Human epidemiological studies have suggested an association between exposure to certain chemicals and human diseases. However, as an association does not necessarily prove a cause-and-effect link, firm conclusions cannot easily be drawn from epidemiological studies. This means that such studies are in many cases of limited use in determining whether a chemical can ultimately represent a risk factor for a disease.
In 2013 EFSA published the results of a literature review on epidemiological studies linking exposure to pesticides and health effects. Since then the Authority's pesticide experts have been exploring how results from epidemiological studies can be integrated into pesticide risk assessments. Although this work is relevant for all chemicals, it is particularly important for EFSA's assessments of applications for approval of pesticides, as EFSA is obliged by EU regulations to evaluate epidemiological findings.
As part of this effort, EFSA's Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues has tested a method that could enable risk assessors to establish a biological cause-and-effect link between exposure to chemicals such as pesticides and ill health. Dr. Susanne Hougaard Bennekou, chair of the working group that developed the method, and Dr. Andrea Terron, an EFSA staff scientist specialising in pesticides, explain the significance of the work.
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Full press release is available on EFSA website, via the link below.
Via efsa.europa.eu
