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Pesticide News Story: New Web Page Describes EPA's Plans for Use of Ag Health Study Results
For Release: April 10, 2009
EPA has developed a new Web page that describes information that the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is providing to EPA about the relationships between pesticide exposure and possible health effects on farmers and their families. It also discusses how EPA is using this information to improve its understanding of the potential risks of pesticides and to strengthen our regulatory programs. The AHS began in 1993 as a collaboration among federal agencies. Designed as a large, long-term, prospective epidemiological study, the AHS collects and analyzes data on the health and work practices of licensed pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina. The study focuses particularly on the farmers’ exposure to 50 chemicals, including many of the most widely used pesticides. The study also collects information on other possible agricultural exposures and many lifestyle factors. EPA intends to use the information from the AHS in its regulatory processes. As EPA scientists survey the overall AHS findings, they will consider the results of the studies in the course of regularly scheduled registration reviews (at https://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/) and take appropriate regulatory action using the Agency's established public participation process. EPA's Web page is available at https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/ag-health.html.