Difference between revisions of "Benefit-risk assessment of fish and related policy options"

Revision as of 08:28, 20 April 2007

These pages were created to enable comprehensive understanding on bio-socio-economic issues related to fish consumption by humans with a strong emphasis laid on human health implications. We focus on gathering information on policies of fisheries management and human health consequences attributable to fish consumption to finally reach a state of comprehension where an integrated benefit-risk assessment of fish consumption can be done by taking account all the relevant societal and economical motivations yet not leaving aside any ecological implications that are concluded as being relevant.

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We invite anyone concerned with the above mentioned issues to contribute to the development of these pages by participating to discussions in the discussion page (discussion tab is located next to article tab at the top of this page). These pages are maintained by (firstname.surname@ktl.fi):

• Karjalainen, Anna (Ph.D., ecotoxicologist)
• Leino, Olli (M.Sc. Techn)
• Tuomisto, Jouni (MD, epidemiologist and responsible researcher)

Xenobiotic impacts on fish and its socio-economic relevance

The simplistic conceptual graph below describes some sublethal xenobiotic impacts on fish and their socio-economic relevance and human health implications. The most important nodes in the causal chain are filled in with a dark blue colour. These are the factors that we 1) call variables and 2) find most relevant, at the moment, from the human health point of view, and therefore aim to describe. D↷

Literature on the topic

• Elliott M, Hemingway KL, Krueger D, Thiel R, Hylland K, Arukwe A, Förlin L, Sayer M. 2003. From the Individual to the Population and Community responses to Pollution. In: Effects of Pollution on Fish, Molecular Effects and Population Responses. Lawrence AJ, Hemingway KL. (eds.), Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, UK.
• Lawrence AJ, Elliott M. 2002. Introduction and Conceptual Model. In: Effects of Pollution on Fish, Molecular Effects and Population Responses. Lawrence AJ, Hemingway KL. (eds.), Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, UK.

Policy options implications for fish consumption

Relevant policy options for controlling human health effects due to fish consumption (under construction...).

• Fisheries management. Underlying fisheries management policy of EU [| here]
  • Directing and steering fishing
  • Regional restrictions and limitations
  • Financial support to aquaculture
  • Imposing duty on dumping of fish
• Consumption advisories and recommendations
  • Setting maximum concentration for dioxins found in fish
    • Commission regulation (EC) No 199/2006)
    • Council Regulation (EC) No 2375/2001 of November 2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs
  • National maximum limits for methyl mercury found in fish
    • 1 mg/kg set by EU
    • National limits for particular species?
• Steering institutional kitchen
• Fish marketability. Background on the quality chain management in fish processing industry [| here]

Health consequences attributable to fish consumption

Here we try to pinpoint the most relevant health endpoints for substances found in fish – both beneficial such as those ensuing from omega-3-fatty acid and vitamin D intake, and harmful, resulting from fish contamination by e.g. dioxins and (methyl)mercury (human xenobiotic exposure via intake of contaminated fish). This part is under construction.

End points

Here are listed some potential end points for pollutants to take into account in the model. There needs to exist: 1) scientific consensus about the effect 2) a dose-response relationship

• Dioxin

-- cancer mortality

-- developmental disorders (teeth)

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• Methylmercury (MeHg)

-- Cardiovascular mortality

-- Neurobehavioral disorders

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Materials and references

Projects, models, publications etc. related to the topic.

• http://heande.pyrkilo.fi/heande/images/2/28/RBA_fish.ANA
• http://www.ktl.fi/portal/english/osiot/research,_people___programs/environmental_health/research/health_risk_analysis/research_projects/pmvsdioxin/
• Benefit-risk assessment of food:value of information analysis. A project coordinated by KTL (Tuomisto, JT) Beneris
• http://heande.pyrkilo.fi/heande/images/a/a9/BRAfishxml.ANA