EPA is proposing to revoke limits for the pesticide methyl parathion on many fruits and vegetables.
This decision, issued Friday, was based on EPA''s determination that showed acute dietary risks from methyl parathion in food did not meet current requirements for an extra margin of safety to protect children under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).
The agency made that determination after completing a comprehensive review of methyl parathion''s use.
The chemical is most heavily used on corn and other crops, but it''s also been used for years indoors and outside to kill termites, roaches, ants, fleas and other pests. Some 20 to 24 million pounds of the chemical are applied annually nationwide.
EPA is working with the Food and Drug Administration, who also on June 2 issued guidance on how it will handle situations involving methyl parathion residues in foods that were illegally treated with the chemical before January.
For more information on EPA''s reassessment of methyl parathion, visit www.epa.gov/pesticides/op.
by Virginia Sutcliffe