Host: The Japanese Society of Toxicology
Name : The 49th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Toxicology
Date : June 30, 2022 - July 02, 2022
Environmental toxicity tests for the registration of plant protection products are required when plant protection products are likely to affect bees. From the point of view of biodiversity, in Europe, future tests of the environmental toxicity of pesticides are being considered not only for honey bees, but also for bumblebees and solitary bees. In 2013, a Guidance Document on the risk assessment of plant protection products on bees (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp. and solitary bees) was issued by the European Food Safety Authority.
Honey bee tests are well established by OECD guidelines. The overview of honey bee tests could be used the potential for future testing of bumblebees and solitary bees.
In the case of honey bee tests, the first step is to conduct an acute contact and oral test (OECD 213 and 214), a 10-day oral chronic toxicity test (OECD 245) and (a single exposure larval test up to 7 days of age (OECD 237)) and a 22-day larval test (OECD 239), depending on the developmental process of the honey bee.
For plant protection products that affect honey bees in these laboratory tests, semi-field tests (EPPO 170 and OECD 75 using tunnels, and the Oomen de Ruijter test) are required.
If there is an effect in the semi-field test, the field test will be performed.
At present, the OECD guidelines for bumblebees exist only for acute contact and oral tests (246 and 247), while the 10-day oral chronic toxicity test and the tunnel test are under consideration by a working group of the International Commission for Plant-Pollinator Relationships.
For solitary bees, acute contact and oral tests are being developed by the ICPPR working group and preparations are underway for the development of OECD guidelines.
