EPA Seeks Public Comment on Preliminary
Risk Assessments for Organophosphate Pesticides

A RiskWorld news brief
Posted by Mary Bryant
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs is seeking public comment on the preliminary risk assessments it has conducted for 16 organophosphate pesticides as part of a review of pesticides under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996.

Organophosphates are a class of pesticides consisting of about 40 chemicals that can be found in a wide range of agricultural and home and garden pesticide products. The risk assessments that EPA is making available are preliminary and may be refined in the future if additional health and environmental effects data, use data, or other relevant information on the pesticides become available.

A public docket for the preliminary risk assessments of the first nine organophosphates was established August 10, and comments will be accepted until October 14. These include the pesticides azinphos-methyl, bensulide, ethion, fenamiphos, isofenphos, naled, phorate, profenofos, and terbufos.

A public docket for the preliminary risk assessments for an additional seven pesticides was established September 9, and comments will be accepted until November 9. They include ethoprop, tribufos, sulfotep, temephos, dimethoate, cadusafos, and fenthion.

The agency also is preparing to issue and seek comment on the risk assessments it is currently developing for the remaining 24 organophosphates.

Through these opportunities for notice and comment, the Agency is seeking to strengthen stakeholder involvement and advance the openness, transparency, and science underpinning its review of the organophosphates and other pesticides. This process is designed to assure that America continues to enjoy a safe and abundant food supply.

To view a copy of any of the preliminary risk assessments and related documents, visit the Office of Pesticide Programs Pesticide Docket, Public Information and Records Integrity Branch, Room 119, Crystal Mall 2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia, or call (703) 308-8004.

Links to the preliminary risk assessments, as well as to the Federal Register notices announcing the public comment periods on the assessments and to the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, are available on EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/op/.

Independent DDVP Reviews

Three independent "blue ribbon panels" told the EPA on July 30 that dichlorvos (DDVP), a pesticide used against numerous insects, is not carcinogenic or otherwise hazardous, contrary to some EPA findings. (From U.S. EPA Headquarters Information Resources Center's Enviro-Newsbrief, August 3, 1998. Viewpoints expressed do not necessarily reflect EPA policy.)

Dichlorvos is among the organophosphates for which EPA is currently developing risk assessments.

 

Posted September 14, 1998; updated September 15.

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