EPA’s Public Health Pesticide Initiatives

Lois Rossi,Director, Registration DivisionOffice of Pesticide ProgramsUS Environmental Protection AgencyFebruary 8, 2010

Outline of Presentation

Pesticide Product Registration Efforts Special Initiatives

Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC)- Public Health Working Group

Bed Bug Initiatives International Efforts

Organizational Changes Contacts

Registration Efforts

Efficacy for Public Health Pesticides: Improving Efficacy Guidelines and Evaluations Add testing of bed bugs from pyrethroid-resistant

strains and field populations on a variety of surfaces; working with USDA/ARS on some new approaches to crack and crevice testing.

Working with USDA-ARS on standardized insecticide screening.

Drafting Standard Evaluation Procedure for science review of completed skin-applied insect repellent studies; procedure for new protocols is already established and on the Human Studies Review Board web site.

Registration Efforts

Efficacy for Public Health Pesticides: Improving Efficacy Guidelines and Evaluations Finalizing efficacy guideline for skin-applied

insect repellents. Development of spatial repellent guideline

is underway; SC Johnson has agreed to allow their field protocol into the public domain.

Following spatial repellent work of Uniformed Services University led workgroup and their recent publications.

Registration Efforts

Other Activities Discussing potential of new active

ingredients for impregnated fabrics and consulting on development.

Keeping abreast of DoD work on insecticide delivery technology.

Registration Efforts

Product Specific Data Call-In (Reregistration) PERMETHRIN: Called-in product

specific efficacy data for permethrin-treated fabric including uniforms; Responses from industry due soon.

ALLETHRIN: Called-in product specific efficacy data for soils and mats.

MALATHION: Called-in product specific adulticide data. Studies to begin soon.

Special Initiative - Forming Public Health Working Group

Creating a new public health working group under the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee.

Group to be balanced, representing stakeholders for pesticides to control pests with public health significance.

First meeting planned for Spring 2010. Some issues that the workgroup may address

include: International work/data sharing initiative; Label improvements specific to PH uses; Follow-up to the Bed Bug summit; Efficacy issues.

Special Initiative –Bed Bug Effort

National Bed Bug Summit – April 14 and 15, 2009

Goals and Objectives Share information Identify ideas and options Develop recommendations for action

Included stakeholders from academia, government, industry

Conducted under the auspices of EPA’s PPDC

Special Initiative –Bed Bug Effort

Based on recommendations from the Summit, EPA is focusing its effort on: Communications and education to encourage

appropriate control techniques; Integrated Pest Management efforts; Development of new tools; Coordination and outputs with the federal

partners.

Special Initiative –Bed Bug Effort

Create a new web page comprised of three sections: Bed bug identification/biology; Control using IPM; Pesticide tools (factsheets on)

$550K in education/outreach grants for communities with environmental justice concerns; request for proposals to go out in early Spring 2010.

Bed bug messages/education into IPM in schools program;

Funding a document on bed bug control practices in multi-family dwellings.

Special Initiative –Bed Bug Effort

EPA has organized an interagency taskforce on bed bugs DoD, CDC, HUD, USDA/ARS, USA/NIFA, NIH Inventory of existing research gaps

Working with CDC to highlight the public health impacts of bed bugs.

• Efforts continuing with industry and academia to find additional new tools

Encouraging registration of new pesticide tools or adding the bed bug use to existing pesticides. Recently added new use to control bed bugs

(Temprid SC Insecticide)

Special Initiative –Bed Bug Effort

Moving forward: Reducing bed bug infestations requires collaboration Local organizations to combat problems

on a community–wide level; States and local governments to

provide legislative support and structure;

Federal government to facilitate information exchange, encourage research, and promote safe control.

International Initiatives

EPA participated in drafting and publication of the recently released WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) Testing Guidelines for skin-applied repellents, space sprays, and household insecticides.

International Initiatives

Led organization of two international workshops focused on regulatory obstacles to bringing new pesticide tools to market. The International Public Health Pesticides

Workshop (London; May 2009). (Included over 100 participants from 22 countries).

Workshop confirmed the need for harmonization of the regulatory review process and data requirements for public health pest control tools among the different schemes operating internationally

International Initiatives

Workshop identified the following next steps: Communicating the content and findings of the

Workshop to a broader audience, initially by convening a meeting of regulators from developing countries.

Conducting a test case for global review of new public health pesticide products.

Initiating discussions with world regulatory authorities and WHO on regulatory review processes and data requirements specific to public health pesticides.

International Initiatives

EPA helped organize the 2nd workshop – The International Public Health Pesticides Workshop: Bringing New Pesticide Products to Market (Geneva; Sept.2009). (Included 26 pesticide regulators representing all UN regions.

Meeting highlighted the varying levels of capacity in developing countries and used their input to refine the strategy for moving forward.

International Initiatives

Strongly supported immediate follow-up to the workshop to ensure that the momentum is carried forward and identified the following next steps: Consolidate the information gained for all

stakeholders to prepare a pilot project for selected governments in disease endemic countries to participate in work-sharing to register new products for vector control; the project would provides for capacity building and increased cooperation both among relevant agencies within countries and for registration authorities among countries in a given region.

International Initiatives

Use existing structures and efforts both regionally and globally to form the foundation for any new activity to support work-sharing for registration of public health pesticides; WHO and Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, with other stakeholders, should facilitate the preparation and implementation of follow-up activities including the establishment of a management team to guide the implementation of the test case exercise.

Make the donor community aware of the importance and benefits of these activities in order to gain their financial support.

Pledge to use every mechanism available to alert the political hierarchy in developing countries about this work.

International Initiatives

EPA/OPP is continuing to work with WHO and the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention to develop a framework to carry the work forward.

Encouraging the product development community to propose product for the pilot project to intend the global joint review/work-sharing to public health pesticide products.

Organizational Changes

OPP Public Health Coordinator (Susan Jennings) is located in Registration Division

Creation of a new branch in Registration Division dedicated to public health pesticide products and related issues and initiatives.

Contacts

Division Contacts: Lois Rossi, Director, Registration Division, (RD)

rossi.lois@epa.gov George “Jeff” Herndon, Associate Director, (RD)

herndon.george@epa.gov Susan Jennings, Public Health Coordinator

jennings.susan@epa.gov Branches:

Insecticide Rodenticide Branch: Meredith Laws, Chief: laws.meredith@epa.gov

Insecticide Branch Marion Johnson, Chief: johnson.marion@epa.gov Kevin Sweeney, Senior Entomologist:

sweeney.kevin@epa.gov