EPA could enact new pesticide regulations

According to the Associated Press, chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used on various types of crops, could be outlawed within the next two years. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is addressing the chemical in a proposal to challenge food tolerances options, following previous research from that organization. Though the EPA acknowledged some circumstances where the pesticide might appear in safe concentrations, it also referenced the risks that persist.

The final rule is expected to be released in December 2016, as the Agency looks to revoke all of the maximum allowable residue levels for food. The current proposal is now subject to a 60-day comment period, as the EPA specifically looks to hone its approach to refined drinking water.

In its October 30 press release on this rule, the EPA noted the ways that water exposure in certain areas could increase the risk of consumption in foods treated with chlorpyrifos, even when its presence in foods doesn’t pose a problem.

“EPA has determined that safe levels of chlorpyrifos may be exceeded in parts of the United States for people whose drinking water is derived from some small vulnerable watersheds where chlorpyrifos is heavily used. If the tolerances are revoked, EPA would cancel the associated food uses of chlorpyrifos,” the statement says.

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