Pesticide Regulation Susan King Extension Specialist University of Delaware

Pesticide Regulation Pesticide Laws Pesticide Registration F Q P A

Pesticide Laws Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act – FIFRA Food Quality Protection Act – FQPA

Pesticide Law FIFRA General Use Pesticides – Anyone may use

Pesticide Law FIFRA General Use Pesticides – Anyone may use Restricted Use Pesticides – Certified Licensed Applicators

Pesticide Law FIFRA EPA determines how pesticides are Registered

Pesticide Law FIFRA EPA determines how pesticides are SoldDisposed of StoredHandled TransportedApplied

Pesticide Registration Tests: Toxicology –Single dose

Pesticide Registration Tests: Toxicology –Lifetime exposure Reproduction Mutations Cancer

Pesticide Registration Tests: Environmental fate –Breakdown in soil, water

Pesticide Registration Tests: Environmental fate –Movement Runoff Leaching Drift

Pesticide Registration Tests: Ecological effects –Birds –Fish –Non-target plants

Pesticide Registration Tests: Residue Analysis

Pesticide Registration Residue Analysis: Pesticide applied according to proposed label rates & procedures. Then pesticide residues on crops are measured.

How much residue is safe?

Pesticide Tolerances The amount of pesticide residue that will be legally allowed on food.

300 ppm =No Effect Level

10 X, animal test 30 ppm

300 ppm =No Effect Level 10 X, animal test 3 ppm 30 ppm 10X, human variability

300 ppm =No Effect Level 10 X, animal test 3 ppm 0.3 ppm 30 ppm 10x, kids 10X, human variability

0.3 ppm spread over 5 crops = Tolerance Average 0.06 ppm each

Pesticide Registration Residue TestingTolerance Setting If residue < tolerance, Pesticide registered

Safety Nets Never eat all crops in one day! Every day! For 70 years!

Safety Nets Never eat all crops in one day! Every day! For 70 years! Max rate not used! To all fields! To all parts of field!

Explain pesticide registration to your neighbor.

FQPA -- The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 F Q P A

“Reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate pesticide exposure ” F Q P A

The Risk Cup EPA has compared setting tolerances to filling a “Risk Cup”

Exposure that you could receive every day. For 70 years. With no significant risk of long term, health effects. The Risk Cup

EPA must lump compounds with a common mechanism of toxicity

Common Mode of Action 39 OP’s malathion Guthion Lorsban

0.3 ppm OP spread over 5 crops = Tolerance Average 0.06 ppm OP each

Pets Food Home Garden Water EPA must consider aggregate exposure

Aggregate Exposure Chlorpyrifos (Dursban, Lorsban)

Dietary/ Non-Dietary Exposure & Common Mechanism of Toxicity

If the risk cup gets full, manufacturers could reduce risk…

By eliminating uses… … Especially minor uses!

FQPA HITS Methyl parathion Azinphos methyl Chlorphyrifos Bendiocarb Ethyl parathion

Changes in pesticide labels to reduce risk? Reduce number of sprays Reduce application rate Change formulation

Procedure for setting tolerances Common mode of action Aggregate exposure Summary

Procedure for setting tolerances Common mode of action Aggregate exposure Manufacturers need to reduce risk Summary

Procedure for setting tolerances Common mode of action Aggregate exposure Manufacturers need to reduce risk EPA needs “Real Life” data Summary