Problem formulation regulatory policies

The first phase of the framework is problem formulation. Problem formulation includes a preliminary characterization of exposure and effects, as well as examination of scientific data and data needs, policy and regulatory issues, and site-specific factors to define the feasibility, scope, and objectives for the ecological risk assessment. The level of detail and the information that will be needed to complete the assessment also are determined. This systematic planning phase is proposed because ecological risk assessments often address the... 

Problem formulation is the first phase of ecological risk assessment and establishes the goals, breadth, and focus of the assessment. It is a systematic planning step that identifies the major factors to be considered in a particular assessment, and it is linked to the regulatory and policy context of the assessment. 

Within the current global regulatory environment, the detection of adulterated or contaminated herbal products is not always an easy task, particularly because many policies to prevent these events have yet to be fully implemented and ways to identify the problems are not always easy to achieve. The presence of undocumented pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, misidentified plants, noxious plant compounds, and so on is still widespread, particularly in those formulations of Asian origins (Chan, 2003 Elvin-Lewis, 2001 Ernst, 2002b). Also, many Asian medicines traditionally incorporate substances such as heavy metals, which under today s standards of safety should... 

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