EPA Completes Second Phase of Pesticide Reviews

August 5, 2002

The Environmental Protection Agency EPA has completed the second phase of an intensive 10 year scientific and regulatory effort to ensure that all existing pesticide tolerances meet the tougher food safety standard called for in the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. The law calls for a multi-year regulatory process to reassess existing levels for allowable pesticide residues on food (tolerances). That law required EPA to complete the comprehensive safety evaluation of more than 66% of existing pesticide tolerances by Aug. 3.

Stephen L. Johnson, EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said. "This accomplishment represents a great deal of work, not only by EPA staff but also significant contributions from many scientific experts, various stakeholders and the public."

In accordance with deadlines set in the law, EPA has reassessed more than 6,400 tolerances for pesticide residues on food (tolerances are the maximum amount of a pesticide allowed to remain in or on a food commodity that has been treated with that pesticide). In conducting the safety evaluation, EPA prioritized the reassessment and risk mitigation specific pesticide classes which may pose the greatest risk, including the organophosphate, carbamate, organochlorine classes, as well as pesticides which show evidence of carcinogenicity.

Depending on the specific class, EPA has completed tolerance reassessment for half and up to three-quarters of the individual pesticides in each of these various classes. Tolerance reassessment has also included numerous other individual pesticides which are not part of these specific classes. Additionally, the agency has reassessed almost two-thirds of the tolerances for foods commonly eaten by children. As part of the reassessment process, EPA has revoked over 1,900 tolerances.

EPA sought extensive public involvement, including releasing risk assessments for comment, presenting technical briefings on risk assessments, inviting public comment on risk management options and seeking public comment on the science policies used by the agency in its decision making. EPA convened advisory committees to ensure transparency in the decision process and increased its consultation with stakeholders.

In addition, the agency developed methods for conducting effective assessments of combined (aggregate) exposures from food, water and residential sources of exposure, which provide a more complete picture of risk than had previously been possible. EPA also developed methods for assessing the cumulative risk of multiple pesticides that have a common mechanism of toxicity. Together, these steps have significantly strengthened the scientific foundation and public participation supporting the U.S. pesticide regulatory program.

Additional information on tolerance reassessment is available on EPA's web site: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/tolerance/. Information on chemicals undergoing EPA's pesticide re-registration process is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/status.htm.