FQPA also allows for a special safety factor to be applied for more sensitive populations such as infants and children. FQPA is driving the reassessment of all existing tolerances for pesticide residues on food. FQPA implementation could drive the loss of many currently labeled food, home and landscape, and nursery and greenhouse pesticide uses, if EPA concludes that the theoretical risks from pesticide exposure are too high. Also, products may be lost for our uses if their continued production, marketing, and sale for our uses are no longer economically viable for the pesticide registrants. Unfortunately, it appears EPA is using the FQPA deadlines as justification to use theoretical assumptions rather than real-world data from growers, other businesses, and public health officials.
Conservative assumptions lead to exaggerated estimates of risk.
If FQPA implementation proceeds in this manner, most pesticides and pesticide uses will be needlessly jeopardized over the next 10 years. Chlorpyrifos, also known as Dursban, is the most widely used household pesticide product in the United States. This action will also significantly reduce residues of chlorpyrifos on several foods regularly eaten by children. Chlorpyrifos is part of a class of older, riskier pesticides, some going back 50 years. Exposure to these kinds of pesticides can cause neurological effects.