Retrospective cumulative dietary risk assessment of craniofacial alterations by residues of pesticides.

In 2022, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a dietary cumulative risk assessment for active substances of plant protection products on two types of craniofacial alterations: 1) craniofacial alterations due to abnormal skeletal development and 2) head soft tissue alterations and brain neural tube defects. These effects were selected based on developmental biology knowledge and a hypothetical teratogenic process. Cumulative risk assessment was conducted for 14 European populations of women in childbearing age.

Specific effects on the thyroid relevant for performing a dietary cumulative risk assessment of pesticide residues: 2024 update.

EFSA updated its previous work on the establishment of specific effects that are considered relevant for grouping pesticide residues targeting the thyroid and for performing the retrospective assessment of dietary cumulative risk (CRA). The two specific effects already selected in 2019 leading to the two cumulative assessment groups (CAGs) 'hypothyroidism' and 'C-cell hypertrophy, hyperplasia and neoplasia' were reconfirmed. Compared to 2019, the list of indicators that can be used to identify these specific effects was refined to only include histopathological changes.

Prioritisation of pesticides and target organ systems for dietary cumulative risk assessment based on the 2019-2021 monitoring cycle.

Aiming at accelerating the implementation of cumulative risk assessment to pesticide residues, this report describes a two-step prioritisation analysis, on individual pesticides and on target organ systems, that allows to identify (i) low-priority substances expected to have a marginal contribution to cumulative risk, and (ii) high priority organ systems to be addressed in future cumulative risk assessments. The analysis encompassed 350 substances and 36 raw primary commodities of plant origin surveyed in the monitoring cycle 2019-2021, carried out in 30 population groups, covering 3 age classes, and 17 EU countries. Probabilistic exposure calculations, for chronic and acute effects, were executed on the occurrence and consumption data by a two-dimensional procedure, modelling variability and uncertainty.

Risk Assessment of Combined Exposure to Multiple Chemicals at the European Food Safety Authority: Principles, Guidance Documents, Applications and Future Challenges.

Human health and animal health risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals use the same steps as single-substance risk assessment, namely problem formulation, exposure assessment, hazard assessment and risk characterisation. The main unique feature of combined RA is the assessment of combined exposure, toxicity and risk. Recently, the Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published two relevant guidance documents.

Retrospective cumulative dietary risk assessment of craniofacial alterations by residues of pesticides.

EFSA established cumulative assessment groups and conducted retrospective cumulative risk assessments for two types of craniofacial alterations (alterations due to abnormal skeletal development, head soft tissue alterations and brain neural tube defects) for 14 European populations of women in childbearing age. Cumulative acute exposure calculations were performed by probabilistic modelling using monitoring data collected by Member States in 2017, 2018 and 2019. A rigorous uncertainty analysis was performed using expert knowledge elicitation.

Convolutional neural networks and temporal CNNs for COVID-19 forecasting in France.

This paper focus on multiple CNN-based (Convolutional Neural Network) models for COVID-19 forecast developed by our research team during the first French lockdown. In an effort to understand and predict both the epidemic evolution and the impacts of this disease, we conceived models for multiple indicators: daily or cumulative confirmed cases, hospitalizations, hospitalizations with artificial ventilation, recoveries, and deaths. In spite of the limited data available when the lockdown was declared, we achieved good short-term performances at the national level with a classical CNN for hospitalizations, leading to its integration into a hospitalizations surveillance tool after the lockdown ended.

Cumulative dietary risk assessment of chronic acetylcholinesterase inhibition by residues of pesticides.

A retrospective cumulative risk assessment of dietary exposure to pesticide residues was conducted for chronic inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. The pesticides considered in this assessment were identified and characterised in a previous scientific report on the establishment of cumulative assessment groups of pesticides for their effects on the nervous system. The exposure assessments used monitoring data collected by Member States under their official pesticide monitoring programmes in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and individual food consumption data from 10 populations of consumers from different countries and from different age groups.

Cumulative dietary risk characterisation of pesticides that have chronic effects on the thyroid.

