How are the health risks from pesticide use assessed, including risks to children?
Pesticides are stringently regulated in Canada. Before a product is registered for use, it must undergo a comprehensive and rigorous scientific assessment, including the results of epidemiology and toxicity studies. If the assessment does not indicate that a product can be used safely, it is not registered for use in Canada. Pesticides undergoing re-evaluation must meet that same standards. The human health risk assessment looks for the short- and long-term potential of a pesticide to cause adverse health effects such as cancer, birth defects and endocrine disruption. A broad range of toxicity studies are examined, which must be conducted following strict methodologies. Dose levels that cause an effect in laboratory animals as well as the dose where no effect is observed are noted. The dose where there is no effect is then compared to levels that people may be exposed to, in order to determine how far apart these numbers are – the larger the difference (i.e., the farther apart the numb
