Environmental Impact & Regulations Flashcards

Which federal law establishes tolerances (maximum residue limits) for pesticides in food?

Answer: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)

The FFDCA authorizes EPA to set tolerances for pesticide residues on food and feed commodities.

A pesticide label states 'Do not apply within 50 feet of any water body.' This buffer zone requirement is primarily intended to protect against:

Answer: Pesticide runoff and spray drift into aquatic habitats

Buffer zones near water bodies are established to reduce pesticide runoff and drift that could harm aquatic organisms.

Under FIFRA, who bears the primary legal responsibility for ensuring a pesticide is used according to its label?

Answer: The certified applicator using the product

FIFRA places legal responsibility on the user — the certified applicator — to follow all label directions.

Bioaccumulation of a pesticide is most likely to occur in which type of compound?

Answer: Lipophilic (fat-soluble) organochlorines

Lipophilic, persistent compounds like organochlorines accumulate in fatty tissues and concentrate up the food chain.

Which practice best reduces pesticide contamination of groundwater through leaching?

Answer: Avoiding applications before heavy rain and using soil-binding formulations

Avoiding pre-rain applications and choosing formulations that bind to soil particles significantly reduces leaching to groundwater.

The term 'non-target organism' refers to:

Answer: Any organism that the pesticide was not intended to control

Non-target organisms are species unintentionally exposed to a pesticide, including beneficial insects, wildlife, and plants.

A Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) designation by EPA indicates that the product:

Answer: May cause unreasonable adverse effects without additional regulatory restrictions

EPA designates a pesticide as RUP when it poses risks of unreasonable adverse effects to applicators, the public, or the environment without added restrictions.