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Before a pesticide can be used in the United States, EPA conducts ecological risk assessments to determine what risks are posed by a pesticide and whether changes to the use or proposed use of that pesticide are necessary to protect the environment. A pesticide applicant is required by EPA to conduct and submit a wide range of environmental laboratory and field studies. These studies examine:
- the ecological effects or toxicity of a pesticide and its breakdown products (degradation products) to various terrestrial and aquatic animals and plants and
- the chemical fate and transport of a pesticide (how it behaves and where it goes) in soil, air, and water resources.
EPA scientists review all the available fate and transport information for a pesticide. Based on this review, EPA prepares:
- a fate assessment that interprets the chemical behavior information of the pesticide in the environment and
- a hazard or ecological effects assessment that interprets the relevant toxicity information for the pesticide and its degradation products.
Using environmental fate data and exposure models, EPA scientists estimate exposure of different animals to pesticide residues in the environment.
Finally, they integrate the toxicity information with the exposure data to determine the ecological risk from the use of the pesticide, or whether it is safe for the environment and wildlife.
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Endangered Species
Information on the effects of pesticides on
endangered species.
Ecological Risk Assessments
EPA evaluates the likelihood that exposure
to one or more pesticides may cause harmful ecological effects.
What is an ecological risk assessment?,
Initiative to Revise
the Ecological Assessment Process, Overview
of the Ecological Risk Assessment Process (92 pp, 628 KB, About PDF), Technical
Overview of Ecological Risk Assessment, more...
Related Information
Additional information of general interest.
databases, ecotoxicity
database, ecological
incident information system, more...