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Tolerance Reassessment
Under the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), EPA was directed to review the safety of all existing tolerances (maximum pesticide residue limits on food) that were in effect as of August 1996. In September 2007, upon concluding the N-methyl carbamate (NMC) cumulative risk assessment, EPA completed the last of 9,721 required tolerance reassessment decisions. All tolerances that required reassessment have been evaluated and related risk management decisions are being implemented. Completing tolerance reassessment ensures that all pesticides used on food in the United States meet FQPA's more stringent safety standard. This is an enormous milestone in U.S. food safety and human health protection.
Tolerance reassessment was accomplished through the pesticide reregistration program, by review of all existing uses of a pesticide when a new use was proposed, and by revoking tolerances for pesticide uses that have had been canceled.
Of the 9,721 existing tolerances, EPA was to reassess:
- 33% within 3 years (completed)
- 66% within 6 years (completed)
- 100% within 10 years (over 99% completed on schedule; the remaining 84 tolerances for 5 NMC pesticides were reassessed as of September 2007)
EPA published a Federal Register notice on August 4, 1997 that placed all pesticides into one of three priority groups. These priority groups did not constitute a schedule, but instead showed the general priority for actions.
Tolerance Reassessment Status Summaries
(as of September 2007)
Categories of Information |
Data |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of tolerances to be reassessed. | 9721 | These are tolerances that were in effect as of August 3, 1996. Additional tolerances established since then are not reflected in this count. |
| Total number reassessed. | 9721 | Represents 100% of all tolerances to be reassessed. Reassessment can result in no change, lowering or raising the tolerance, or revocation of the tolerance. |
Priority Group 1 |
||
| Number of tolerances. | 5543 | Represents 57% of all tolerances. |
| Number reassessed. | 5543 | Represents 100% of tolerances in this group. |
Organophosphate pesticides |
||
| Number of tolerances. | 1691 | Organophosphates comprise 17.4% of all tolerances subject to reassessment. |
| Number reassessed. | 1691 | Represents 100% of tolerances in this group. |
Carbamate pesticides |
||
| Number of tolerances. | 545 | Carbamates comprise 5.6% of all tolerances subject to reassessment. |
| Number reassessed. | 545 | Represents 100% of tolerances in this group. |
Organochlorine pesticides |
||
| Number of tolerances. | 253 | Organochlorines comprise 2.6% of all tolerances subject to reassessment. |
| Number reassessed. | 253 | Represents 100% of tolerances in this group. |
Carcinogens |
||
| Number of tolerances. | 2008 | Carcinogens comprise 20.7% of all tolerances subject to reassessment. |
| Number reassessed. | 2008 | Represents 100% of tolerances in this group. |