The ethics of human volunteer studies involving experimental exposure to pesticides: unanswered dilemmas
The ethics of human volunteer studies involving experimental exposure to pesticides: unanswered dilemmas
The controversy about the use of data from human volunteer studies involving experimental exposure to pesticides as part of regulatory risk assessment has been widely discussed, but the complex and interrelated scientific and ethical issues remain largely unresolved. This discussion paper, generated by authors who comprised a workgroup of the ICOH Scientific Committee on Rural Health, reviews the use of human experimental studies in regulatory risk assessment for pesticides with a view to advancing the debate as to when, if ever, such studies might be ethically justifiable. The discussion is based on three elements: (a) a review of discussion papers on the topic of human testing of pesticides and the positions adopted by regulatory agencies in developed countries; (b) an analysis of published and unpublished studies involving human testing with pesticides, both in the peer-reviewed literature and in the JMPR database; and (c) application of an ethical analysis to the problem. The paper identifies areas of agreement which include general principles that may provide a starting point on which to base criteria for judgements as to the ethical acceptability of such studies. However, the paper also highlights ongoing unresolved differences of opinion inherent in ethical analysis of contentious issues, which we propose should form a starting point for further debate and the development of guidelines to achieve better resolution of this matter.
50
London, Leslie
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Coggon, David
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Moretto, Angelo
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Westerholm, Peter
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Wilks, Martin
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Colosio, Claudio
b70480ea-6dc7-47d7-ae39-b0c4b6840344
August 2010
London, Leslie
be1a535c-1158-47ed-a576-49206d16a3f7
Coggon, David
2b43ce0a-cc61-4d86-b15d-794208ffa5d3
Moretto, Angelo
e73e3a39-a56d-402b-b064-6b9a218261d7
Westerholm, Peter
1d06ea5c-1b8a-483a-bab1-e14992154935
Wilks, Martin
5623f947-15f0-4c03-8d86-2c7bbb1f5c0f
Colosio, Claudio
b70480ea-6dc7-47d7-ae39-b0c4b6840344
London, Leslie, Coggon, David, Moretto, Angelo, Westerholm, Peter, Wilks, Martin and Colosio, Claudio
(2010)
The ethics of human volunteer studies involving experimental exposure to pesticides: unanswered dilemmas.
Environmental Health, 9, .
(doi:10.1186/1476-069X-9-50).
(PMID:20718963)
Abstract
The controversy about the use of data from human volunteer studies involving experimental exposure to pesticides as part of regulatory risk assessment has been widely discussed, but the complex and interrelated scientific and ethical issues remain largely unresolved. This discussion paper, generated by authors who comprised a workgroup of the ICOH Scientific Committee on Rural Health, reviews the use of human experimental studies in regulatory risk assessment for pesticides with a view to advancing the debate as to when, if ever, such studies might be ethically justifiable. The discussion is based on three elements: (a) a review of discussion papers on the topic of human testing of pesticides and the positions adopted by regulatory agencies in developed countries; (b) an analysis of published and unpublished studies involving human testing with pesticides, both in the peer-reviewed literature and in the JMPR database; and (c) application of an ethical analysis to the problem. The paper identifies areas of agreement which include general principles that may provide a starting point on which to base criteria for judgements as to the ethical acceptability of such studies. However, the paper also highlights ongoing unresolved differences of opinion inherent in ethical analysis of contentious issues, which we propose should form a starting point for further debate and the development of guidelines to achieve better resolution of this matter.
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Published date: August 2010
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Local EPrints ID: 164917
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/164917
ISSN: 1476-069X
PURE UUID: 96d11654-42d7-4891-9125-7b4d2d003261
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Date deposited: 06 Oct 2010 08:14
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:39
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Author:
Leslie London
Author:
David Coggon
Author:
Angelo Moretto
Author:
Peter Westerholm
Author:
Martin Wilks
Author:
Claudio Colosio
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