EPA To Expand Safety Factors In Pesticide Rules Despite Industry Concern

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials are preparing to release updated guidelines for expanded use of safety factors applied in pesticide exposure risk assessments to protect children and pregnant farm workers -- which a top official in the pesticides office says will not be a "default" 10-fold safety factor (10x) -- as part of the soon to be finalized risk assessment guidelines for juvenile farm workers and children of farm workers. Once released, the new safety factor, also referred to as an uncertainty factor, will be applied to all new pesticide registration reviews, Tina Levine,