Pieter Spanoghe
Ghent University, Crop Protection, Faculty Member
Executive Summary Report of the feedback received from the SCAR-AKIS members during the Budapest meeting
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After the establishment of a causal relationship between tobacco use and cancer in the 1950s, cellulose acetate filters were introduced with the claim to reduce the adverse health impact of unfiltered cigarettes. Often perceived to be... more
After the establishment of a causal relationship between tobacco use and cancer in the 1950s, cellulose acetate filters were introduced with the claim to reduce the adverse health impact of unfiltered cigarettes. Often perceived to be more pleasant and healthy, filters encouraged smoking. However, filtered cigarettes are more deeply inhaled to obtain the same nicotine demand while altered combustion releases more tobacco-specific nitrosamines. The increasing use of cigarette filter ventilation is associated with a sharp rise in lung adenocarcinomas in recent decades. While not preventing adverse health effects, a global environmental problem has been created due to the non-biodegradable filter litter, causing ecotoxicological effects and the spread of microplastics. Recently, the Belgian Superior Health Council advised policymakers to ban cigarette filters as single-use plastics at both national and European levels. This article outlines the arguments used to justify this plea (huma...
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<p>Total ΣSeq of PPPs (billion Seq) used in agriculture, horticulture, non-agriculture and seed treatment in Flanders for the period 2009–2012 by using the method based on usage estimates and based on sales figures (with or without... more
<p>Total ΣSeq of PPPs (billion Seq) used in agriculture, horticulture, non-agriculture and seed treatment in Flanders for the period 2009–2012 by using the method based on usage estimates and based on sales figures (with or without weighting).</p
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Revised version of the Data Management Plan
Summary report of the Task 3.1 working group from the 2019 Paris Meeting
Summary report with the top 20 recommendations for Thematic Networks that came out of the Budapest workshops
Outcome of the 2nd consortium meeting held online June 15th till June 17th, 2020
Report of the final (second annual) meeting held online on February 25th, 2021
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Research Interests: Environmental Science, Algorithms, Environmental policy, Agriculture, Environmental Monitoring, and 15 moreRisk assessment, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Belgium, Pesticide, Pesticides, Indicator, PLoS one, Ecosystem, RESIDUES, Crop Protection, Losses, Risk Assessment, Environment, and Environmental Exposure
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Abstract Background B. thuringiensis is a naturally occurring insect pathogen, genetically closely related to the human pathogen B. cereus. Commercial B. thuringiensis biopesticides have a long track record of safe use. Still, concerns... more
Abstract Background B. thuringiensis is a naturally occurring insect pathogen, genetically closely related to the human pathogen B. cereus. Commercial B. thuringiensis biopesticides have a long track record of safe use. Still, concerns are raised on the potential for enterotoxin production by biopesticide strains, especially since B. thuringiensis found in salad was a hypothesized cause of a foodborne outbreak in the EU. Scope and approach This review uses the basic steps of a risk assessment to collect available knowledge relevant to B. thuringiensis biopesticides and their impact on food safety of fresh produce. Subsequently, some directions for effective risk management strategies are provided, reflecting on various aspects that might impact decision-making on the use of B. thuringiensis as a biopesticide. Key findings and conclusions Phylogenetic studies show that B. thuringiensis biopesticide strains are part of another clade compared to highly pathogenic B. cereus group strains. Although they contain enterotoxin genes, their ability to produce these toxins in the human gastrointestinal tract may be more limited. Furthermore, surveys show that it is unlikely to find elevated levels of B. thuringiensis on ready-to-eat fresh produce, higher than the established action limit of 105 CFU/g for presumptive B. cereus on foods. Finally, the B. cereus diarrheal syndrome is generally mild and self-limiting. Therefore, the use of B. thuringiensis biopesticides is expected to pose a low food safety risk.
