European authorities will soon be tackling the question of how phenylbutazone in horsemeat could affect the humans that consume it, according to the scientific journal of the British Veterinary Association.

A “joint scientific assessment of the risks” of consuming phenylbutazone—commonly known as bute—will be performed by two European agencies at the request of the European Commission (EC), the Veterinary Record reported March 23. The agencies—the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA)—received the EC request on March 7.

The recent European horsemeat scandal has raised questions about the health implications of consuming horsemeat that might be tainted with bute. Clear studies of its effects in this situation thus far have not been carried out.

In February, authorities in the United Kingdom found that eight of 206 tested horse carcasses were positive for bute, CNN reported. Two were destroyed, but the other six were sold to France for human consumption