Science in eight languages BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment science comic offers an entertaining introduction to current research topics
What it's about:
Do microplastics harm my health? How can I protect myself from foodborne infections, and why are button cells sometimes dangerous? The answers to these and similar questions are often complex and not always easy to understand. Against this backdrop, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) has launched the comic series ‘What does science say?’, which explains current topics in risk assessment in an entertaining way. ‘Visual representations can help to illustrate complex issues more clearly,’ says BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment President Professor Andreas Hensel. “At the same time, they allow us to highlight the exciting and fascinating aspects of research and science.” The comics are now available to read on the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment website in eight languages or can be downloaded as PDF documents. In accordance with the principle that health risks do not stop at national borders, they are now available not only in German and English but also in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Italian, Portuguese, French and Spanish.
To the overview page: External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/publications/bfr-science-comic/
Each issue of the comic tackles a topical issue relating to food, product or chemical safety. Colourful characters provide consumers with fascinating facts from the history of science and take them behind the scenes of risk assessment.
The page also features background information on the characters surrounding the scientist Dr Berta Freund, such as the Tuby Brothers test tubes, which help to explain scientific concepts in a concise and accessible way. The latest comic issues are always published on the BfR’s social media channels.
In the latest instalment – now the eighth – of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment science comic, Dr Berta Freund and her team explain how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can enter the environment and thus the food chain, and what is known about the health risks posed by PFAS. New instalments on the topics of mycotoxins and energy drinks are already in production.
The comics have been developed as a new visual communication format. They usually begin with an entertaining anecdote on the topic in question. The comic characters then provide interesting facts on the subject, before finally presenting the current state of risk assessment.
Information on sharing: The CC licences can be found in the legal notice. The comics may be shared provided the author is credited.
Science comic “What does science say”? on the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment-website: External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/publications/bfr-science-comic/
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.