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Joint efforts to control diseases transmitted from animals to humans

Geflügelfleisch auf einem Schneidbrett aus Kunststoff Around 200 scientists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland came together at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin to discuss the current situation in the field of zoonoses, control strategies and prevention. Zoonosis control is dependent on close cooperation between health and veterinary authorities. In order to avoid and effectively control zoonoses, there must be close cooperation between the fields of human health, animal health and the environment. The example of the joint initiative on antibiotic resistances shows that this can work. more

Viruses must be controlled differently from bacteria

Austernmuscheln

The notifications of cases of disease caused by noroviruses and rotaviruses have steadily increased in recent years. These well-known viruses can be transmitted by infected individuals during the production and preparation to food and can spread in this way. At the first nationwide symposium in Germany “Foodborne Viruses” staged by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin around 100 experts from research institutes, test agencies and food control discussed the latest findings on foodborne viruses. They looked at transmission pathways, the development of new detection methods and ways of inactivating viruses in food. A great deal of research has already been done on bacteria in food whereas further research is needed on foodborne viruses. As viruses do not behave in the same way as bacteria, different control strategies are required. more

More important information

Hair dyeing without any risk - is that possible?

Hair dyes have attracted major attention since the evaluation of epidemiological studies from the USA from 2001 identified signs of an elevated risk of bladder cancer. This prompted the European Commission to launch a systematic safety assessment of all substances used in hair dyes with a view to drawing up a positive list of safe substances. more

Bisphenol A in dummies

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment examined 18 dummies from various manufacturers and brands made of latex and silicone for bisphenol A. The release of 0.2 µg bisphenol A per dummy and hour was only detected in one dummy. This level is deemed to be safe. more
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ZEBET’s 20th Anniversary

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  Last changes 2009-11-20