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Much of the toxicological research on pesticides has focused on single compounds. 

 In many cases the health effects of single compounds can be documented without 

 knowledge of the underlying toxicological mechanism. However, when faced with 

 chemical mixtures this approach is inadequate. Testing the many possible combina- 

 tions of pesticides is not feasible. An understanding of mechanisms is essential to 

 developing a theoretical framework which allows prediction of effects. This approach 

 has been followed successfully in pharmaceutical research, where drug interactions 

 have been well documented. 



Need for Research in Alternative Pest Control Techniques 



The primary strategy of public health is prevention. Prevention of exposure to 

 hazardous chemicals is most surely achieved by elimination at the source; i.e., dis- 

 continuation of use. In regard to pesticides, prevention can be achieved by substitut- 

 ing safer compounds for more hazardous ones, more strict control of sources, or 

 adoption of nonchemical methods of pest control. 



This legislation appears to break new ground by proposing that U.S. EPA develop 

 expertise in the area of agricultural production. Yet EPA has been conducting cost- 

 benefit analyses of the consequences of pesticide regulation for many years. The pro- 

 visions in this bill would allow EPA to develop a pro-active approach to such regula- 

 tion by evaluating the performance of integrated pest management (IPM) programs 

 and other pest control strategies. 



Need for a Grant Program for Training and Research 



A successful pesticide research and development program will require substantial 

 support for both in-house and extra-mural research. Although EPA has a grant pro- 

 gram in place for health effects research, this program has not been funded at a 

 consistent level in the past. A grant program which offered awards of 3-5 years du- 

 ration would attract high caliber researchers and provide sufficient stability in fund- 

 ing to allow significant progress. 



There are at present an inadequate number of newly trained researchers in the 

 environmental health sciences. In particular, graduates of programs in environ- 

 mental toxicology, industrial hygiene and exposure assessment are in high demand. 

 A grant program focused on M.S. and Ph.D. level training in pesticide research 

 would lead to an infusion of capable young scientists into this field in a relatively 

 short time. The building of such a scientific infrastructure is critical to meeting the 

 long-range objectives of this legislation. 



Statement of Neil L. Dobbs, Legislative Director, Committee for the 

 National Institute for the Environment 



Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to 

 provide written testimony about the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Re- 

 search and Development. My name is Neil Dobbs; I am the Legislative Director of 

 the Committee for the National Institute for the Environment (CNIE). The CNIE 

 is a national grass roots network of more than 8,000 scientists, business leaders, 

 environmentalists and other concerned citizens calling for the creation of the Na- 

 tional Institute for the Environment (NIE) to improve the scientific basis for deci- 

 sion-making on environmental issues. Legislation to establish the NIB (S. 2242) was 

 introduced in the Senate by Tom Daschle and 9 bipartisan cosponsors. Companion 

 legislation (H.R. 2918) was introduced by George Brown (D-CA) and currently has 

 78 bipartisan cosponsors. 



The NIE will perform four critical integrated functions: 



• Assess environmental knowledge, and identify issues of critical importance 

 where more information is needed. 



• Fund peer-reviewed, problem-focused research in the natural and social 

 sciences, engineering, economics, and other fields as necessary: 



• Communicate information through a universally accessible electronic Na- 

 tional Library for the Environment; 



