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Air Intérieur
26/03/2013 —
News

Indoor Air Quality Guidelines (IAQGs): ANSES proposes two values for nitrogen dioxide

Various pollutants likely to be found in indoor air may affect our comfort and health to various degrees, from simple irritation (unpleasant odours, drowsiness or irritation of the eyes or skin) to the onset or aggravation of serious diseases. To address the health issues involved in indoor air quality and provide public authorities with useful tools for managing this risk, ANSES has been working since 2004 to develop Indoor Air Quality Guidelines (IAQGs). Two IAQGs published today focus on short- and long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
21/03/2013 —
News

Domestic hygiene: ANSES launches a consultation on its recommendations to improve consumer information

Food can be contaminated by numerous micro-organisms causing a wide range of illnesses. Close to 40% of all foodborne illness outbreaks declared in France occur in the home. In light of this, in 2012 ANSES updated its home hygiene page which provides a wide range of recommendations for preventing food poisoning in the home. In order to facilitate adherence to these recommendations by consumers and to publicise the efforts which have the strongest impact on public health, the Agency has now prioritised its recommendations. This work, which involved highlighting ten essential recommendations, has been put up for consultation by consumer organisations. Food can be contaminated by numerous micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites) that may cause a wide range of different illnesses. Measures implemented by the health authorities and food professionals have led to a marked reduction in the major illnesses caused by food. However, the recent European contamination episodes, linked specifically to plant products, have highlighted the need for vigilance regarding microbial hazards. In addition, the handling, storage and processing of foods in the consumer's home remain a sensitive issue. According to the Zoonoses report issued by EFSA, 36% of the food poisoning outbreaks declared in France in 2010 occurred in a family setting. Some of these cases are due to improper practices in the home, such as poor storage of foodstuffs, insufficient cooking of foods or contamination transfer. In light of this, ANSES wishes to update its domestic hygiene page, which was created in 2006 and which presents clear information on the sources of the microbial contamination of foods and the kitchen environment as well as preventive measures. The Agency initially conducted a review of available data on consumer home hygiene practices and on the factors which can influence adherence to these practices (socio-economic factors, changes in habits, preconceived notions, etc.). In order for the message to be as effective as possible, and to highlight the most relevant and useful information for the general public, the Agency prioritised 49 recommendations from the food hygiene page. In the end, ten essential messages for consumers with regard to domestic hygiene were identified. ANSES now intends to make this document available for public consultation by consumer organisations and other interested parties, in order to receive their feedback on the wording of the recommendations and the most effective ways to relay this information. Before the summer, and at the end of the two-month-long consultation phase which will conclude with a meeting with contributors, the Agency will publish its final recommendations. Foodborne illness outbreaks in France In France, foodborne illness outbreaks (FIOs) as well as certain other food-based diseases (listeriosis, etc.) are subject of mandatory declaration by doctors. However it is still difficult to evaluate the actual number of cases caused by food. Because of this, a report by the Institut de veille sanitaire [French Institute for Public Health Surveillance] on the morbidity and mortality due to foodborne infectious diseases in France for the years 2000 to 2002 has shown that the actual number of cases is greatly under-estimated. In fact, the true number of cases is estimated at 230 000, while only 12 000 cases are actually declared. In France, in 2009, 1 255 foodborne illness outbreaks (FIOs) were declared, affecting approximately 14 000 individuals, and causing 9 deaths. The most frequently incriminated or suspected agent was found to be the toxin produced by the bacteria Staphyloccocus aureus (staphylococcal enterotoxin) (31% of outbreaks), followed by bacteria of the salmonella group (20% of outbreaks). In 42% of the reported cases, no known agent was found or suspected. These figures emphasise the considerable health impact of FIOs, whose economic and financial repercussions have not yet been precisely evaluated in France, in contrast to the English-speaking countries. For example, the United States have evaluated the annual cost of FIOs at 75 billion dollars for the 14 main pathogens involved , while for New Zealand the cost of the six main foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Yersinia, Listeria, Campylobacter, Norovirus and shiga-producing E.coli) is estimated at 162 million dollars, and for Great Britain at 1.5 billion pounds.
Alimentation Enfants
01/02/2013 —
News

