EPA Makes Right Decision on Use of Human Volunteers in Pesticide Safety Studies

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

Contact:

Jody Clarke, 202.331.2252

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, DC, January 27, 2006—The Competitive Enterprise Institute commends the Environmental Protection Agency for issuing a new rule allowing the use of human volunteers in pesticide safety studies.

“Despite claims to the contrary, the new rule follows the National Academy of Sciences’ ethical standards and recommendations,” says Angela Logomasini, director of risk and environmental policy at CEI. Scientific and medical experts around the nation had endorsed this approach in a public comment coordinated by CEI and the American Council on Science and Health.

“EPA is making progress in improving science, which will benefit public health,” explains Logomasini. Most pesticide science is currently conducted on rodents. Logomasini says that ethically-conducted testing on human volunteers would improve our understanding on how these products actually impact people, rather than simply how they impact lab rats.

“In addition to ensuring the safety of pesticide products, improved research under this rule could increase the availability of public health products, such as those designed to control insect-borne diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, as well as products for disinfecting hospitals and for producing a safe food supply,” adds Logomasini.

Pesticide Risk Experts Available for Interviews

Henry Miller, M.D.          Gilbert Ross, M.D.           Angela Logomasini

Research Fellow               Medical Director              Dir. Risk Policy

Hoover Institution            ACSH                               CEI

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.