PestScreen: a screening approach for scoring and ranking pesticides by their environmental and toxicological concern

Environ Int. 2007 Oct;33(7):886-93. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2007.04.005. Epub 2007 May 16.

Abstract

A chemical ranking and scoring method entitled PestScreen has been developed as a screening tool to provide a relative assessment of pesticide hazards to human health and the environment. The method was developed to serve as an analytical tool in screening and identification of pesticides of environmental concern used in agriculture. PestScreen incorporates both the toxic effects of pesticides and their fate and exposure characteristics in different compartments of the environment. This is done by combining measures of chemical toxicity pertaining to both human health and the environment with chemical release amounts and information on overall environmental persistence, long-range transport potential and human population intake fractions. Each hazard measure is scored and weighted and finally combined with the pesticide application dose to provide a single final indicator of relative concern (PestScore). Results for 217 pesticides are presented and the practical implementation is illustrated on behalf of three practical case studies.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Environmental Exposure / adverse effects
  • Environmental Pollutants / pharmacokinetics
  • Environmental Pollutants / toxicity*
  • Environmental Pollution / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Pesticides / toxicity*
  • Risk Assessment
  • Toxicity Tests / methods*

Substances

  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Pesticides