EFSA published new guidance for pesticides and soil degradation rates

EFSA has recently published new guidance that enables scientists to carry out a specialised aspect of environmental exposure assessment for pesticides. The guidance document provides a clear methodology for evaluating studies that measure the time required for the actual degradation of 50% of a chemical pesticide and its transformation products in soil. This is known as the DegT50 value. Importantly, it allows users to exclude the effects of dissipation, another process that causes pesticide residues to disappear from soil.
 
The guidance is aimed primarily at risk assessors and industry applicants and allows them to derive DegT50 values, critical information for the safety evaluation of pesticides. EFSA has developed the guidance document as part of its ongoing work in the field of pesticides to safeguard the environment. The methodology can be also applied to chemicals released into soil from non-pesticide uses.
 
In June 2014, EFSA will hold a full-day meeting with around 65 stakeholders to explain how best to use the methodology set out in the guidance. The event, which takes place at the Authority’s headquarters in Parma, is fully subscribed and registration is closed.