Pesticide Residue Regulation: Analysis of Food Quality Protection Act Implementation

Publication Date: November 2002

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Health

Type:

Abstract:

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), governing U.S. registration, sale, and use of pesticide products, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), under which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets allowable pesticide residue levels for food (tolerances). The FQPA mandates a "reasonable certainty of no harm" from pesticide exposure and requires reevaluation of tolerances against this standard by August 2006. The Act directs EPA to evaluate aggregate exposure risks of individual pesticides and cumulative risks of various pesticides with similar toxic effects. EPA must modify tolerances that are not safe and amend registrations (labels) for the associated pesticides. EPA has reported that it is meeting statutory deadlines, but this claim is disputed by environmental groups. A test case for FQPA implementation is evaluation of risks for organophosphate (OP) insecticides, used on many fruits, vegetables, and grains. EPA already has canceled registrations for some OP uses. EPA has issued a preliminary and a revised cumulative OP risk assessment, and plans to complete evaluation of OP risks in 2003. Agricultural and public health groups have challenged the FQPA implementation pace and process in court. This report will be updated as events warrant.