ANSES examines a poorly documented topic: socio-economic inequalities in the diets of children and adolescents

The relationship between diet and socio-economic status has rarely been examined in children and adolescents in France. The expertise conducted by ANSES on this topic shows that the diet of underprivileged children and adolescents is of a lower quality. It also highlights the fact that this group consumes less fruits and vegetables and more soft drinks. The report also indicates that underprivileged children and adolescents eat less of certain sweet products (confectionery, cakes). It also emphasises that all groups of children and adolescents consume similar amounts of fish regardless of their socio-economic status. The parents' education level appears to be an essential factor for the nutritional quality of the diet. Accordingly, for people with equivalent incomes, nutritional quality increases proportionally to the parents' education level.
Abeilles
30/01/2013 —
News

Bee mortality and pesticides: ANSES's reaction to the publication of an opinion by the European Food Safety Authority

In opinions published today, the European Food Safety Authority in certain cases clearly emphasised bee colony health risks linked to exposure to insecticides containing three substances belonging to the neonicotinoid class. In other cases, risk assessments either could not be finalised due to insufficient data or were not possible because of a lack of data. These conclusions are mainly based on work conducted over the last few years to establish a new EU-level guideline document which will effectively account for all the currently-available scientific knowledge. In the wake of this EFSA opinion, which confirms certain doubts that were expressed by ANSES in its May 2012 opinion in answer to publication of a study on the harmful effects of a sublethal dose of a neonicotinoid substance on bee behaviour, the Agency is calling for finalisation of the new European guideline which will update assessment of substances and plant protection products within the framework of reinforced regulations on health risks for bee colonies.
Protection
14/11/2012 —
News

Workers exposed to plant protection products: ANSES recommends conducting tests to more effectively assess the performance of personal protective equipment 14 November 2012

In the context of the assessment of plant protection preparations, the regulations provide for the assessment of risks for users. In certain cases, authorisation of a preparation may be dependent upon users of the product wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). In order to enable risk managers to specify the type of equipment to recommend to future users within the context of marketing authorisation application decisions, ANSES recommends adding to the regulations a requirement for the petitioner to provide the results of PPE tests which attest that they fulfil the performance objectives required for protective equipment for the product in question, based on standardised tests and\or exposure studies.
Sel
07/11/2012 —
News

Salt: intake reduced, but still not enough 9 november 2012

Consumed in excess, salt is a risk factor for disease, especially high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. In 2002, the Agency recommended lowering population intake by 20% through the gradual reduction in the salt content of certain foods. In partnership with the French National Consumers Institute (INC), monitoring of the salt content of a wide range of foods began in 2003. ANSES recently conducted an assessment of the impact of the ingredient changes observed since this monitoring plan was set up. It shows a reduction in salt content, proving the relevance of the voluntary commitment charter strategy implemented through the National Health and Nutrition Programme (PNNS) and National Food Plan (PNA). However, this reduction in salt content is still not sufficient to enable public health objectives to be attained. Therefore, ANSES recommends implementing additional initiatives, and if necessary regulatory ones, in order to increase the number of products targeted by this strategy and the level of reduction in salt content of processed foods.
Chlordécone
02/11/2012 —
News

An overview by ANSES of the Caribbean population's food-based exposure to pesticide residues

Due to their specific eating habits and to the pests affecting tropical agriculture, the Caribbean population may be exposed to special risks associated with pesticide residues in their food. In the framework of the "Chlordecone" national action plan, ANSES conducted the Sapotille study in order to assess this risk. The study excluded chlordecone, which had already been examined in a number of targeted studies. In general, the results of this study, excluding chlordecone, do not show any specific levels of pesticide residues in foods or particular consumer exposure levels in the Caribbean. This study is an initial "snapshot" of the exposure of the Caribbean population to pesticide residues and contributes to improved traceability of food contamination by these residues. It should however be rounded out through the acquisition of further updated consumption and contamination data.
Valeurs Limite Exposition Professionnelle
18/10/2012 —
News

Occupational exposure limit values for chemicals: ANSES issues calls for contributions from stakeholders

