Setting the stage for the review of the international estimate of short-term intake (IESTI) equation

ABSTRACT

In the framework of setting Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticides, both chronic and acute health risks to consumers arising from the long-term and short-term dietary exposure to pesticide residues have to be assessed. The current internationally harmonized approach for assessing the acute dietary exposure is based on deterministic methods for calculating the IESTI (International Estimate of Short-Term Intake). Recently, it became apparent that the IESTI approach needs a revision in the light of new scientific and political aspects. The main reasons that require this review were the lack of an international harmonization of the methodology which implies trade barriers as well as difficulties in risk communication concerning the public trust in regulatory systems. The most recent milestone in the scientific debate on a possible revision of the IESTI equation was an international scientific workshop held in Geneva in September 2015. The main objectives of this meeting were the re-evaluation, and where possible, the international harmonization of the input parameters for the IESTI equations as well as the equations themselves. The main recommendations from the workshop were (i) to replace the highest residue and supervised trials median residue with the maximum residue limit (MRL), (ii) to use a standard variability factor of three, (iii) to derive the P97.5 large portion value from the distribution of consumption values of dietary surveys expressed as kg food/kg bw/d, and (iv) to remove the commodity unit weight from the equations. In addition, the application of conversion factors and processing factors was addressed. On the initiative of the (World Health Organization) WHO Collaborating Centre on Chemical Food Safety at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Netherlands, an international working group with members from the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, France (ANSES), Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Australia (APVMA), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Germany (BfR), Chemical Regulation Division, the United Kingdom (CRD), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and RIVM, the Netherlands was formed after the IESTI workshop to conduct a comprehensive impact assessment of the proposed changes of the IESTI equations.     

Continue to blame it on the rain? Conceptualization of drought and failure of food systems in the Greater Horn of Africa

Food insecurity continues to be prevalent in parts of Africa. In December 2015, there were approximately 21.6 million food insecure people in the Horn and East Africa. Climate change is likely to exacerbate current volatility of agricultural production and lead to further food insecurity. Whilst the academic literature has acknowledged the complexity of food insecurity and systems, it is not clear to what extent this has been translated into practice. We argue that there is a tendency to explain complex failures of food systems as ‘droughts’, with insufficient attention paid to other drivers. We analyse humanitarian documents and climate outlook statements in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and assess how these are reflected in the humanitarian responses to food insecurity in the region by analysing the financing of humanitarian operations. Our findings indicate that the continued evolution in understanding the complex causes of food insecurity and attempts to move away from emergency relief to a more sophisticated approach has not translated into an observable change in humanitarian responses. The reasons behind this persistence of short-term relief, which is being justified with reference to climatic factors, mainly drought, would warrant further research into the decision-making process that triggers humanitarian responses.

List of abbreviations: ACF: Action Contre le Faim; DCM: Drought Cycle Management; DEC: Disaster Emergency Committee; ECHO: European Commission Humanitarian Office; EU: European Union; EWS: Early Warning System; FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization; FEWSNET: Famine Early Warning System Network; FSNAU: Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit; FTS: Financial Tracking Service; GHACOF: Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum; GIEWS: Global Information and Early Warning System; IASC: Inter Agency Standing Committee; ICPAC: IGAD Climate Application and Prediction Centre; IFRC: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; IGAD: Inter-Governmental Authority on Development; IPCC: International Panel for Climate Change; LEWS: Livestock Early Warning System; ODI: Overseas Development Initiative; PASDEP: Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to Eradicate Poverty; PSNP: Productive Safety Net Programme; UNDRO: United Nations Disaster Relief Office; UNISDR: United Nations International; UN OCHA: United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; USAID: United States Agency for International Development; WFP: World Food Programme     

Evaluation of heavy metal concentrations of edible wild-grown mushrooms from China

ABSTRACT

The heavy metal contents (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn) of eight species of wild edible mushrooms from China were determined. The analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry after microwave digestion. The contents of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn in caps of mushroom samples were 0.7–7.2, 16.2–70.4, 371–1315, 12.5–29.8, 7.1–58.5, and 77.8–187.4 mg kg^?1 dry matter (dm), respectively, while considerable differences were found to be 1.8–25.9, 9.8–36.3, 288–6762, 13.3–103.9, 5.9–78.7, and 38.7–118 mg kg^?1 dm for stipes. The results indicated that higher levels of Co, Fe, and Ni were found in the mushrooms samples analyzed. Zinc and manganese levels were similar to previous reports, whereas Cu was lower than literature values. Correlation analysis suggested that significant correlations were found between the minerals determined and the greatest amount of contamination is associated with Co, Mn, Ni, and Fe. The results of this study indicate that heavy metal contents in mushroom species are mainly related to the mineral resources of sampling sites.     

