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EPA SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR 12 ORGANOPHOSPHATES

Release Date: 01/15/99
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1999
EPA SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR 12 ORGANOPHOSPHATES


The EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is seeking public comment on its preliminary risk assessments for 12 pesticides. All belong to a class of pesticides known as organophosphates, which OPP is currently reviewing under a new, more stringent set of criteria established by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). Organophosphates are widely used on food crops and also are found in home and garden pesticide products. The risk assessments that the EPA is making available are preliminary and may be refined in the future if additional health and environmental effects data, use data, or other information on the pesticides becomes available. Both human health and ecological preliminary risk assessments were made available on January 8 for the following five organophosphates: acephate, dilsulfoton, methamidophos, oxydemeton-methyl, and pirimiphos-methyl. Comments are requested by March 9. Preliminary risk assessments (human health, ecological, or both) were issued on January 15 for the following seven pesticides: azinphos-methyl, chlorethoxyfos, ethyl parathion, methidathion, phosmet, propetamphos, and tetrachlorvinphos. Comments for these are requested by March 16. The EPA is seeking comment on its preliminary analysis of the risks of these pesticides as part of the Clinton Administration’s commitment to ensuring that the FQPA is implemented through an open and transparent process, and that EPA’s assessments are based on sound science. With this action, the EPA has now released for public comment the health and/or ecological preliminary risk assessments for 28 organophosphates; more will be issued through this spring. Copies of all of these documents are available on EPA’s website at: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/ , or can be obtained from the OPP Pesticide Docket, Public Information and Records Integrity Branch, Room 119, Crystal Mall 2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, phone (703) 305-5805.

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