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•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
What is a Pesticide?
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•More than 1055 registered active
ingredients
•Formulated into thousands of pesticide
products
How many pesticides are there?
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•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)
What are “pests”?
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•Short answer: EVERYWHERE•Agricultural: increase food supply/quality/quantity•Residential: Inside & garden/landscaping•Schools•Hospitals•Right of ways
Where are pesticides used?
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•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
Household Examples of Pesticides
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•Insecticides•Fungicides•Herbicides•Rodenticides•Insect Growth Regulators•Biopesticides
Types of Pesticides
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•Pesticides also classified by category•Chemical pesticides•Antimicrobials•Biologicals
Types of Pesticides (cont.)
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•Many types •Control insects •Familiar types include
•Termiticide (controls termites) •Larvaecide (includes mosquito-larvae control)
Insecticides
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•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
Fungicides
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•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
Biopesticides
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•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
Balancing Risks & Benefits of Pesticides
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•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
Are some pesticides safer than others?
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•Worker exposure: worker protection•Diet exposure: primary mechanism for
organophosphates•Underground and surface water: leaching and
runoff•Certain behaviors and activities: children
hand/mouth
Possible Pesticide Exposure Pathways
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•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
Pesticides’ Effects on the Ecosystem
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•In evaluating a pesticide, EPA estimates
combined risk from sources such as •Food
•Drinking water
•Residential environment
Pesticides & Human Health
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•Cumulative risk: EPA evaluate pesticides
with a common mechanism of toxicity •EPA developing methodology•Special sensitivity of children to pesticides
•10-Fold Safety Net
Pesticides & Human Health (cont.)
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•Carcinogen•Endocrine disruptor•Neurotoxin•Skin/eye irritation
Possible Health Effects of Pesticides
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•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)
Laws that Govern Pesticide Regulation
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•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)
What is EPA’s role?
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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
EPA’s Role (cont.)
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•Outreach on Read the Label•Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
Program•School IPM Initiative•Strategic Agriculture Initiative
EPA Promotes Pesticide Risk Reduction
