Environmental risk assessment for pesticides: A tool for decision making

Pesticides are widely used to protect crops and to prevent disease. However, they can also be the cause of environmental pollution. Today, ecological policy and management decision makers in many countries (i.e. EU) require sound scientific information on the environmental risk associated with pesticides in order to base and justify their decisions. Consequently, there is a need to develop predictive tools to evaluate all potential risks of environmental damage that might be caused by the use of plant protection products. This paper analyses and discusses the risk assessment approach applied in the field of pesticides. The link between environmental policy, risk assessment and risk management will also be highlighted.