CONSUMER RISKS

Table 26 Worst-case adult consumer risk characterization as percentage of TDI.

Reliable residue data are generated during the development of an a.i. to support the assessment of the consumer risk (residue data and toxicological data) and the impact on the environment (fate and behavior, efficacy and ecotoxicological data). It is critical that these analytical methods are reliably validated. In the guidance document SANCO/3029/99 rev. 4 (11/07/00), harmonized requirements for the residue analytical method are described. Validated analytical methods are required for the following studies ... 

Not rejected Test result OK Error of second kind consumer risk false alarm ... 

In communicating information about a food scare, there is recent evidence that the media might be more influential than one-on-one interactions. Empirical research conducted in April 1998 indicated that mass media had a negative impact on consumer risk perceptions, health concerns, and attitude and behavior toward meat. Compared to alarming reports of the press, personal communication (through butchers for meat products, for example) had only a small effect on consumer decision making (Verbeke et al., 1999). 

Risk-seeking consumers Risk-averse consumers... 

At the present time, most US pesticide tolerances were established prior to the passage of FQPA. In assessing consumer risk from exposure to pesticides, the EPA first estimates consumer exposure. The maximum legal exposure to the pesticide is usually first calculated by assuming that... 

Risk management is the part of the process where characterized risks are evaluated against options to reduce or avoid them. In general, aspects other than science (for instance cost, social responsibility, and (consumer) risk perception) are taken into account here. 

IMEP-20 Tuna Fish Fish and E>shery products are a central element in the diet of a good part of the world population. Recently, concerns about health risks due to elevated contents of Hg in Psh were raised by scientists and the media. To address this concern the EU Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection organized surveys on the consumers risk perception associated... 

VI Consumer risks resulting from direct exposure during product use a. and. 

European Food Agency and Consumer Risk Assessment in the U... 

There is a great need for a coherent European approach to design adequate early identification systems for any approaching risks. An effective system of interactive communication with consumers, risk assessors, and risk managers should be established. Food policy must aim at creating the conditions, in which consumers have good reason to feel confident about the food they eat. 

It is important to note that measurement of one analyte, API or metabolite, carries the risk of making a type-I error (the consumer risk) to remain at the 5% level. However, if more than one of several analytes is selected retrospectively as the bioequivalence determinant, then both the consumer and producer risks change (7). 

Information obtained from risk assessments is used to aid public health officials in developing management decisions. However, the public will often view the risks associated with an agent differently than will the scientific experts, even after costly and time-consuming risk assessment efforts have been implemented. These discrepancies may be attributable to difference in how the public and scientific conununities dehne risk, or they may stem from the fundamental lack of trust the public has toward the risk assessment process (Slovic 1991). Regardless, risk perception is an important topic that invariably must be considered before the implementation of regulations or public health management decisions. 

Vitali, M., Guidotti, M., Giovinazzo, R., and Cedrone, O. (1998). Determination of pesticide residues in wine by SPME and GC/MS for consumer risk assessment, Food Addit. Contain., 15(3), 280-287. 

An alternative to time-consuming risk assessments of chemical substances could be more reliable and advanced priority setting methods. Hasse Diagram Technique (HDT) and/or Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) provide an elaboration of the simple scoring methods. The present chapter evaluates HDT relative to two MCA techniques. The main methodological step in the comparison is the use of probability concepts based on mathematical tools such as linear extensions of partially ordered sets and Monte Carlo simulations. A data set consisting of 12 High Production Volume Chemicals (HPVCs) is used for illustration. 

There are two types of risks when making this decision the consumer perspective [26], that is, the risk of validating/accepting an invalid method, and the producer perspective, that is, the risk of invalidating/failing a valid method. The consumer risk is typically more important to control as this can impact the selection of an appropriate dose for the patients or disease diagnoses based on a biomarker depending on the context. The producer risk results in extra cost to the sponsor due to the additional development and optimization that may be necessary if the method is declared invalid. 

Taking a decision based on the measurement error profile with the tolerance intervals as described above provides better control over the consumer risk [27]. If the method is tmly incapable of providing a desired proportion of the results that are close enough to their tme value, it will most likely be declared invalid based on this measurement error profile. 

Consumer Risk Assessment tg Insecticide Residues in Carrots, Pesticides Safety Directorate, York, UK... 

Grobe, D., Douthitt, R. and Zepeda, L. (1999) A model of consumers risk perception toward recombinant bovine growth hormone (rhGH) the impact of risk characteristics. RiskAnalysis 19 (4), 661-673. 

Huang, C.L, S. Misra and S.L. Ott (1990), Modeling Consumer Risk Perception and Choice Behavior The Case of Chemical Residues in Fresh Produce in Mayer, R.N (ed.). Enhancing Consumer Choice, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Research in the Consumer Interest, Snowbird, Utah, USA, August, 1990, American Council on Consumer Interests, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America. 

Then, from the worker exposure data, an average and a maximum exposure level for each type of work activity involved with pesticide use is taken into consideration. The number of workers in each job category, the total yearly body dose (which may be derived from number of hours/days/months exposure in performing the job), and the total dermal absorption is all taken into consideration. Residue levels (including degradation products) found in treated crops or a particular product are used to assess consumer risk. 

The Guidelines and Criteria for the Preparation and Presentation of Complete Dossiers and Summary Dossiers for the inclusion of Active Substances in Annex I of Directive 91/414/EEC (Article 5.3 and 8.2) (Document 1663/VI/94) require that an estimate is made regarding the theoretical intakes of pesticide residues by consumers. Consumer risk assessment is a vital part of the approval process and it is in the applicant s interest to estimate potential intakes since intake estimates can assist in assessing whether further information is required. 

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