How Protective is the Pesticide Risk Assessment and Registration Process to Humans in the United States?

Abstract

The need to feed the growing world population is a daunting challenge and improving crop yield using technology (e.g., synthetic pesticides) is a primary solution being utilized by growers globally. However, there is a general perception that the U.S. population is not well protected from the effects of using pesticides. This leads us to a natural question: how protective to humans is the pesticide risk assessment and registration process in the U.S.? In this commentary, we aim to give an overview of the regulatory history of pesticides in the U.S. and systematically discuss the data-driven, comprehensive, and health-protective methods employed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with the stringent mandates of the laws passed by U.S. Congress and the regulations enacted by the EPA to protect the U.S. population. By describing the studies required under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), along with the health-protective models and assumptions employed by the EPA to evaluate the potential for human health risks from pesticides, we aim to highlight the compounding health-protectiveness of the existing regulatory framework. We emphasize the need to maintain a regulated risk-benefit balance in using modern agricultural technology, similar to what is done with other indispensable modern human innovations and technologies.