ABSTRACT
An analysis of the available environmental risk assessments of 50 pesticides revealed that of all environmental compartments, it was the risk to terrestrial vertebrates (birds and mammals) that most often failed to be fully addressed. Population modeling is 1 option that has the potential to further rene the risk assessment. Population modeling may also be useful for other groups of organisms (e.g., aquatic organisms or nontarget arthropods). The main advantage of population modeling in a regulatory context is that the outcome of the risk assessment could be compared directly with clearly dened protection goals. However, the lack of protection goals in terms of population-level effects hampers the use of population modeling in a regulatory context. To enhance the acceptability of risk assessments based on population modeling, it would be benecial for models to be validated and to agree on appropriate models for use in risk assessment of pesticides. Furthermore, guidance would be needed on how to assess the model calculations.