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Feedback from KIP members on the draft TN Explorer's Guide during the KIP-SIB validation workshop
Total PPP usage estimates (million kg a.s.) obtained by Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), industry (Phytofar) and Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) and total PPP sales figures (million kg a.s.) obtained by Federal Public Service (FPS) per group (agriculture, horticulture, non-agriculture and s...more
<p>Total PPP usage estimates (million kg a.s.) obtained by Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), industry (Phytofar) and Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) and total PPP sales figures (million kg a.s.) obtained by Federal Public... more
<p>Total PPP usage estimates (million kg a.s.) obtained by Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), industry (Phytofar) and Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) and total PPP sales figures (million kg a.s.) obtained by Federal Public Service (FPS) per group (agriculture, horticulture, non-agriculture and seed treatment) in Belgium for the period 2009–2012.</p
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Research Interests: Humanities and Art
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Outcome of the EURAKNOS project consortium meeting that took place in Athens on the 17th and the 18th of June, 2019
Project Management Manual deliverable of the EURAKNOS project
Research Interests: Business, Communication, Food Safety, Ecotoxicology, Consumption, and 15 moreDiet, European Union, Information, Exposure Assessment, Humans, Farmers, Attitudes, Food Industry, Consumers, Chemical Industry, Food Contamination, Food Sciences, Cross Sectional Studies, Environmental Exposure, and food risk management
Pesticides are broadly utilized in crop cultivation and could end up in wastewater of vegetable- and potato companies during water-consuming processing steps. To gain insight into the presence of pesticide residues in (waste)water of... more
Pesticides are broadly utilized in crop cultivation and could end up in wastewater of vegetable- and potato companies during water-consuming processing steps. To gain insight into the presence of pesticide residues in (waste)water of these industries, water was analysed and monitored from three vegetable- and two potato processing companies in Belgium. During one year samples were collected of water before and after primary/secondary treatment (i.e. influent and effluent) and after tertiary treatment. Next to water, also (processed) carrot and potato products were analysed. Results show that boscalid (maximum: 18.32 μg/L) and terbuthylazine (maximum: 87.99 μg/L) are predominantly present in the vegetable industry and chlorpropham (maximum: 8.80×106 μg/L) and terbuthylazine (maximum: 3.37×105 μg/L) in the potato industry. The conventional treatment techniques seem to be insufficient for the removal of pesticides. Concentrations were even higher in the effluent than in the influent. Also, tertiary treatment techniques as ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis fail to reduce all pesticides below the European potable water limit of 0.1 μg/L. To meet this standard, the development and validation of new removal techniques are essential. Regarding product samples, almost no pesticide residues exceeded the MRL. Chlorpropham concentrations were statistically confirmed to be higher in potatoes and wastewater sampled when stored potatoes are processed.
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ABSTRACT A risk assessment of pesticide spray drift damage for the major crops in Flanders, Belgium, was set up. The assessment was done according to the principles of Directive 91/414/EC. In the directive, 10 modules reflect the risk for... more
ABSTRACT A risk assessment of pesticide spray drift damage for the major crops in Flanders, Belgium, was set up. The assessment was done according to the principles of Directive 91/414/EC. In the directive, 10 modules reflect the risk for persons arising from occupational, non-dietary exposure and the risk to the environment. For each module the risk is expressed as a risk index, which is the quotient of the estimated human exposure or predicted environmental concentration to a toxicological reference. The Ganzelmeier curves and the IMAG drift calculator were used to predict drift values. Knowing the applied dose of pesticide and the percentage of drift, the predicted environmental concentrations and the human exposures were calculated. The corresponding risks were estimated for the major growths for three of the ten modules: aquatic organisms, human bystanders and earthworms. Coherent with these calculations, the reducing effects of buffer zones were considered. The assessed buffer zone lengths were compared to the buffer zones, legislated by the Belgian government.
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<p>PPP usage estimates (kg) obtained by Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), industry (Phytofar) and Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) and PPP sales figures (kg) obtained by Federal Public Service (FPS) of the active substances in... more
<p>PPP usage estimates (kg) obtained by Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), industry (Phytofar) and Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) and PPP sales figures (kg) obtained by Federal Public Service (FPS) of the active substances in Belgium with the largest impact on results for the period 2009–2012.</p
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Final version of the EURAKNOS project Data Management Plan