title: Risk assessment for pesticides' MRL non-compliances in Poland in the years 2011-2015.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human exposure to trace levels of pesticide residues present in food of plant origin is inevitable as long as pesticides continue to be applied in agriculture. Since Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) are not toxicological endpoint values, their violation is not by default equivalent to health risk for consumers. However, its essential to provide a health- based risk assessment for each case of MRL non-compliance reported during monitoring and official control of foodstuffs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the potential short-term risk associated with consumption of food products of plant origin containing pesticide residues above MRL values based on notifications forwarded by the National Contact Point for RASFF in Poland during 2011-2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  115 notifications including 127 analytical results non-compliant with respective MRL values were forwarded to provide risk assessment. An internationally accepted deterministic approach based on conservative model assumptions for short-term exposure assessment was applied. The risk was characterized by comparing an estimated dietary intake with respective acute reference dose (ARfD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Black currant, tea, lettuce, Chinese cabbage and carrot were among the most frequently notified products in years 2011-2015. Among pesticides exceeding respective MRL values, over 90% belonged to fungicides and insecticides/acaricides such as acetamiprid, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, imidacloprid, dithiocarbamates and procymidone. For 15 and 6 results noncompliant with respective MRL value, a predicted short-term intake exceeded ARfD for children and adults, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Residue levels that could potentially pose a health threat are found incidentally. The science-based and transparent risk assessment process with regard to the data, methods and assumptions that are applied is essential to risk management authorities.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  risk assessment, pesticide residues, MRL, dietary intake, RASFF, food safety.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Chocimska street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Struciński
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Chocimska street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jan K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Ludwicki
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Chocimska street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Góralczyk
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Chocimska street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Czaja
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Chocimska street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernik
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Department of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Chocimska street 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liszewska
mesh_terms: D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D005062:European Union; D005502:Food / Q000592:standards*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D010945:Plants, Edible / Q000737:chemistry; D011044:Poland; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D010573:Pesticide Residues