A retrospective chronic cumulative risk assessment of dietary exposure to pesticide residues, supported by an uncertainty analysis based on expert knowledge elicitation, was conducted for two effects on the thyroid, hypothyroidism and parafollicular cell (C-cell) hypertrophy, hyperplasia and neoplasia. The pesticides considered in this assessment were identified and characterised in the scientific report on the establishment of cumulative assessment groups of pesticides for their effects on the thyroid. Cumulative exposure assessments were conducted through probabilistic modelling by EFSA and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) using two different software tools and reported separately.

Cumulative dietary risk characterisation of pesticides that have acute effects on the nervous system.

A retrospective acute cumulative risk assessment of dietary exposure to pesticide residues, supported by an uncertainty analysis based on expert knowledge elicitation, was conducted for two effects on the nervous system: brain and/or erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase inhibition, and functional alterations of the motor division. The pesticides considered in this assessment were identified and characterised in the scientific report on the establishment of cumulative assessment groups of pesticides for their effects on the nervous system. Cumulative exposure assessments were conducted through probabilistic modelling by EFSA and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) using two different software tools and reported separately.

Establishment of cumulative assessment groups of pesticides for their effects on the thyroid.

Cumulative assessment groups of pesticides have been established for two specific effects on the thyroid: firstly hypothyroidism, and secondly parafollicular cell (C-cell) hypertrophy, hyperplasia and neoplasia. Sources of uncertainties resulting from the methodological approach and from the limitations in available data and scientific knowledge have been identified and considered. This report supports the publication of a scientific report on cumulative risk assessment to pesticides affecting the thyroid, in which all uncertainties identified for either the exposure assessment or the establishment of the cumulative assessment groups are incorporated into a consolidated risk characterisation.

Establishment of cumulative assessment groups of pesticides for their effects on the nervous system.

Cumulative assessment groups of pesticides have been established for five effects on the nervous system: brain and/or erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase inhibition, functional alterations of the motor, sensory and autonomic divisions, and histological neuropathological changes in neural tissue. Sources of uncertainties resulting from the methodological approach and from the limitations in available data and scientific knowledge have been identified and considered. This report supports the publication of a scientific report on cumulative risk assessment to pesticides affecting the nervous system, in which all uncertainties identified for either the exposure assessment or the establishment of the cumulative assessment groups are incorporated into a consolidated risk characterisation.

Scientific opinion on pesticides in foods for infants and young children.

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR Panel) prepared a scientific opinion to provide a comprehensive evaluation of pesticide residues in foods for infants and young children. In its approach to develop this scientific opinion, the EFSA PPR Panel took into account, among the others, (i) the relevant opinions of the Scientific Committee for Food setting a default maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.01 mg/kg for pesticide residues in foods for infants and young children; (ii) the recommendations provided by EFSA Scientific Committee in a guidance on risk assessment of substances present in food intended for infants below 16 weeks of age; (iii) the knowledge on organ/system development in infants and young children.

Use of computational tools in the field of food safety.

In this article we give an overview of how computational methods are currently used in the field of food safety by national regulatory bodies, international advisory organisations and the food industry. Our results show that currently the majority of stakeholders in the field of food safety do not apply computational methods on a routine basis, mainly because of a lack of in-house expertise. Some organisations, however, are very experienced in their use and have developed specialised in-house approaches.

Enhanced levels of dioxins in eggs from free range hens; a fast evaluation approach.

As a consequence of an initiative of the local authorities of the city of Antwerp (Belgium), dioxin levels were determined in eggs from free range hens owned by private owners in the Northern districts of Antwerp. The reasons for this survey stem from some fears that free range eggs could be contaminated by local environmental sources (e.g.

Detection of polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins in Belgian cattle and estimation of the maximal potential exposure in humans through diets of bovine origin.

The methodology used to detect a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)/dioxin contamination in a Belgian cattle population that was not exposed to the PCB/dioxin incident in 1999 is presented. This population is directly or indirectly destined for human consumption. The methodology consisted in the systematic sampling of all calf-fattening stations and groups of cattle destined for export, and in the random sampling of slaughter cattle.