Dewhurst, Mr. Paul Hamey, Mr. Andy Hart, Mr. Otto Meyer, Ms. Stella Michaelidou-Canna, Mr. David Miller, Mr. Angelo Moretto, Mr. Markus Müller, Mr. Jacob van Klaveren, Ms. Christiane Vleminckx, Mr. Doug Wolf.
Adoption date: 19 June 2009
Published date: 10 September 2009
Question number: EFSA-Q-2007-183
On request from: EFSA
Abstract
Regulation EC No. 396/2005 from the European Parliament and the Council has required since September 2008 that cumulative and synergistic effects of pesticides be considered when Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) are adopted. On 15 April 2008, the PPR Panel adopted an opinion on the suitability of existing methodologies and proposed a tiered approach for assessment of the cumulative effects of pesticides. As a second stage of its work in this area, the PPR Panel carried out a cumulative risk assessment for triazole fungicides to test the methods that had been proposed. This exercise applied the tiered approach in different scenarios of relevance for risk management in pre- and post-registration conditions, for both acute and chronic cumulative effects. The PPR Panel describes in this opinion progressive steps of refinement in cumulative risk assessment: (i) establishment of a Cumulative Assessment Group (CAG) through a careful analysis of the specific toxicological effects common to triazole pesticides and their underlying biochemical mechanisms, (ii) refinement of the hazard characterisation, using in successive tiers, regulatory reference values, reference values based on the common specific toxicological effects and benchmark dose modelling, and (iii) refinement of the cumulative exposure assessment making use of deterministic and probabilistic methodologies in successive tiers. Based on the lessons learned from this exercise, the PPR Panel proposes a simplification of the overall tiered approach.
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