Current knowledge and recent developments in consumer exposure assessment of pesticides: a UK perspective

Techniques employed in the assessment of consumer exposure to pesticides are currently being reviewed in the UK. This is not a formal process as is happening in the USA. However, the advent of probabilistic approaches and sophisticated computer models has prompted regulators, industry and other stakeholders in the UK to recognize the need for refinements in the risk-assessment process. Sources of information and data necessary to explore such refinements are disparate. This review aims to collate the information to present a coherent picture of the current knowledge, the data available and the stakeholders involved. It can then be used as a resource with which to investigate further more specific issues. Although focussing on the UK, the European context is included and reference is made to US models and developments that should be investigated. Factors hampering progress include the lack of sufficient data on which to base quantitative analysis, especially in the residential pesticides sector, and lack of experience in using and interpreting probabilistic models. At present, such techniques are being approached with some caution in the UK and in Europe, although their utility for cumulative assessment is accepted. Communicating results to both risk managers and consumers will be a considerable challenge.