In my opinion any program that will eliminate from this country, or even stop the 
further spread, of an introduced pest or disease should have the outspoken support of 
both conservationists and regulatory agencies concerned with the wholesomeness of our 
food supply. 
If we have no pests--we need no pesticides. 
Gentlemen, let’s tune out the static and get to work. This residue problem is a big 
one --it’s complex--but it can be solved. 
PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN RELATION TO THE FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT 
Robert S. Roe! 
This first session of the symposium deals with responsibilities--the responsibilities 
of the Department of Agriculture, those of the Food and Drug Administration, and those 
of industry. This seems an appropriate note on which to begin this presentation and 
discussion of chemicals used in agriculture. It implies that the government and industry 
groups concerned have an accountability for some phases of the uses of chemicals in 
agriculture. This implication is well founded. The large number of chemicals in use today, 
the considerable quantities used, the potency of many of them, and the potentiality for 
harm when misused certainly call for and require the exercise of a high degree of re- 
sponsibility. 
The Food and Drug Administration has no direct responsibility in determining or 
developing the agricultural uses of chemicals. Nor is it responsible for regulating the 
chemicals or the commercial formulations containing them, except in the case of those 
that fall in the category of drugs or food additives. The Food and Drug Administration is 
responsible for administering the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a principal purpose of 
which is to insure the integrity and safety of foods distributed in interstate commerce. 
Agricultural uses of chemicals that leave residues in food products derived from treated 
crops or animals are of concern to the Food and Drug Administration. It becomes a 
responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration to establish regulations including 
safe tolerances for residues in such foods. 
I should like to review the responsibilities ofthe Food and Drug Administration under 
the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that directly or indirectly deal with chemicals used in 
agriculture. There first comes to mind, of course, pesticide chemicals--insecticides to 
prevent or control insect damage to crops; fungicides to prevent plant disease or fungus 
damage; herbicides to control weeds; and fumigants for protection of grains. And more 
recently, this category includes plant growth regulators, sprout inhibitors, defoliants. 
Chemicals added to animal feeds or otherwise applied to animals as fattening agents or 
growth promoters may be of concern under the recent Food Additives Amendment. And 
then there are many veterinary drug preparations usedto prevent or treat diseases, some 
of them antibiotic preparations subject to certification by the Food and Drug Administra- 
tion for safety and efficacy, that come within the responsibility of the Food and Drug 
Administration. 
The Miller Amendment (or Pesticide Chemicals Amendment) enacted in 1954 pro- 
vides a procedure for setting safe tolerances for residues of pesticide chemicals in 
raw agricultural products or for the establishment of exemptions from the necessity of 
1Director, Bureau of Biological and Physical Sciences, Food and Drug Administration, U. S, Department of Health, Educa- 
tion, and Welfare, 
