Environmental Risk Assessment of Agrochemicals — A Critical Appraisal of Current Approaches

This chapter provides insights into the difficulties and challenges of performing risk evaluations of agrochemicals. It is a critical review of the current methodologies used in ecological risk assessment of these chemicals, not their risks to humans. After an introduction to the topic, the current framework for ecological risk assessment is outlined. Two types of assessments are typically carried out depending on the purpose: i) regulatory assessments for registration of a chemical product; and ii) ecological assessments, for the protection of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, which are usually site-specific. Although the general framework is well established, the methodologies used in each of the steps of the assessment are fraught with a number of shortcomings. Notwithstanding the subjectivity implicit in the evaluation of risks, there is scepticism in scientific circles about the appropriateness of the current methodologies because, after so many years of evaluations, we are still incapable of foreseeing the negative consequences that some agrochemicals have in the environment. A critical appraisal of such methodologies is imperative if we are to improve the current assessment process and fix the problems we face today.

Source:
Francisco Sánchez-Bayo and Henk A. Tennekes (2015). Environmental Risk Assessment of Agrochemicals — A Critical Appraisal of Current Approaches, Toxicity and Hazard of Agrochemicals, Prof. Marcelo Larramendy (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-2145-9, InTech, DOI: 10.5772/60739. Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/toxicity-and-hazard-of-agrochemicals/en…

Henk Tennekes

Wed, 13/01/2016 - 10:23

Dear Dr. Sánchez-Bayo,

We are pleased to inform you that your paper "Environmental Risk Assessment of Agrochemicals — A Critical Appraisal of Current Approaches" has achieved impressive readership results. The chapter you have published with InTech in the book "Toxicity and Hazard of Agrochemicals" has so far been accessed 200 times. Congratulations on the significant impact that your work has achieved to date.

The top downloads of your paper are from the following five countries:
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The book containing your paper can be directly accessed at this link:

http://www.intechopen.com/books/show/title/toxicity-and-hazard-of-agroc…

We congratulate you once again on your success.
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