EPA moves to protect people from pesticide drift

Washington — Assessment of a pesticide’s potential to drift from areas of application and expose people will now happen earlier in the chemical review process, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

“During and after application, pesticides can drift to unintended areas like residential or recreational areas where people can get it on their skin or eyes, causing different symptoms depending on the pesticide,” the agency says in a July 15 press release. “By assessing the amount of a pesticide that drifts beyond its intended target, EPA can identify measures that will protect people from unintended pesticide exposure.”

Effective immediately, EPA will update pesticide registrations to mandate a human health spray drift analysis for:

• Any new submissions for domestic uses of new active ingredients.
• Any new use and amended use registration submissions where that active ingredient previously has received a chemical-specific spray draft analysis.
• Registration actions under review with the agency, when possible.

Previously, the agency completed human health spray drift analyses 15 years after a pesticide’s approval, as part of chemical registration reviews.

The measures include adjusting labeling instructions for droplet sizes and buffer distances. Additionally, EPA will protect against risks of spray drift for people working or living nearby if hazards are identified, the agency says.

“People who live or work near farms can be unintentionally exposed to pesticides, and it’s our job to do as much as possible to prevent that from happening and to protect their health,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in the release. “Our new policy will ensure that vital public health protections are in place when a pesticide is initially approved – so people don’t have to wait years for the protections they deserve and need.”