Pesticides

1. Pesticides Sherry L. Glick Office of Pesticide Programs U.S. EPA 702-784-8276 Glick.sherry@epa.gov

2. What is a Pesticide? • Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest • Not just insecticides and “pesticides” • Herbicides • Fungicides • Various other substances used to control pests • Under U.S. law, any substance/mixture of substances for use as • Plant regulator • Defoliant • Desiccant

3. How many pesticides are there? • More than 1055 registered active ingredients • Formulated into thousands of pesticide products

4. What are “pests”? • Living organisms occurring where not wanted • or • Cause damage to crops, humans, other animals • Examples • Insects • Mice and other animals • Unwanted plants (weeds) • Fungi • Microorganisms (e.g, bacteria, viruses)

5. Where are pesticides used? • Short answer: EVERYWHERE • Agricultural: increase food supply/quality/quantity • Residential: Inside & garden/landscaping • Schools • Hospitals • Right of ways

6. Household Examples of Pesticides • Cockroach sprays and baits • Insect repellents for personal use • Rat and other rodent poisons • Flea and tick sprays, powders, pet collars • Kitchen, laundry, and bath disinfectants and sanitizers • Products that kill mold and mildew • Some lawn and garden products (e.g., weed killers) • Some swimming pool chemicals

7. Types of Pesticides • Insecticides • Fungicides • Herbicides • Rodenticides • Insect Growth Regulators • Biopesticides

8. Types of Pesticides (cont.) • Pesticides also classified by category • Chemical pesticides • Antimicrobials • Biologicals

9. Insecticides • Many types • Control insects • Familiar types include • Termiticide (controls termites) • Larvaecide (includes mosquito-larvae control)

10. Fungicides • Mostly used in agriculture • Example: EPA has registered microbial fungicide to control Aspergillus flavus fungus, common to • Cottonseed • Corn • Peanuts • Other crops grown under stressful conditions such as drought

11. Biopesticides • Derived from such natural materials (e.g., animals, plants, bacteria, certain minerals) • For example, canola oil and baking soda have pesticidal applications, are considered biopesticides • Three major classes • Microbial • Plant Incorporated Protectants • Biochemical

12. Balancing Risks & Benefits of Pesticides • Most pesticides pose risks to • Humans • Animals • Environment • Designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living organisms • Also useful to society, can kill potential disease-causing organisms and control insects, weeds, and other pests

13. Are some pesticides safer than others? • Biologically-based pesticides, such as pheromones and microbial pesticides, increasingly popular, often safer than traditional chemical pesticides • EPA registering increasing number of reduced- risk conventional pesticides

14. Possible Pesticide Exposure Pathways • Worker exposure: worker protection • Diet exposure: primary mechanism for organophosphates • Underground and surface water: leaching and runoff • Certain behaviors and activities: children hand/mouth

15. Pesticides’ Effects on the Ecosystem • Ecological Risk Assessments • Ecological effects or toxicity • Degradation products • Chemical fate and transport (how it behaves, where it goes) in soil, air, and water • EPA scientists estimate exposure of different animals to pesticide residues in environment • Finally, they integrate toxicity information with exposure data to determine ecological risk to environment and wildlife

16. Pesticides & Human Health • In evaluating a pesticide, EPA estimates combined risk from sources such as • Food • Drinking water • Residential environment

17. Pesticides & Human Health (cont.) • Cumulative risk: EPA evaluate pesticides with a common mechanism of toxicity • EPA developing methodology • Special sensitivity of children to pesticides • 10-Fold Safety Net

18. Possible Health Effects of Pesticides • Carcinogen • Endocrine disruptor • Neurotoxin • Skin/eye irritation

19. Laws that Govern Pesticide Regulation • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) • Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) • Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) • Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) • Endangered Species Act (ESA)

20. What is EPA’s role? • EPA and states (usually State Dept. of Agriculture) register or license pesticides for use in U.S. • In addition, anyone planning to import pesticides for use in U.S. must notify EPA • EPA receives authority to register pesticides under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

21. EPA’s Role (cont.) • Office of Pesticide Programs with Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) work with 10 Regional Offices and other EPA program offices on a wide range of pesticide issues and topics • Evaluate potential new pesticides and uses • Provide special local needs and emergency situations • Review safety of older pesticides • Register pesticide producing establishments • Enforce pesticide requirements • Pesticide field programs

22. EPA Promotes Pesticide Risk Reduction • Outreach on Read the Label • Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program • School IPM Initiative • Strategic Agriculture Initiative