氟化工“三废”的资源化利用

结合我国氟化工行业发展现状,分析了含氟"三废"产生情况及处置方法的最新研究进展,并通过实际工程案例进行论述。氟化工生产过程污染物主要有含氟废气及副产氯化氢、含氟高沸物及含氟污泥等。通过将氯化氢用于工业清洗及制备氯化钙、氯化铝等化学品能够合理消耗副产盐酸。焚烧处理含氟有机废气产生的氟化氢气体经水洗后副产氢氟酸。含氟高沸物通过精馏分离出高沸物组分生产高附加值产品。含氟污泥可制成建筑材料,最优工业化利用途径仍在积极研究中。     

灭幼脲Ⅲ号杀虫剂在大白菜和土壤中持久性及残留的研究

本文报道灭幼脲Ⅲ号杀虫剂在大白菜和土壤中的残留试验结果.经在南北两地连续两年的田间试验表明,灭幼脲Ⅲ号属非持久性农药,在作物和土壤中都较快地消失,在大白菜上的半衰期为3.8—14.0d,在土壤中为8.8—27.0d.用25％灭幼脲Ⅲ号胶悬剂稀释2500倍,每亩每次按常规用药10g或加倍药量20g(有效成分)施药,喷施2或3次,距最后一次施药三周时,灭幼脲Ⅲ号杀虫剂在大白菜的最大残留量为2.67ppm,在土壤中为13.81ppm.建议该农药在大白菜上的最高允许残留量(MRL)为3ppm,安全间隔期为21d.     

溶剂萃取法提取电镀污泥氨浸出渣中的金属资源

研究硫酸浸出Ｐ５０７－煤油－硫酸体系萃取分离铁,钠皂－Ｐ２０４－煤油－硫酸体系共萃铬、铝、反萃取分离铬、铝工艺回收电镀污染氨浸渣中的金属。通过优化实验,确定了全流程的最佳工艺参数。结果表明,铁铬渣中的金属铬、铝和铁均可以高纯度盐类形式回收,可作为化学试剂使用,回收率达９５％以上。     

絮凝剂PFCS的制备及其性能研究

利用Ｈ２ＳＯ４－ＨＣｌ混酸溶解轧钢废钢渣的溶出液作原料,制成一种新型无机高分子絮凝剂聚合氯硫酸铁。试验了它的絮凝性能,并与聚全硫酸铁的絮凝效果进行了比较。实验结果表明：ＰＦＣＳ在ｐＨ＝６－９的范围内具有良好的絮凝去浊性能;絮凝条件相同,将浊工为４２５度的黄河水样处理至５度以下,ＰＦＣＳ的投用量仅需１０ｍｇ／Ｌ,而ＰＦＳ的投用量至少需２５ｍｇ／Ｌ。     

功夫在大豆及土壤中的残留动态研究

为了制订功夫在大豆上安全使用标准,采用田间试验了研究了功夫在大豆茎叶和土壤中的残留动态,应用ＧＬＣ法测定了功夫在青事,成熟大豆和土壤中的残留量。２年的试验结果表明,功夫在大豆茎叶和土壤中消失较快,其半衰期分别为６．６－７．１ｄ和６．７－１１．６ｄ。施药量为１５ｇ／ｈｍ＾２,施药２次,收获时土壤中的残留量为０．００８ｍｇ／ｋｇ;在青豆和成熟大豆中残留量均低于最低检测浓度。     

Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Fruits

Fruit samples of ber, grapes and guava analysed for pesticide residues employing multiresidue analysis by gas liquid chromatography equipped with ECD and NPD detectors and capillary columns showed contamination with organochlorine, synthetic pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides. Among organochlorines, HCH, DDT and endosulfan were detected in almost all the samples. Residues of HCH and DDT were maximum in ber followed by grapes and guava where as of endosulfan were maximum in guava followed by grapes and ber. All the fruit samples showed the presence of residues with one or the other group of pesticides. Residues of none of the pesticides exceeded the MRL values in any sample. On the basis of these studies, it is suggested that monitoring studies should be extended to other fruits grown in different agro climatic regions which may serve as basis for future policy in chemical use.     

Can Export-Oriented Aquaculture in Developing Countries be Sustainable and Promote Sustainable Development? The Shrimp Case

Industrial shrimp farming has been promoted by international development and financial institutions in coastal indebted poor countries as a way to obtain foreign exchange earnings, reimburse external debt, and promote development. The promotion of the shrimp industry is a clear example of a more general trend of support of export-oriented primary products, consisting in monocultures of commodities, as opposed to the promotion of more diverse, traditional production directed to feed the local population. In general, it is assumed that export-oriented aquaculture and agriculture, in a framework of liberalization policies, facilitates economic growth and this is associated with poverty reduction and the improvement of food security. However, it has been shown that the promotion of export-oriented production, mostly in the hands of big corporations, can have detrimental consequences for the livelihoods of local populations and the environment. As a result, international institutions, NGOs, and the industry aim to minimize these impacts by promoting sustainable export-oriented production. But some impacts may remain, since the main issue is the primary focus on international deregulated markets and the search for cheap primary products. To illustrate the relationships between the mainstream concept of development, the environmental and social impact of industrial farming systems, and the promotion of export-oriented production in developing countries, this article analyzes the case of the shrimp aquaculture industry.