63 



Defense R&D vs. EPA R&D 



(All figures are constant FY 1987 Dollars in millions) 



Percent 

 Actual FY Requested FY Change, FY 

 1980 1995 1980-FY 



1995 



Defense $21,800 $30,400 +39 



EPA $460 $440 -4 



Sources: EPA figures from EPA Science Advisory Board, "Review of Fiscal Year 

 1995 President's Budget request for the Office of Research and Development," April 

 29, 1994. 



Defense figures (including DOE nuclear weapons activities) from AAAS, Report 

 XIX: "Research and Development Fiscal Year 1995," (March 1994) p. 54. 



Statement of Richard Fenske, School of Public Health and Community 

 Medicine, University of Washington 



pesticide research and development 



Pesticide use in the United States has seen enormous growth over the past sev- 

 eral decades. 



Not only have the number and volume of pesticides increased, but new use pat- 

 terns have emerged in such areas as lawn care management and residential treat- 

 ments. Understanding the consequences of changes in pesticide use requires sub- 

 stantial new knowledge in the areas of exposure assessment, toxicology and alter- 

 native techniques for pest control. 



Pesticides are inherently a mixed blessing, impacting our lives for better and for 

 worse. For the better, they provide a means of reducing infectious disease trans- 

 mission through vector management, and they allow substantial increases in agri- 

 cultural production. For the worse, however, their use inevitably results in human 

 exposure through air, water and soil, and deleterious effects on other species. 



Given the dual nature of these powerful pest management tools, it is fair to ask 

 whether we squander much of their value, for we use pesticides as much for conven- 

 ience as by necessity. When pesticides are employed in agriculture as ripening 

 agents or for cosmetic purposes, what price are we paying in terms of environmental 

 contamination and exposure to chemical residues on food? If we employ pesticides 

 to maintain aesthetically pleasing lawns and gardens, or treat our homes with 

 chemicals in lieu of more preventative measures, what health costs will our children 



incur 



Such questions can only be answered through development of a national strategy 

 to manage pesticide use, and by establishment of long-range planning and stable 

 funding for pesticide research and development. 



Need for a Pesticide Research and Development Program within U.S. EPA 



Research and development activities addressing the health and environmental im- 

 pact of pesticide use have not been well focused. Historically, a large proportion of 

 these activities have been conducted by manufacturers at the behest of the U.S. En- 

 vironmental Protection Agency. Yet the data and insights derived from such studies 

 normally remain proprietary, and therefore inaccessible to the scientific community 

 and the public. 



Research and development sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has 

 been directed primarily towards production, with health and environmental aspects 

 of pesticide use receiving a relatively low priority. In the area of occupational expo- 

 sures, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has generally de- 

 ferred to EPA. As a result, the health concerns of such worker populations as farm- 

 ers and agricultural fieldworkers have received far less attention than they merit. 



