Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 2
REGULATIONS
I. REGULATIONS
A.
INSECTICIDE ACT
The government regulation of pesticides started with the Insecticide Act of
1910, promulgated to prevent consumer fraud and to protect the legitimate
manufacture of pesticides. It made it unlawful to manufacturer any insecticide
or fungicide that was “adulterated or misbranded.” The Insecticide Act was
essentially a labeling statute; it did not require registration or establish signi-
ficant safety standards for pesticides.This act remained federal law for 37 years.
At this time agricultural chemicals consisted of only insecticides and fungi-
cides. These products contained inorganic compounds as their active ingredi-
ents, principally arsenicals such as lead arsenate, Paris green, a derivative of
copper acetoarsenite, copper, mercury, and zinc, to name a few.
The Pure Food Law of 1906 was amended in 1938 to include pesticides on
foods, primarily the arsenicals, such as lead arsenate and Paris green. It also
required the adding of color to white insecticides, including sodium fluoride and
lead arsenate, to prevent their accidental use as flour or other look-alike
cooking materials. This was the first federal effort toward protecting the
consumer from pesticide-contaminated food by providing tolerances for
pesticide residues, namely arsenic and lead, in foods where these materials were
necessary for the production of a food supply.
By 1950, synthetic organic pesticides had emerged as the effective new
products of choice in the marketplace. The organochlorine insecticides such as
aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, lindane, endrin, toxaphene, and DDT
were highly effective in controlling insects at very low dosages.
B. FEDERAL INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, AND RODENTI-CIDE
ACT (FIFRA)
In 1947, Congress passed the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenti-
cide Act (FIFRA). Unlike modern environmental statues, the impetus for
 
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