Lawn Care Pesticides: Reregistration Falls Further Behind and Exposure Effects Are Uncertain

EPA is reviewing the health effects of lawn care pesticides by using methods that were developed to assess health effects of post-application exposure of pesticides to agricultural workers. There are limitations to this approach that require EPA to make some scientific assumptions. However, when EPA makes these assumptions in assessing risk, it makes a reasonable worst-case estimate. EPA states that current decisions on risk assessments for lawn care uses are cautious. As a result, EPA sees no need to delay reregistration decisions while new testing guidelines are developed. GAO believes that the current risk assessment is not sufficient because children playing on lawns sprayed with pesticides come in direct contact with the lawn. EPA should not reregister such pesticide uses without applying guidelines that evaluate the post-application exposure in residential settings. Otherwise, the public may have a false sense of security and safety about lawn care pesticides.

EPA claims that it is placing a high priority on developing the guidelines. However, GAO questions this because, during the review, the guidelines were not scheduled to be completed until FY 1997 and, in EPA's response to the report, the target date was not changed.