Safety program, pesticide

Monitoring Pesticide Safety Programs by Measuring Blood Cholinesterase and Analyzing Blood and Urine for Pesticides and Their Metabolites... 

Pesticide Safety Program of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Based upon Measurements of Potential Workplace Exposure and the Elimination of Excess Exposures... 

FIFRA23 imposes a system of pesticide product registrations. Such requirements include premarket review of potential health and environmental effects before a pesticide can be introduced in the United States, reregistration of products introduced prior to the enactment of FIFRA to assess their safety in light of current standards, and classification of pesticides for restricted or general use. Restricted products can be used only by those whose competence has been certified by a state program. 

NI0SH = National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health NSPS = New Source Performance Standards ODW = Office of Drinking Water OERR = Office of Emergency and Remedial Response 0PP = Office of Pesticide Programs OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration 0SW = Office of Solid Waste OWRS = Office of Water Regulations and Standards PEL = Permissible Exposure Limit PSNS =... 

Reigart JR, Roberts JR (1999) Recognition and management of pesticide poisonings, 5th ed. Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at http //www.epa. gov/pesticides/safety/healthcare... 

It is correct to note that the specific tolerance levels requested by the manufacturer are determined solely on the basis of agricultural practices and not upon potential human health considerations. As such, tolerances represent enforcement tools to determine whether pesticide applications were made in accordance with the law but should not be considered as safety standards. In the case where a pesticide is used properly, the resulting residue level should be below the tolerance level. Residues detected in excess of the established tolerance are likely encountered only in cases where applications are not made in accordance with the legal directions. Results obtained from federal and state monitoring programs demonstrate that the incidence of residues detected in excess of tolerances is very low and suggest that most pesticide applications are made legally. 

It should be recognized that US pesticide tolerances established by the aforementioned process, in combination with regulatory monitoring programs, serve important roles as enforcement tools that provide economic disincentives for pesticide users to misuse pesticides. At the same time, the tolerances should not be considered as safety standards since violative residues rarely represent residues of toxicological concern (Winter, 1992a). 

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