DPR’s New Pesticide Science Committee Holds First Meeting, Californians Can Now Recommend Pesticides for Review
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) held the first meeting of its new Scientific Prioritization and Review Committee (SPARC) on Friday, August 7, 2026, and is now accepting public submissions for which pesticides to prioritize for scientific evaluation.
SPARC was created to provide science-based recommendations to inform DPR’s transparent, data-driven process for identifying and addressing potential risks to human health and the environment from pesticide use. The committee meets four times a year. The first two meetings will focus on pesticides with the potential to impact human health, and the following two will focus on environmental impacts.
During its initial meeting, DPR introduced the 12 SPARC members and provided an update on the department’s current prioritized work on pesticide evaluations and mitigations as outlined in the June 2026 Continuous Evaluation and Mitigation update.
DPR priorities for pesticide classes or active ingredients identified for continuous evaluation and mitigation were historically driven by internal prioritization or mandates and since 2025 have been publicly documented on the department’s website. Going forward, SPARC will help shape these efforts by creating a process for the public to recommend priorities and provide feedback on potential risks of exposure and currently available alternatives.
The inaugural SPARC meeting kicked off the first opportunity for the public to submit recommendations of pesticide classes, products, and active ingredients for DPR and SPARC to consider prioritizing for additional evaluation. The public submission period closes on September 11, 2026.
Submissions will be evaluated using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DPR regulatory summaries, DPR’s data-driven prioritization tools, and summarized data such as pesticide use reports, environmental monitoring data and Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program (PISP) data. These will help SPARC members understand the current information landscape around a given pesticide and inform discussion and recommendations.
The department will continue to advance and foster sustainable pest management (SPM) practices by providing resources to increase the availability and adoption of alternatives to pesticides prioritized by the department for mitigation.
To recommend a pesticide for potential prioritization, fill out DPR’s online Pesticide Priority Recommendation Form. Where possible, submissions should include:
- The type and name of the pesticide, product, group, or ingredient
- The concern you would like DPR to consider
- Details about the concern, including where or when it occurs, who may be affected, and how exposure may occur
- Evidence or supporting information
Following additional data review by DPR, SPARC will discuss potential priorities at its next meeting on December 4, 2026, and provide recommendations to the department to inform how the department prioritizes its work in the coming year.