re: first exemption - new food safety act

craig.harris@ssc.msu.edu
Sat, 7 Sep 96 7:11:07 EDT

i very much appreciated sue jarnagin's re-post of the announcement from epa
(via peacenet) of the exemption for the miticide pyridaben for apples in
delaware, new jersey and virginia . . . i understand that this kind of an
exemption is possible under the new food quality protection act where
(apparently) it would not have been possible under the previous legislation .
. . i wonder if someone can help me understand exactly what it is that the new
act made possible in the case of pyridaben . . . for example, the epa press
release refers to the decision as an exemption; from what regulations or
standards is it that this limited use of pyridaben has been exempted . . . is
pyridaben a carcinogen and thus effectively banned under the old delaney
clause, but not under the new legislation . . . how is the data (in terms of
safety for consumers, especially infants and children) that is required for an
exemption different from the data that would be required for a registration
thanks for any help anyone can provide
cheers,
craig

S3.SKJ@isumvs.iastate.edu Wrote:
| I thought you all might like to know about this exemption under the new
Food Quality Protection Act.
| S. Jarnagin
| ------------------------------------------------
| From: GROUP PRESS 202-260-4355
| (epa-press@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov)
| on Fri, 23 Aug 1996 15:49:17 -0400
| Subject: EPA FIRST ACTION UNDER THE FOOD QUALITY PROT. ACT OF 1996
| FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1996
| EPA GRANTS EMERGENCY EXEMPTION FOR PYRIDABEN USE ON APPLES IN FIRST ACTION
UNDER THE FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT OF 1996
| EPA has approved the emergency use of the pesticide pyridaben to control
mites on apples in Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia. This is the first
decision on a new pesticide use under the revised standards of the Food
Quality Protection Act signed into law by President Clinton on Aug. 3. The
new law establishes a new, health-based standard for tolerances (maximum
legally permissible levels) for pesticide residues in food and requires EPA,
for the first time, to establish tolerances to protect public health whenever
it grants approval for the emergency use of a pesticide under Section 18 of
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The law also
requires EPA to make specific findings that tolerances are safe for infants
and children and establishes the general standard of a "reasonable certainty
of no harm" to consumers. EPA has determined that the use of pyridaben as
approved meets these standards and will
pose no significant risk to consumers. This action will allow the use of
pyridaben on apples in these three states through the end of September. The
exemption was requested as a result of the cancellation earlier this year of
propargite, another
pesticide that was used to control mites on apples. EPA and Uniroyal
Chemical Co., the manufacturer of propargite, reached a voluntary agreement
to cancel a number of propargite uses, including apples, based on dietary
health risk concerns. Other registered miticides are not viable alternatives
because they are either ineffective or incompatible with
Integrated Pest Management programs. For more information, call Robert
Forrest, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs at
703-308-8417.
| R-123 # # #
| | ** End of text from cdp:headlines **
| ***************************************************************************
| This material came from PeaceNet, a non-profit progressive networking
service. For more information, send a message to peacenet-info@igc.apc.org
| ***************************************************************************

craig k harris
dept of sociology michigan state university east lansing michigan
48824-1111
tel: 517-355-5048 fax: 517-432-2856