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Safe Pesticides/Safe Products Research

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Research Programs

Science Overview

Everyday we come into contact with industrial and commercial chemicals in products we use in our homes and workplaces. They are used to put food on our table, provide effective pest control in our gardens, homes and workplaces, and control disease carried by insects and animals.

The Safe Pesticides/Safe Products Research Program in EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) is a multidisciplinary research effort that is providing the methods, models, and data needed by EPA to reduce risks presented from chemicals used in our daily lives. Several laws mandate EPA’s oversight and regulatory responsibilities to reduce risks from chemicals used on food and the use of pesticides. These include the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA).

The Safe Pesticides/Safe Products Research Program (SP2) is focused on three long-term goals:

Long-Term Goal 1
To develop improved methods, models, and data for use in conducting human health and environmental risk assessments.

Long-Term Goal 2
To develop the scientific underpinnings necessary to transform ecological risk assessments to a more realistic, probabilistic basis

Long-Term Goal 3
To provide the underlying science needed to evaluate biotechnology products.

Long-Term Goal 1

To develop improved methods, models, and data for use in conducting human health and environmental risk assessments. Research is:

The research will lead to more efficient and effective testing procedures for analyzing potentially toxic substances and improve risk assessment to protect public health and the environment.

Key science questions being addressed include:

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Long-Term Goal 2

To develop the scientific underpinnings necessary to transform ecological risk assessments to a more realistic, probabilistic basis where effects can be judged by their impacts at the population level and plant community level.

Results of this research will help EPA to develop scientifically valid approaches to extrapolate across species, biological endpoints and exposure scenarios of concern, and to assess spatially-explicit, population-level risks to wildlife populations and nontarget plants and plant communities from pesticides, toxic chemicals and multiple stressors while advancing the development of probabilistic risk assessment.

Key scientific questions being addressed include:

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Long-Term Goal 3

To provide the underlying science needed to evaluate biotechnology products. EPA regulates pesticides created through biotechnology as a part of its regulatory jurisdiction over all pesticides marketed and used in the US.  Before making a regulatory decision about genetically engineered plants which produce their own pesticides, known as plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs), EPA considers risks to human health, non-target organisms and the environment, the potential for gene flow, and the need for insect resistance management plans.

The results of this research can be used to update EPA requirements of registrants of biotechnology products and to help evaluate submitted data related to these products.

Key science questions being addressed include:

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