Dataset Information

Policy relevant results from an expert elicitation on the human health risks of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Apply a recently developed expert elicitation procedure to evaluate the state of the current knowledge of the two brominated flame retardants (BFRs) most commonly used today; decabromo-diphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and their potential impact on human health in order to support policy considerations. This expert elicitation was organized by the HENVINET (Health and Environment Network) Consortium.

Method

The HENVINET expert elicitation procedure that was used in the evaluations of decaBDE and HBCD is a rapid assessment tool aimed at highlighting areas of agreement and areas of disagreement on knowledge-related key issues for environment and health policy decision making.

Results

The outcome of the expert consultation on BFRs was concrete expert advice for policy makers with specific priorities for further action made clear for both stakeholders and policy makers. The experts were not in agreement whether or not the knowledge currently available on decaBDE or HBCD is sufficient to justify policy actions, but most experts considered that enough data already exists to support a ban or restriction on the use of these compounds. All experts agreed on the necessity of more research on the compounds. Priority issues for further research were, among others:• more studies on the extent of human exposure to the compounds.• more studies on the fate and concentration in the human body of the compounds.

SUBMITTER: Ravnum S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3388476 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Policy relevant results from an expert elicitation on the human health risks of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).

Ravnum Solveig S Zimmer Karin E KE Keune Hans H Gutleb Arno C AC Murk Albertinka J AJ Koppe Janna G JG Magnanti Brooke B Lyche Jan L JL Eriksen Gunnar S GS Ropstad Erik E Skaare Janneche U JU Kobernus Michael M Yang Aileen A Bartonova Alena A Krayer von Krauss Martin M

Environmental health : a global access science source 20120628

<h4>Aim</h4>Apply a recently developed expert elicitation procedure to evaluate the state of the current knowledge of the two brominated flame retardants (BFRs) most commonly used today; decabromo-diphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and their potential impact on human health in order to support policy considerations. This expert elicitation was organized by the HENVINET (Health and Environment Network) Consortium.<h4>Method</h4>The HENVINET expert elicitation procedure tha ...[more]

PMID: 22759507

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Project description:BackgroundThe EU 6th Framework Program (FP)-funded Health and Environment Network (HENVINET) aimed to support informed policy making by facilitating the availability of relevant knowledge on different environmental health issues. An approach was developed by which scientific agreement, disagreement, and knowledge gaps could be efficiently identified, and expert advice prepared in a way that is usable for policy makers. There were two aims of the project: 1) to apply the tool to a relevant issue; the potential health impacts of the widely used plasticizers, phthalates, and 2) to evaluate the method and the tool by asking both scientific experts and the target audience, namely policy makers and stakeholders, for their opinions.MethodsThe tool consisted of an expert consultation in several steps on the issue of phthalates in environmental health. A diagram depicting the cause-effect chain, from the production and use of phthalates to potential health impacts, was prepared based on existing reviews. This was used as a basis for an online questionnaire, through which experts in the field were consulted. The results of this first round of consultation laid the foundation for a new questionnaire answered by an expert panel that, subsequently, also discussed approaches and results in a workshop. One major task of the expert panel was to pinpoint priorities from the cause-effect chain according to their impact on the extent of potential health risks and their relevance for reducing uncertainty. The results were condensed into a policy brief that was sent to policy makers and stakeholders for their evaluation.ResultsThe experts agreed about the substantial knowledge gaps within the field of phthalates. The top three priorities for further research and policy action were: 1) intrauterine exposure, 2) reproductive toxicology, and 3) exposure from medical devices. Although not all relevant information from the cause-effect chain is known for phthalates, most experts thought that there are enough indications to justify a precautionary approach and to restrict their general use. Although some of the experts expressed some scepticism about such a tool, most felt that important issues were highlighted.ConclusionsThe approach used was an efficient way at summarising priority knowledge gaps as a starting point for health risk assessment of compounds, based on their relevance for the risk assessment outcome. We conclude that this approach is useful for supporting policy makers with state-of-the-art scientific knowledge weighed by experts. The method can assist future evidence-based policy making.

Dataset Information

Policy relevant results from an expert elicitation on the human health risks of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).

Aim

Method

Results

Publications

Policy relevant results from an expert elicitation on the human health risks of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).

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