9.7 Reduced Risk Pesticides
The substitution of reduced risk pesticides for conventional pesticide materials should be encouraged whenever the reduced risk pesticide offers a practical alternative in terms of cost and effectiveness. Emphasis should be placed on finding reduced risk solutions to pest control problems currently addressed with materials having a high potential to cause adverse effects to human health and the environment.
EPA should review their decision of allowing the exemption from registration under FIFRA 25(b). Allowing products to claim to control pests in any site without at least a simplified review of risk factors and appropriate label language has shifted the burden of enforcement to the SLAs. In addition, worker risk and other adverse effects of these products are not identified or mitigated.
Due to the large investment of resources required to develop new reduced risk pesticides, measures should be taken to sustain their efficacy over time. It will require a cooperative effort among government, industry, farmers, and academic institutions in order to establish viable resistance management programs.