1. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
FIFRA
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

2. Pesticide Regulations

3. Pesticides: Choose Your Poison
What is a pesticide?

4. Pesticides Pesticides are by definition poisons
Designed to kill undesirable plants, insects, plant pathogens, or other undesirable pests
If used improperly, pesticides can injure or kill desirable organisms

5. Pesticides Types of pesticides Insecticides: kill insects
Sevin, Rotenone
Fungicides: kill fungi
Bravo
Herbicides: kill plants
Roundup

6. The Label is the Guide to Properly Handling of Pesticides
Carefully follow directions on the pesticide label
Wear protective clothing
Store pesticides in a locked area that children cannot access
Dispose of pesticides and empty containers properly
Re-entry time: the amount of time to wait after applying a pesticide before you can enter your garden

7. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
The effect of a pesticide on you is dependent on the toxicity of the pesticide and your exposure
Hazard: a combination of toxicity and exposure
Toxicity
Introduction
Inherent capacity of a material to produce death or injury

8. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Introduction to toxicity (continued)
All materials are toxic at some concentration
If handled properly, pesticides will not cause injury
Two types of toxicity
Acute toxicity
Chronic toxicity

9. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Acute toxicity
Injury that occurs soon after exposure to a pesticide
Pesticide “burn” on the skin would be an example of acute toxicity
LD50: dose required to kill 50% of laboratory test animals

10. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Warning Indicators on Label
Highly toxic pesticides
Contain a drawing of a skull and crossbones
Danger: Poison
Moderately toxic pesticides
Warning
Slightly toxic pesticides
Caution

11. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Chronic toxicity
Injury that occurs after long-term exposure to a pesticide
Cancer developing many years after exposure to a pesticide is an example of chronic toxicity
Other types of chronic toxicity
Birth defects
Endocrine system effects
Nervous system effects

12. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Your contact with a pesticide. Depends on:
Length of time
How exposed to pesticide
The most exposure to a pesticide will occur when handling or mixing a concentrated pesticide

13. Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Methods of exposure
Oral
Pesticide is ingested through a person’s mouth
Dermal
Exposure through a person’s skin
Inhalation
Exposure is through breathing in a pesticide through the lungs

14. Organic vs. Synthetic Pesticides
Organic Pesticides
Definition: a pesticide made from a natural product that has undergone only a little processing
Just because the pesticide is derived from a “natural” source does not mean that it is not toxic

15. Organic Pesticides Advantages Disadvantages Short persistence
Are less harmful to beneficial insects
Do not need petroleum for their production
Disadvantages
Some are very toxic
They can be expensive
Their effectiveness can vary
They lack persistence

16. Synthetic Pesticides
Definition: a pesticide synthesized from petroleum derived materials
Advantages
Relatively inexpensive
Are effective
Will persist
Disadvantages
May be harmful to beneficial organisms
Potential for pesticide resistance

17. Pesticide Laws
The United States Congress legislates pesticide laws to manage health and environmental risk. Pesticides are currently regulated under two major federal laws:
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)

18. Overview of FIFRA The first pesticide control law was enacted in 1910.
Primarily aimed at protecting consumers from ineffective products and deceptive labeling.
(FIFRA) was first passed in 1947, it established procedures for registering pesticides with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and established labeling provisions.
The law was still, however, primarily concerned with the efficacy of pesticides and did not regulate pesticide use.

19. Overview of FIFRA National law
Amended 1972, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1996.
Enforced by the EPA

20. FIFRA
Essentially rewritten in 1972 when it was amended by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA).
The law has been amended numerous times since 1972, including some significant amendments in the form of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996.
In its current form, FIFRA mandates that EPA regulate the use and sale of pesticides to protect human health and preserve the environment.

21. FIFRA
Since the FEPCA Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act amendments, EPA is specifically authorized to:
(1) Strengthen the registration process by shifting the burden of proof to the chemical manufacturer,
(2) Enforce compliance against banned and unregistered products, and
(3) Promulgate the regulatory framework missing from the original law.

22. FIFRA
Provides EPA with the authority to oversee the sale and use of pesticides.
However, because FIFRA does not fully preempt state/tribal or local law, each state/tribe and local government may also regulate pesticide use.

23. Tolerances and Exemptions
Before EPA can register a pesticide that is used on raw agricultural products, it must grant a tolerance or exemption.
A tolerance is the maximum amount of a pesticide that can be on a raw product when it is used and still be considered safe.
Under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), a raw agricultural product is deemed unsafe if it contains a pesticide residue, unless the residue is within the limits of a tolerance established by EPA or is exempt from the requirement.
The FDCA requires EPA to establish these residue tolerances. 

24. Registration of New Pesticides
Under FIFRA Section 3, all new pesticides (with minor exceptions) used in the United States must be registered by the Administrator of EPA.
Pesticide registration is very specific; it is not valid for all uses of a particular chemical.
Each registration specifies the crops/sites on which it may be applied, and each use must be supported by research data.
The manufacturer (domestic or foreign) of the pesticide files an application for registration.
The application process often requires the submission of extensive environmental, health, and safety data.

25. FIFRA
Gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to register pesticides; to require appropriate chemical, toxicological, and environmental studies; and to prescribe labeling use restrictions aimed to prevent unreasonable adverse effects on human health and the environment.

27. FIFRA (RT)
EPA regulates the use of pesticides under the authority of two federal statutes:
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

28. Key Elements of FIFRA
Pesticide products must obtain an EPA registration before manufacture, transport, and sale
Registration based on a risk/benefit standard

29. Key Elements of FIFRA
Ability to regulate pesticide use through labeling, packaging, composition, and disposal
Emergency exemption authority--permits approval of unregistered uses of registered products on a time limited basis
Ability to suspend or cancel a product's registration: appeals process, adjudicatory functions, etc.

30. Emergency Exemption Process
The process generally takes place as follows.
Growers in particular regions identify a problem situation that registered pesticides will not alleviate.
The growers contact their state lead agency (usually the state department of agriculture) and request that the agency apply to EPA for a Section 18 emergency exemption for a particular use.

31. Tolerances for Emergency Exemptions
Under the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), enacted on August 3, 1996, EPA must establish formal tolerances (maximum allowable residue levels) to cover all pesticide residues in food, even residues resulting from emergency uses.

32. Crisis Exemptions
If a need is immediate, a state agency may issue a crisis exemption that allows the unregistered use for 15 days.
The state notifies EPA of this action before issuing the crisis exemption, and EPA performs a cursory review of the use to ensure that there are no concerns.

33. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) of 2003
Establishes pesticide registration service fees for registration actions in three pesticide program divisions:
Antimicrobials Division
Biopesticides Division
Pollution Prevention, and the Registration Division

34. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of
1938, 1954, 1958
Quality protection of consumer foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
National law
Ensures foods are pure and wholesome, safe to eat, and produced under sanitary conditions; that drugs and devices are safe and effective for their intended uses; that cosmetics are safe and made from appropriate ingredients; and that all labeling and packaging is truthful, informative, and not deceptive.
The Food and Drug Administration and the USDA enforces this Act

35. Why FIFRA?

36. This document is 100% funded by a $2. 2 million grant from the U. S
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