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Since its creation, ANSES's Sophia Antipolis Laboratory has established itself as a national and international reference in bee and ruminant health. Indeed, since 1976, it has been awarded five national, European and international reference mandates for bee health and bee matrices, as well as the national reference mandate and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reference mandate for Q fever. This year, 2016, is thus an opportunity to take stock of 40 years of reference activities dedicated to animal health. Moreover, its location at the heart of the Sophia Antipolis international technology centre, in an area boasting a dynamic beekeeping sector, helps raise the profile of the scientific community at the regional level, through research agreements and projects conducted in partnership with regional scientific centres of excellence.

Today ANSES publishes the results of its expert assessment on the health risks of oral exposure to several chemicals found in plastic toys and materials likely to be mouthed by infants and children under three years of age. For four of the substances studied which are substitutes for phthalates (DINCH, DEHTP, ATBC and TXIB), the Agency did not find any risk to children's health. However, the Agency recommends that risk assessments be conducted systematically for all new substances used for the manufacturing of plastics used in toys and materials for children. ANSES will soon begin an assessment of the combined health risks of exposure by children to certain phthalates classified as toxic for reproduction and will take into account several exposure routes (consumer goods, air, dust, food, etc.).

Today the Agency is publishing an initial snapshot of dietary exposure of children under three years of age to a vast number of substances. The infant total diet study (iTDS) in fact covers more than 95% of the diet of babies and toddlers, with around 670 substances being analysed. This study confirmed the high level of health management regarding toxicity reference values, since a risk can be ruled out for most of the substances assessed. Some points, however, deserve particular attention: among the substances or classes of substances for which a risk could not be ruled out, 16 require a reduction in exposure, including nine considered a priority (heavy metals such as arsenic, or persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs, for example). ANSES is therefore recommending measures to reduce exposure of the infant population to these substances and acquire additional knowledge for refining risk assessments.