Badger Beat Changes in How EPA Evaluates Ecological Risks from Pesticides Endangered species protection program is a critical component of pesticide registration decisions By Paul Bethke, U.S. Department of Agriculture and University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Horticulture
Recent changes in how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates ecological risks from pesticides could make labels more detailed, complex and longer in the registration process. Public participation is also a key process component, so awareness of what’s changing is critical to maintaining our crop protection tools. Between 26 and 40 percent of the world’s potential crop production is lost annually because of weeds, pests and diseases (https://www.oecdilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/ oecd-fao-agricultural-outlook-2012_ agr_outlook-2012-en). Without crop protection, these losses could easily double. Crop protectants or pesticides provide protection of food, feed, fiber and fuel crops. Regulation of these pesticides to ensure minimal risk to human health and the environment is the work of the EPA. The EPA’s ability to pursue its mission to protect human health and the environment depends upon the integrity and quality of the science on which it relies. The environmental policies, decisions, guidance and regulations that impact the lives of all Americans must be grounded at a most fundamental level in sound, high-quality science. CONSIDERING DATA The EPA considers data from many sources, including pesticide companies, other governments, 52 BC�T October
academia and published scientific literature. EPA scientists and analysts carefully review these data to determine whether to register (license) a pesticide product or use and if specific restrictions are necessary. EPA maintains a transparent, public process for assessing potential risks to human health when evaluating pesticide products. The process EPA uses for evaluating the potential for health and ecological effects of a pesticide is referred to as a risk assessment. The risk assessment is crucial to the overall decision-making process for pesticides, both new and existing. New pesticides must be evaluated before they can enter the market, and existing pesticides must be reevaluated periodically to ensure that they continue to meet the appropriate safety standard. EPA’s decision-making relies on a risk management process, which is conducted in registration for new pesticide chemicals or new uses of existing chemicals, or re-registration/ registration review in the case of a general review of an existing chemical. There are two main components to the risk assessment: Ecological Risk
The National Research Council of the National Academies provides information and guidance on evaluating ecological risks from pesticides in its publication “Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides.”
Assessment and Human Health Risk Assessment. BIOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS In late August, the U.S. EPA released draft biological evaluations (BEs) for three of the most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides (https:// www.epa.gov/pesticides/epareleases-draft-biological-evaluationsthree-neonicotinoids-publiccomment). The neonicotinoids are used across a range of commodity crops, for home and ornamental uses and commercial indoor/outdoor applications. The release of draft BEs draws new attention to the process of how the EPA determines the ecological risk for any pesticide during the process of re-registration. When determining the ecological risks of all pesticides, the EPA needs to evaluate environmental fate and toxicity data, how pesticides break down and whether potential exposure to the pesticide will result in adverse effects to wildlife and habitats. As part of EPA’s ecological pesticide risk assessment process, the agency has responsibility for determining
