ABSTRACT
In agriculture, the issue of ground water protection has become a major subject of debate, one that is sure to influence decisions on how food and fiber will be grown in the future. The National Agricultural Chemicals Association supports ground water policy that is focused on prevention of risk. The success in defining and implementing such policy, however, whether through legislation, regulations, or voluntary approaches, depends on the appropriate use of science-based risk assessment and management procedures and practices. In registering pesticides with the Environmental Protection Agency, manufacturers generate extensive information on the environmental and toxi-cological characteristics of their products. Part of this data requirement includes the properties of environmental fate, mobility, and degradation. The elimination of pest threat is obviously the most ideal situation for farmers and should be a major goal of technology. However, we do live in a world where things not planned or wanted happen.
