The model for occupational health risk assessment on pesticide was highly recommended by the FAO and to be promoted in other developing countries;
The risk assessment model for silkworm was first develop in the world;
The technical outcomes of the program will be fully introduced into China’s registration review and pesticide reassessment;
On 8 Aug 2014, a conference to evaluate China’s technology infrastructure for pesticide risk assessment was concluded in Beijing and the experts agreed to approve the technical program, which would be significant for China’s pesticide management system.
The program was sponsored by the MoA in 2009, aiming to establishing technical guidance, models and databases for risk assessment of pesticides. The program was primarily conducted by ICAMA and 7 other college and research institutes, who studied the real state of China’s pesticide use and agricultural production, as well as the advanced technique used abroad. Over the last five years the program has delivered:
36 test method and evaluation guidelines of pesticide were compiled;
6 models of hazardous assessment, occupational and environmental exposure were established;
4 underlying database for risk assessment were developed;
7 standardized assessment procedures of occupational and environmental risk were formulated;
ADI (acceptable daily intake) establishment of 555 pesticide active ingredients;
Environmental risk assessment on fipronil and other 14 active ingredients;
Some of the achievements were highlighted by the experts:
The risk factors involved in the model and procedure of occupational health risk assessment were all based on extensive research of Chinese usage habits. The occupational health risk assessment model was highly recommended by the FAO and it will be introduced to other developing countries;
An environmental behavior and environmental toxicological database of over 200 active ingredients was developed, of which 100 active ingredients were commonly used in China and had significant impacts on the aquatic environment. The program developed corresponding residue analysis methods in both groundwater and surface water for these pesticides. The leaching model of pesticide in Northern dry land and Southern paddy field for groundwater, surface water, as well as the procedures on ecological risk assessment for groundwater and surface water were initially developed;
The program analyzed the sensitivity of pesticide in different silkworm strains. The risk assessment model for silkworms is the first in the world;
The geographical information system(GIS) has been introduced into the information collection process of pesticide supervision and provides technical support to the control of highly toxic pesticides
The environmental risk assessment on fipronil and another 14 active ingredients not only provides the scientific basis to the final decision but also provides a valuable model for China’s risk management over other pesticide products;
The deputy director of the ICAMA said the technical outcomes will be fully introduced into the registration review process on new pesticide, new formulation and also be used to change pesticide usage scope. Some registered pesticides pose potential safety risk and these pesticides would also be re-evaluated under the risk assessment procedures. The ICAMA has already established an office to review the registered products and initiated the reassessment on five active ingredients (see ChemLinked news release on 28 Jul 2014).
