A systems-based analysis to rethink the European environmental risk assessment of regulated chemicals using pesticides as a pilot case

TY - JOUR

T1 - A systems-based analysis to rethink the European environmental risk assessment of regulated chemicals using pesticides as a pilot case

AU - Axelman, Johan

AU - Aldrich, Annette

AU - Duquesne, Sabine

AU - Backhaus, Thomas

AU - Brendel, Stephen

AU - Focks, Andreas

AU - Holz, Sheila

AU - Knillmann, Saskia

AU - Pieper, Silvia

AU - Silva, Emilia

AU - Schmied-Tobies, Maria

AU - Topping, Christopher John

AU - Wipfler, Louise

AU - Williams, James Henty

AU - Sousa, José Paulo

PY - 2024/10/20

Y1 - 2024/10/20

N2 - A growing body of scientific literature stresses the need to advance current environmental risk assessment (ERA) methodologies and associated regulatory frameworks to better address the landscape-scale and long-term impact of pesticide use on biodiversity and the ecosystem. Moreover, more collaborative and integrative approaches are needed to meet sustainability goals. The One Health approach is increasingly applied by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to support the transition towards safer, healthier and more sustainable food. To this end, EFSA commissioned the development of a roadmap for action to establish a European Partnership for next-generation, systems-based Environmental Risk Assessment (PERA). Here, we summarise the main conclusions and recommendations reported in the 2022 PERA Roadmap. This roadmap highlights that fragmentation of data, knowledge and expertise across regulatory sectors results in suboptimal processes and hinders the implementation of integrative ERA approaches needed to better protect the environment. To advance ERA, we revisited the underlying assumptions of the current ERA paradigm; that chemical risks are generally assessed and managed in isolation with a substance-by-substance, realistic worst-case and tiered approach. We suggest optimising the use of the vast amount of information and expertise available with pesticides as a pilot area. It is recommended to as soon as possible adopt a systems-based approach, i.e. within the current regulatory framework, to spark a step-wise transition towards an ERA framed at a system level of ecological and societal relevance. Tangible systems-based and integrative steps are available. For instance, the rich sources of existing data for prospective and retrospective ERA of pesticides could be used to reality-benchmark existing and new ERA methods. To achieve these goals, collaboration among stakeholders across scientific disciplines and regulatory sectors must be strengthened.

AB - A growing body of scientific literature stresses the need to advance current environmental risk assessment (ERA) methodologies and associated regulatory frameworks to better address the landscape-scale and long-term impact of pesticide use on biodiversity and the ecosystem. Moreover, more collaborative and integrative approaches are needed to meet sustainability goals. The One Health approach is increasingly applied by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to support the transition towards safer, healthier and more sustainable food. To this end, EFSA commissioned the development of a roadmap for action to establish a European Partnership for next-generation, systems-based Environmental Risk Assessment (PERA). Here, we summarise the main conclusions and recommendations reported in the 2022 PERA Roadmap. This roadmap highlights that fragmentation of data, knowledge and expertise across regulatory sectors results in suboptimal processes and hinders the implementation of integrative ERA approaches needed to better protect the environment. To advance ERA, we revisited the underlying assumptions of the current ERA paradigm; that chemical risks are generally assessed and managed in isolation with a substance-by-substance, realistic worst-case and tiered approach. We suggest optimising the use of the vast amount of information and expertise available with pesticides as a pilot area. It is recommended to as soon as possible adopt a systems-based approach, i.e. within the current regulatory framework, to spark a step-wise transition towards an ERA framed at a system level of ecological and societal relevance. Tangible systems-based and integrative steps are available. For instance, the rich sources of existing data for prospective and retrospective ERA of pesticides could be used to reality-benchmark existing and new ERA methods. To achieve these goals, collaboration among stakeholders across scientific disciplines and regulatory sectors must be strengthened.

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Fragmented regulatory areas

KW - Integrating prospective-retrospective assessments

KW - Landscape-scale risk assessment

KW - Long-term environmental impacts

KW - Substance-by-substance assessment

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85198921550&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174526

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174526

M3 - Comment/debate/letter to the editor

C2 - 38972402

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 948

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

M1 - 174526

ER -