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Main classes and uses of pesticides. Main classes and uses of pesticides. Scientific information in the regulatory process. |
Glossary & Abbreviations ACP Advisory Committee on Pesticides This is the amount of a chemical which can be consumed every day for a lifetime in the practical certainty, on the basis of all known facts, that no harm will result. It is expressed in milligrams of the chemical per kilogram bodyweight of the consumer. The starting point for the derivation of the ADI is usually the lowest “no adverse effect level” (NOAEL) that has been observed in animal studies of toxicity. This is then divided by an uncertainty factor (most often 100) to allow for the possibility that animals may be less sensitive than humans and also to account for possible variation in sensitivity between individuals. The studies from which NOAELs and hence ADIs are derived take into account any impurities in the pesticide active substance as manufactured, and also any toxic breakdown products of the pesticide. AOEL Acceptable operator exposure level This is intended to define a level of daily exposure that would not cause adverse effects in operators who work with a pesticide regularly over a period of days, weeks or months. Depending on the pattern of usage of the pesticide, it may be appropriate to define a short-term AOEL (i.e. for exposures over several weeks or on a seasonal basis), long-term AOEL (i.e. for repeated exposures over the course of a year) or both. AOELs are normally derived from a short-term toxicity study or a multi-generation study in a manner analogous to the ADI. Approved Use - Approved use of a product is where the pesticide is used according to the specified conditions for use. Misuse of a product is where the pesticide is used carelessly, accidentally or there is a wilful failure to use the product correctly. Examples of misuse include spillage, poor storage and unprotected rodenticide baits. Abuse of a product is where the pesticide is used to deliberately and illegally poison animals, usually by the placement of a bait. Unspecified use: where the cause cannot be assigned to one of the above categories from the information available. The definition of the ARfD is similar to that of the ADI, but it relates to the amount of a chemical that can be taken in at one meal or on one day. It is normally derived by applying an appropriate uncertainty factor to the lowest NOAEL in studies that assess acute toxicity or developmental toxicity COPR Control of Pesticides Regulations COPR provide the mechanism for the implementation of the aims of FEPA. They prohibit the sale, supply, storage, advertisement or use of pesticides unless they are approved by Ministers in the responsible Departments, and unless general obligations (set out in the Schedules to the Regulations) and conditions specific to individual pesticides (conditions of approval) are met. COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health The COSHH Regulations lay down essential requirements for the assessment and control of exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace. The regulations cover substances, such as pesticides, that are classed as very toxic, toxic, harmful, irritant or corrosive, substances with occupational exposure limits, harmful microorganisms and dusts. CSL Central Science Laboratory Data Package Companies are required to collect evidence of the properties of the pesticide, along with its likely toxicity to health and the environment. The effects on animals (mainly rats) and its fate in the environment are recorded in detail. This raw data is put into a standard form by the authorities working with the applicant, ready for presentation to the ACP. DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ECCO European Community Co-ordination Group Ecology Ecotoxicology Efficacy EFSA European Food Safety Authority More Epidemiology Environmental Health EU European Union FEPA Food and Environmental Protection Act FEPA (relating to pesticides) has the following aims: to protect the health of human beings, creatures and plants; to safeguard the environment; to secure safe, effective, and humane methods of controlling pests; to make information on pesticides available to the public. Under FEPA, conditions are laid down which must be met, before Ministers will give their consent to the advertisement, sale, supply, storage and use of pesticides. GAP Good Agricultural Practice Hazard - Anything with potential to cause harm. Identification & Characterisation... HSE Health and Safety Executive IDS Inter-Departmental Secretariat Koc Organic carbon sorption coefficient LC50 The concentration at which 50% mortality occurs in an acute toxicity test LD50 The dose at which 50% mortality occurs in an acute toxicity test MRLs are the maximum concentration of pesticide residue (expressed as milligrams of residue per kilogram of food/feeding stuff) likely to occur in or on food and feeding stuffs after the use of pesticides according to Good Agricultural Practice (GAP). MRLs are intended primarily as a check that GAP is being followed and to assist international trade in treated produce. MRLs are not safety limits, and exposure to residues in excess of an MRL does not necessarily imply a risk to health. NOEC No Observed Effect Concentration NOEL No Observed Effect Level NOAEL No Observed Adverse Effect Level is the highest dose in an investigation that does not cause ill-effects. Occupational Health is the study of ill health arising from workplace exposures Precautionary Principle The precautionary principle in pesticide regulation Scientific risk assessment always entails an element of uncertainty that must be taken into account when managing risks. In recognition of this requirement, the 1992 Rio Conference on the Environment and Development set out the “Precautionary Principle” that “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be posed as a reason for postponing cost effective measures to prevent environmental degradation”. Subsequently, the principle has been extended to cover threats to health as well as to the environment, and has been widely embraced by governments and agencies internationally. PEC Predicted Environmental Concentration PIAP Pesticides Incidents Appraisal Panel The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Pesticide Incidents Appraisal Panel aims to consider all incidents investigated by HSE or local authority inspectors in which the use of pesticides may have affected a person’s health. The Panel receives detailed information about each incident, including a report of the field investigations carried out by the HSE’s Field Operations Directorate or the local authority together with the results of any medical investigations and the known or suspected adverse effects of the chemical involved. A report of the incidents considered by PIAP is published annually and is available from HSE Books. These reports are presented to the ACP to check whether further action is considered necessary. In addition, the findings in relation to specific pesticides are taken into account when they are reviewed. More PPPR Plant Protection Products Regulations These Regulations implement Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products (mainly agricultural pesticides) on the market. The Directive harmonises the arrangements for the regulation of plant protection products within the Community, and provides for an extensive review programme for active substances on the market before July 1993. In order to apply for registration of a new active substance under the European system, a company must first apply for assessment to the regulatory authority in the Member State of their choice. The Member State evaluates the scientific data provided by the company, to ensure that the active substance fulfils all the Directive’s requirements concerning safety to man and the environment. PRC Pesticides Residues Committee - more PSD Pesticides Safety Directorate - more PUS Pesticide Usage Survey SCFA Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health SCP Scientific Committee on Plants SCTEE Scientific Committee for Toxicity, Ecotoxicity, and the Environment TER is the Toxicity/Exposure Ratio. Risk is identified where the ratio of Toxicity divided by Exposure (eg PEC) should exceed one. Toxicolological Endpoints are the first signs of toxicity and may include metabolism, toxicokinetics, chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity, reproductive function, teratogenicity, and possibly neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity. Uncertainty (or safety) factor is applied to account for inter- and intraspecies differences in relation to toxic effects, and uncertainties associated with the data. WiGRAMP Working Group on Risk Assessment for Mixtures of Pesticides. Final Report WIIS Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme WPPUS Working Party on Pesticides Usage Surveys |
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