18 october 2012 As one of its responsibilities in the area of occupational health, ANSES has been entrusted by the Ministry of Labour to conduct scientific assessments prior to the setting of occupational exposure limits (OELs) for certain chemicals. In order to contribute to the setting of these values, the Agency is issuing calls for contributions prior to and following the collective expert assessment work. Seven pre-assessment consultations and five post-assessment consultations have been launched today via ANSES's website. Chemical risk prevention in the workplace is based primarily on the replacing of a hazardous product with a non- or less-hazardous product (substitution) or, failing that, the reduction of pollutant concentrations to the lowest possible levels. However, for a large number of hazardous chemical agents, it is necessary to set concentration levels for pollutants in workplace air which should not be exceeded over a specific reference period. For this, ANSES is in charge of conducting scientific assessments prior to the setting of these occupational exposure limits (OELs) by the Ministry of Labour. A dedicated expert committee is in charge of recommending concentration levels (atmospheric and biological) based on health assessments as well as on measurement methods for comparing professional exposures to suggested values. Based on these recommendations, the Ministry of Labour then sets binding or indicative regulatory limit values after consultation with the French Steering Committee on Working Conditions (COCT), which is a tripartite committee. As part of its commitment to broad stakeholder involvement in expertise work, ANSES has set up two types of calls for contributions - prior to and following this work - which are intended to support and aid in the scientific process of setting these values. In this way, the Agency is also providing a response to the wishes expressed by its Thematic Orientations Advisory Group on Occupational Health. Pre-expertise consultation The aim of this consultation phase is to gather any scientific data that has not yet been published or which is considered useful by the Agency for conducting its expertise work for OEL recommendations. The type of data expected from this pre-expertise call for contributions includes the following: information on the health effects of the substances targeted by the consultation (studies which are not yet published but for which publication is possible, studies currently in progress, etc.); the measurement methods implemented for assessing professional exposure levels for these substances; the biological exposure indicators implemented for the health monitoring of workers. Ten consultations of this type are currently open, on the following topics: dusts without specific effects (without any effects other than lung overload), consultation open through 20 December 2012 ; octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane , consultation open through 20 December 2012 ; decamethylcyclopentasiloxane , consultation open through 20 December 2012 ; cobalt combined with tungsten carbide , consultation open through 20 December 2012 ; oxygen (to recommend a minimum value for oxygen in the workplace, for the prevention of hypoxia), consultation open through 18 March 2013 ; crystalline silica , consultation open through 18 March 2013 ; hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) , consultation open through 18 March 2013 ; toluene diisocyanate (TDI) , consultation open through 18 March 2013 ; diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) , consultation open through 18 March 2013 ; isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) , consultation open through 18 March 2013 . Post-expertise consultation The aim of this second type of consultation is to enable interested parties to share their comments regarding the scientific data collected for and used in the expertise work, and to express their positions regarding application of the available data, prior to publication of the Agency's finalised reports and opinions. The main objectives of this post-expertise consultation phase are the following: to identify any important publications or scientific data that was not taken into account; to collect any comments on the interpretation of the available data; to collect any information that might help improve and develop the methodology used by the Agency for establishing and measuring occupational exposure limits for chemicals. The first collective expert assessment reports conducted in the context of this call for contributions are the following: · For atmospheric exposure limit value recommendations: trichloroethylene , 2-ethoxyethanol (EGEE) and 2-ethoxyethyl acetate (EGEEA) , cobalt and its compounds, excluding cobalt combined with tungsten carbide ; · For biological exposure limit value recommendations: di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) ; acrylamide . This first post-expertise call for contributions for these five expert assessment reports will be open through PN5GI0.htm. For information, the Ministry of Labour has requested that ANSES organise the independent and collective scientific expert assessment phase which will enable it to set OELs within the framework of French regulatory legislation. Insofar as the Agency is only in charge of the scientific assessment aspects, no comments regarding technical and financial feasibility aspects will be taken into account or examined in this call for contributions. Find out more > Our close-up on OELs
Bisphenols
26/09/2012 —
News

ANSES proposes a more stringent EU level classification for bisphenol A as a substance toxic to reproduction

ANSES is in charge of providing support to the French authorities for the implementation of the European regulation concerning the classification and labelling of chemicals. In keeping with the work the Agency has conducted on bisphenol A, it has filed a proposal with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to revise the classification of this substance in order to make it more stringent on the EU level with regard to reproductive toxicity.

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