Revised Risk Assessment Methods for Workers, Children of Workers in Agricultural Fields, and Pesticides with No Food Uses

摘要

This policy addresses how the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) will conduct risk assessments for pesticides and pesticide risks that are not governed by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). A dichotomy has developed between how OPP assesses pesticide risks depending on whether a particular pesticide or an aspect of pesticide risk falls within the jurisdiction of the FFDCA. The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) mandated consideration of certain risk assessment approaches in assessing pesticide risks under FFDCA section 408. Some of these approaches were based on emerging scientific information, while others pushed EPA to systematically take into account factors that previously had only been considered on a non-routine basis. Implementation of these techniques has required OPP to develop new or revised risk assessment techniques. This has been a lengthy process involving the drafting of numerous science policy papers through a transparent public participation procedure and dozens of consultations with the Science Advisory Panel (SAP). The end result is that what seemed novel, cutting edge, or even untested in 1996, has become standard risk assessment practice today. Certainly, challenges remain in adapting the principles of the FQPA to developing scientific knowledge. However, the state of the science since FQPA has advanced to the point that it is now possible to consider aggregate risks from the same pesticide used in agricultural, commercial and/or residential settings, cumulative risks from exposure to pesticides with common mechanisms of toxicity, and the unique risks posed to infants and children due to their potentially increased sensitivity to pesticides.