Tag: Pesticides

EPA Proposes Registration for Glycerol Formate

On September 16, 2024, the EPA announced a proposed registration decision for pesticide products containing the “new” active ingredient glycerol formate. “Products containing glycerol formate are intended to be used in healthcare settings (e.g., hospitals, medical premises and nursing homes) as a disinfectant for hard non-porous, non-food contact surfaces (e.g., stretchers) for bacteria, spores, and […]

EPA Axes Dacthal by Issuing FIFRA Emergency Ban

The EPA recently announced it issued emergency orders to suspend all registrations for the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). “This is the first time in almost 40 years EPA has taken this type of emergency action, following several years of unprecedented efforts by the Biden-Harris […]

EPA Petitioned to Halt All Uses of Glyphosate

Last month, a coalition of six organizations petitioned the EPA to immediately suspend and cancel all glyphosate registrations. The petition was filed by the Center for Food Safety (CFF), which was joined by Lideres Campesinas, Beyond Pesticides, the Farmworker Association of Florida, Rural Coalition, and Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc. These nonprofits work to protect […]

The Problem With Pesticides

The recent report “How the EPA’s lax regulation of dangerous pesticides is hurting public health and the US economy” by the Brookings Institution highlights ways the EPA is lagging behind the rest of the world in regulating pesticides to protect human and wildlife health. The report lists approximately 85 agricultural pesticides that are still approved […]

OIG Says Trump EPA Ignored Guidelines in Assessing Pesticide Cancer Risks

On July 20, 2022, the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report critical of EPA management practices, entitled “The EPA Needs to Improve the Transparency of Its Cancer-Assessment Process for Pesticides.” The controversy uncovered by the report centers around the use of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) pesticide. The report concludes the Trump Administration EPA did […]

EPA Bans Chlorpyrifos Use on Food Crops

On August 18, 2021, the EPA announced it issued a final rule to stop the use of chlorpyrifos pesticide on all food crops in response to an order from the 9th Circuit. The final rule revokes “all ‘tolerances’ for chlorpyrifos, which establish an amount of a pesticide that is allowed on food. In addition, the […]

Farming

EPA Ignored Policy and Procedures for Dicamba Registration

In a report dated May 24, 2021, the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) determined that the Agency “deviated from typical procedures in its 2018 Dicamba pesticide registration decision.” The watchdog report found required internal peer reviews were not conducted for three dicamba pesticide products. “While division-level management review is part of the typical operating […]

Pesticide spraying and application

Report: EPA’s SLN Pesticide Program Needs Changes

The EPA’s Special Local Needs (SLN) program is at risk of not achieving its program goals, according to a report issued by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) in February 2021.

Pesticide safety

Decision Expected from EPA Regarding Chlorpyrifos

Chlorpyrifos, a chemical used to prevent insect infestation in crops, has been linked to neurodevelopmental issues, including impaired working memory and lower IQ levels for children who had prenatal exposure to the chemical. Although the chemical has been banned from most household uses, many farmworkers, including pregnant women, still face regular exposure.

Pesticide label

Do You Understand Placement of Pesticide First-Aid Statements?

Inclusion of first-aid statements on pesticide labels is governed by regulations at 40 CFR 156.68. The fundamental requirement is that all pesticides that have “systemic effects in Category I, II, or III, or skin or eye irritation effects in Category I or II” must bear a first-aid statement. (Category I pesticides have high toxicity; Category […]