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Comparative Hazard Assessment CR Carpi Meeting October 2016

This presentation at the Carpi Meeting in October 2016 by Professor C. Vyvyan Howard highlights the 4 phases of risk assessment and the efficacy of Comparative Hazard Assessment (CHA) in prioritizing actions for complex systems. Learn how CHA simplifies hazard evaluation and aids in selecting safer substances. The discussion covers the Hazard Trigger Algorithm (HTA) and outcomes of applying CHA to pesticide ingredients. Discover the advantages and disadvantages of CHA in guiding decision-making processes and promoting safety measures.

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Comparative Hazard Assessment CR Carpi Meeting October 2016

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  1. Comparative Hazard AssessmentCR Carpi Meeting October 2016 Professor C. Vyvyan Howard v.howard@ulster.ac.uk

  2. Risk Assessment – 4 phases • Hazard identification – requires insight and understanding of the system in question • Hazard assessment – costs time and money for hard science – positive findings require action • Exposure assessment – can be very expensive and, for human exposure, complex • Risk assessment – depends totally on the 1st three steps

  3. So the argument goes…. • It doesn’t matter how hazardous a substance is – if no exposure occurs, there is no risk • However experience reminds us that such assurances are frequently hollow • The fall back is that if it is only hazardous to a certain extent – then it is safe to be exposed to “this much” for the whole of your life

  4. Complex Systems • Risk assessment is now being applied to very complex systems - such as ecosystems • It is impossible to have comprehensive hazard data for such systems • Missing data is often provided by ‘data models’, but these can be subjective • Sometimes the whole risk assessment can be based solely upon data models

  5. Comparative Hazard Assessment (CHA) • Pragmatic approach of use to decision-makers in prioritising actions • Chemicals are assessed according to known hazards • They are then ranked in order of hazard • No exposure assessment is made • The least hazardous substances are substituted for more hazardous ones

  6. An example with pesticides • Pesticides are usually well characterised • Hazard Trigger Algorithm (HTA) constructed • Trigger values set empirically (at several levels if required) • Policy for missing data (precautionary?) • Substances assigned to RED, AMBER or GREEN categories

  7. Hazard trigger flow chart (Tables referred to are presented below)

  8. Table 1: Hazard Triggers: Internationally agreed lists

  9. Human hazard triggers

  10. Environmental hazard triggers

  11. Beginning of the CHA list

  12. Outcome of the CHA • As a result of the application of the CHA algorithm to 858 active ingredients (in 6,600 products), 132 pesticide active ingredients were placed on a prohibited RED list and 325 were placed on a restricted AMBER use list. The remaining 401 active ingredients were placed on an unrestricted GREEN list

  13. Disadvantages • Many sets of substances are poorly characterised w.r.t hazards (eg nanomaterials, cosmetic ingredients etc) • Then it is difficult to construct an HTA • One can apply a precautionary value to missing data (eg RED list). This then pushes manufacturers to produce the data

  14. Advantages • Relatively uncostly and quick to produce, if the data is to hand • Avoids having to rely on exposure assessments. • Provides a powerful pragmatic tool for decision-makers to make decisions! (which is why producers generally hate it) • Predictive – many of the chemicals on the RED list subsequently banned by regulator

  15. Acknowledgments • I would like to thank those who worked on this project with me: • Charley Clutterbuck • David Buffin • Christopher Stopes

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