Pesticide Registration Branch
California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
POLICY AND PROCEDURAL CHANGES
and OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST in 2007
Note: The California Notices to Registrants mentioned below are found on our website at http://www.cdpr.ca.gov under Programs and Services, Registration Branch.
New Pesticide Registration Branch Chief. On May 1, 2007, Charles M. Andrews was appointed to the position of Registration Branch Chief. Mr. Andrews previously served as Branch Chief for the Worker Health and Safety and Enforcement Branches within DPR, and brings with him considerable knowledge and experience.
Assembly Bill (AB) 1011 Status Report. In July 2007, DPR released a report summarizing the preliminary analysis of changes in the registration process due to
AB 1011. In the first year of implementation, there was a 7 percent increase in regular submissions and a 56 percent increase in new active ingredient submissions. The Registration Branch experienced a 29 percent decrease overall in the number of submissions requiring scientific evaluation and a consistent pattern of decrease in the total number of submissions into each evaluation station. A 15 % decrease in the overall processing time of submissions (not including new active ingredient submissions) was also noted. To view the complete report, please see AB 1011 Status Report.
Prioritization and Risk Assessment Announcements. Risk assessment is a process designed to answer questions about how toxic a chemical is, what exposure results from its various uses, what is the likelihood that use will cause harm, and how to characterize that risk. DPR takes a comprehensive approach to risk assessment and assesses potential dietary, workplace, residential, and ambient air exposures.
Each year DPR senior scientists identify and prioritize active ingredients for risk assessment. Active ingredient prioritization lists and those ingredients chosen for risk assessments in 2007 can be viewed on our website at
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/registration/canot/camenu.htm.
Current Outreach Efforts. In September of 2007, the Registration Branch launched an outreach project to develop training programs and outreach materials related to the pesticide registration process. Internal and external stakeholders are seen as an integral part of this project and will be asked to provide both input and feedback. The project is scheduled for completion by July 2008. For further information, please contact Ms. Rachel Kubiak by e-mail at rkubiak@cdpr.ca.gov or by telephone at (916) 324-3939.
Reevaluation of Certain Active Ingredients. California Food and Agriculture Code section 12824 requires DPR to continuously reevaluate currently registered pesticides to ensure human health and the environment are not jeopardized. California Notice to Registrants 2007-9 provides the status of active ingredients currently in the DPR reevaluation process. For more information on reevaluation, please visit our website at http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/registration/reevaluation/reevals.htm.
Information available on DPR Website (www.cdpr.ca.gov) DPR’s home page contains a great deal of information, with more being added on a regular basis. The Registration Branch website, along with the main DPR home page, allow access to many data bases, including products registered in California, products entering the scientific evaluation process, proposed and final registration actions, press releases, California Notices to Registrants, proposed regulations, and more. The Department added a searchable index of all pesticide data on file with DPR, which includes more than 68,000 volumes of data containing more than 190,000 studies.