About the Region 6 Pesticide Program
EPA's Region 6 Pesticide Program operates within the context of the overall
regional office
structure. Region 6's particular areas of emphasis include:
- Notice of Request for Initial Proposals to be Funded from the Food Quality
Protection Act (FQPA) Strategic Agricultural Pesticide Initiative (CFDA 66.716), Surveys,
Studies, Investigations, Demonstrations, and Special Purpose Projects within the Office of
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances ;
- Management of cooperative agreements with state agencies that
regulate pesticides;
- The agricultural Worker Protection Program;
- Investigate complaints from citizens that involve the application
of pesticides and refer them to the appropriate state agencies
- U.S.-Mexico Border projects;
- Provide information about pesticide laws and regulations, pesticide
safety, and the proper use of pesticides;
- Provide educational outreach (including the Region 6 Pesticides
Bingo game - listed below):
Pesticides Section Mission
The Pesticides Section is dedicated to protecting human health and the
environment by:
• providing outreach to consumers and the regulated community,
• promoting compliance
• and enforcing and implementing FIFRA.
We work in partnership with States, Tribes and other partners to reduce
pesticide risk.
Pesticides Section Vision
Our partnerships function at a high level of performance and trust, understanding
our partners’ success is our success.
Pesticide Safety
Pesticide Safety Bingo for Children:
Keeping children safe from pesticides is a concern for all of us. To
help address this concern, EPA has developed a Pesticide Safety Bingo
Game. The Game, produced in both English and Spanish versions, is designed
to serve as an educational tool for K-6 school age children. The learning
objectives of the Game are pest prevention, thereby diminishing the need
for pesticides; safe pesticide management and storage; and alternatives
to chemical pesticides in order to prevent pesticide poisoning and misuse.
An enhanced understanding of the health risks associated with pests and
pesticides is an additional educational result provided by the Game. The
Bingo Game offers one beginner level game and three advanced level games
to take into account the student maturity and cognitive abilities of K-6.
An instructors' manual includes lesson plans and explicit instructions
for each version of the Game. Teachers will find it easy to utilize the
Game as part of their class room activity while teaching core curriculum
subjects.
EPA Region 6 has a limited number of copies of the Bingo Game. To obtain
a copy please call or email Linda Falk (214-665-8535 or falk.linda@epa.gov).
Or you can view and download the game and lessons plans from www.epa.gov/region6/6pd/bingo.
Citizen's
Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety
Endangered Species and Pesticide Programs
In the Pesticides Section, the Endangered Species coordinator serves
as the central source of information for the five State region.
The State agricultural agencies are responsible for the implementation
of a program to protect threatened and endangered species from pesticides
while minimizing the impacts of that program on pesticide users. Commitments
have been established in each State to coordinate endangered species program
activities with appropriate local, state, and Federal agencies, and to
develop and review habitat maps.
The WWW provides information on the Endangered Species Act, Endangered
Species Management, Endangered and Extinct Species Lists, Endangered Species,
and a variety of other menu items.
The Endangered Species Protection
Program (ESPP) is a largely voluntary program that relies on cooperation
between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), EPA regions, states,
and pesticide users. The program strives to provide the best protection
for endangered species from the use of pesticides.
The Texas Department of Agriculture's Endangered Species Pesticide Protection
Program's team recommendations for protective measures near sensitive
habitat is available at http://www.agr.state.tx.us/pesticide/endangered/pes_endangered.htm
County bulletins have been prepared Arkansas and Oklahoma and several
other states, which identify pesticide use limitations for protecting
endangered species. A map showing endangered species of the United States is available and on this map, you can move to maps of the individual states. Once on the
state maps, you can move to individual county maps. The pesticide use
limitations will help you to protect the endangered species in the county
where you intend.
Certification of Applicators of Restricted Use Pesticides
As part of the registration process, pesticides may be classified for
restricted use. Restricted use pesticides can be applied only by or under
the direct supervision of a certified applicator. Certification is not
required for applications of general use pesticides that are not restricted
use.
The EPA has established regulations for the certification of applicators
who apply restricted use pesticides. These regulations, are found in 40
CFR 171. To become a certified applicator, a person must demonstrate competency
to handle these potentially hazardous pesticides. Restricted use pesticide
applicators are certified as either private or commercial applicators.
Worker Protection Standard
The EPA has established regulations for the protection of workers from
agricultural pesticides. These regulations cover employees in farms, forests,
nurseries, and greenhouses, and employees who handle (mix, load, apply,
etc.) pesticides for use in these locations. The regulations require warnings
about applications, use of personal protective equipment, and restrictions
on entry to treated areas. They also have provisions for decontamination,
emergency assistance, contact with handlers of highly toxic pesticides,
and pesticide safety training. Pesticide registrants are required to add
appropriate labeling statements referencing these regulations and specifying
application restrictions, restricted-entry intervals (REIs), personal
protective equipment (PPE), and notification to workers of pesticide applications.
State Management Plans for Pesticides in Ground Water
The objective of this program is to allow the continued use of needed
pesticides that would otherwise have to be canceled due to the potential
of the pesticides to cause harm to people or the environment. States that
participate in this program have the option of preparing a generic State
Management Plan to prevent and reduce the possibility of ground water
pollution. When EPA publishes the names of pesticides in the Federal Register
that will require a State Management Plan, the States will then prepare
a specific State Management Plan for each pesticide that is listed. These
management plans will specify what actions that will be taken to allow
the use of the pesticides, including the tools available and the response
actions they will take if pesticides are detected in the ground water.
States that choose not to prepare management plans will lose the use of
the affected pesticides in their State.
Food Quality Protection Act
The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 amended the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). These amendments fundamentally changed the way EPA
regulates pesticides. The requirements included a new safety standard-reasonable
certainty of no harm-that must be applied to all pesticides used on foods.
EPA, State, and Tribal Contacts in Region 6
EPA Region 6 Contacts
how to reach the Region 6 Pesticides section
State Contacts
how to reach state-operated pesticide programs in Region 6
Tribal Contacts
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