ABSTRACT
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates pesticides under two statutes: the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. This chapter summarizes the EPA’s authority to regulate pesticides and adjuvants; the three programs — registration, reregistration, and special review — that are the backbone of pesticide programs at the EPA. Regulations under FIFRA which set forth the data generally required to assess a pesticide’s risk also state that the EPA is require data on inert ingredients in pesticide products. Each process — registration, reregistration, and special review — may involve a requirement that some data be developed on the end-use, formulated product. The EPA’s 1987 policy announced that in cases where the presence of an inert ingredient in pesticide products appeared to result in unreasonable adverse effects, the EPA might hold a hearing to determine whether the benefits created by inclusion of the specific inert out-weighed the risks.
