Media Center - Child Proofing Our Communities

News Release

For Immediate Release::	February 3, 2006
Contact::	Stacey Gonzalez, CHEJ 703-237-2249 ext.21 (w)

EPA Bans Testing Pesticides on Pregnant Women and Children
Federal Rule is First of its Kind to Govern Testing Pesticides on Human Subjects

Yesterday, in a major victory for the health protection of vulnerable populations, the EPA released the first-ever federal rule on pesticide experiments that involve the use of human subjects. 50,000 individuals and organizations sent comments to EPA during the 90–day public comment period on the proposed rule, resulting in a final rule which categorically prohibits intentional dosing of pesticides on pregnant women and children. It is also the first time the EPA and third parties will be held to a strict process for conducting such studies. Prior to the passage of the rule, the EPA defaulted to evaluating exposure studies on a “case by case basis”, which presented major ethical and scientific concerns.

“This enormous victory has shifted discussions on how to conduct human testing from a closed room between EPA and pesticide companies, out in front of the public. The result is that pregnant women and children will not be intentionally exposed to pesticides. The public’s demands and overarching moral concerns were met, and we will continue to be vigilant that the EPA acts in the best interest of the people,” said Stacey Gonzalez, Coordinator of the Child Proofing our Communities Campaign at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. The final rule also differs from the draft in that it removed an explicit section on testing pesticides on newborns.

The EPA will continue to accept observational studies that look at pesticide affects on vulnerable populations and others. Observational studies are important to the health of populations such as farmworkers and their families, however EPA’s interpretation of observational and intentional dosing studies need to be carefully monitored. Observational studies will help gather information that would lead to reduced exposures and impacts on farmworker communities and other overburdened populations.

Public pressure on federal representatives created the impetus for the creation of this rule and brought the actions of the EPA under careful federal scrutiny. The rule comes in the wake of a national organizing effort to halt human testing experiments that began in November 2004, and is the first formal rule to address testing pesticides on humans, which has been debated intensely since 1998.