Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides

Abstract

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies

Identifying opportunities for high resolution pesticide usage data to improve the efficiency of endangered species pesticide risk assessment

“…Such review must reasonably identify the potential impacts of assessed pesticides, but also be feasible to perform in a timely manner. This second criterion has hindered effective pesticide risk assessment in the U.S. (1)(2)(3).…”

“…The U.S. Endangered Species Act also requires that pesticides do not negatively impact the persistence of threatened and endangered species (ESA) (1). The differing obligations of these legislative acts have made the current pesticide registration and review process time intensive with a lack of transparency and confidence among stakeholders.…”

Endogenous Lifecycle Models for Chemical Risk Assessment

“…For at least 50 years, scientists have recognized the potential of population models in chemical risk assessment and the last 20 years have seen a substantial volume of literature on the subject. − Population models add value to ecological risk assessment in many ways. For example, they integrate discrete toxicological effects on development, reproduction, and survival into a single holistic measure, the rate of population change in response to chemical exposure; ,− they support environmental protection goals, which often focus on populations; ,, they help identify sensitive stages in development that have high influence on population outcomes; , they can be integrated with information on adverse outcome pathways (AOP) to improve inference of chemical effects; and they allow researchers to explore potential interactions between exposure, toxicity, and environmental conditions under which exposures occur . Despite these and other benefits, the adoption of population models for chemical risk assessment applications has been slow. ,, …”