In an effort to evaluate human and ecological risks from pesticide spray that drifts from the intended target, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released two draft guidance documents describing the agency’s plans.
One document focuses on spray that drifts into drinking water settings, while the second—a residential exposure document—describes when risk assessments are needed for indirect exposure, according to Agri-Pulse.
“While the crop protection industry understands the process for estimating spray drift fractions, we fail to see where the process described by EPA will produce more realistic estimates of risk to humans or the environment,” said Mike Leggett, senior director of Environmental Policy for CropLife America. He added that the proposals have the potential to limit food production.
Public comment on the documents will be accepted until March.