01. July 2022, Topic: Risk Assessment

Forecast reliability within the authorisation of plant protection products

As part of the authorisation procedure for plant protection products (PPP), it must be ensured that the substances do not have an unacceptable impact on surface waters. To this end, in the EU and Switzerland the concentrations PPP that may occur in water bodies are predicted using mathematical models and compared with the threshold values (regulatory acceptable concentrations, RAK). These RAK values are also determined within the authorisation procedure on the basis of ecotoxicological data and safety factors. But are the predicted PPP concentrations actually correct? And does the combination of the expected concentrations and the threshold values provide sufficient protection for water bodies? What does this mean for risk management?

In order to find this out, the PPP contamination of small streams in agricultural areas is being recorded representatively within a monitoring campaign in Germany. In a new project, the Ecotox Centre is assessing the first results from this campaign with regard to the legal requirements for water protection, is drawing overarching conclusions and is developing recommendations for politics and regulation. The aim is to find out the need for action for the authorisation procedure for PPP and their monitoring. The project is funded by the German Federal Environment Agency.

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