Plastic particles could also bind potentially harmful substances to themselves and introduce them into the cell as a "Trojan horse"

13-Jul-2022

The smaller plastic particles are, the more easily they can be taken up by cells. In addition, the shape, surface and chemical properties play an important role in answering the question of how the particles could affect human tissue. This is the result of a study by researchers at the German ...

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Researchers analyse biological mechanisms of action and identify biomarkers

17-Dec-2019

Nanotechnology is booming, but risk assessment for these tiny particles is a laborious process that presents significant challenges to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). To find more efficient test methods, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) ...

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The EU research project EDCMET is investigating the effect of endocrine disruptors on metabolism

28-Jan-2019

January 2019 saw the launch of the EU research project EDCMET, in which scientists from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) are also involved. EDCMET stands for "Metabolic effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: novel testing METhods and adverse outcome path-ways" and is ...

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A mathematical model shows that even seemingly inconclusive studies speed up the gain in knowledge

14-Sep-2018

Scientific studies should always be published irrespective of their result. That is one of the conclusions of a research project conducted by the “German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals” at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the results of which have now been ...

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19-Apr-2017

In cooperation with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the Federal Office for Radioactive Protection (BfS) is to analyse foods prepared within the scope of the BfR MEAL Study for radiation caused by radioactive elements such as uranium. Main focus will be on the foods most often ...

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09-Dec-2016

Trace-back and predictive modelling tools for use during food safety outbreaks and created by scientific teams led by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) will be further rolled out under a new funding partnership agreed between EFSA and BfR. Signed today, the framework ...

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06-Dec-2016

Whether it is olive oil from Apulia, Pata Negra ham from Spain or 12-year-old single-malt whisky from the Scottish Orkney Islands - all these products are characterised by their quality and their high price. These properties also make a number of other foodstuffs including fish, honey and meat ...

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15-Nov-2016

The occurrence of zoonotic pathogens and toxigenic bacteria in the food chain and the associated risk for humans were the focus of the "4th Symposium for Zoonoses and Food Safety" at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin. Around 250 participants were discussing strategies to ...

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The quest for the best combat strategy

24-Aug-2016

What benefits and risks does the use of dispersants pose? These and other questions are addressed in the report “The use of dispersants to combat oil spills in Germany at sea” recently published in the BfR Science series. Experts had looked into the topic on the occasion of an international ...

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BfR proposes further EU criteria to identify endocrine disruptors

13-Jul-2015

On the occasion of the EU Conference "Endocrine disruptors:criteriaforidentificationand relatedimpacts" held in Brussels on 1 June 2015, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) presented an extended proposal for the identification of endocrine disruptors. This identification is to be ...

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