EPA updates information on relationship between pesticides and aquatic life

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Geological Survey, has released an updated version of the Aquatic Life Benchmarks ("benchmarks"). These benchmarks are estimates of concentrations below which pesticides (including conventional pesticides and antimicrobial chemicals) are not expected to present a risk of concern to freshwater organisms.

Updates include:

• References for 27 new chemical products (i.e., 16 new active ingredients and 11 of their degraded ingredients);

• Additional benchmarks for 10 chemical product degradations with existing benchmarks;

• Revised references for 72 existing chemicals (i.e. 57 registration review chemicals and 15 degraded chemicals).

EPA based these benchmarks on toxicity values ​​from scientific studies that the Agency reviewed and used in publicly accessible ecological risk assessments in support of regulatory decisions for pesticides.

For each of the chemicals listed in the Aquatic Life Benchmarks table, the table provides a link to the source documents for the benchmarks.

State, tribal, and local governments use these benchmarks in their interpretation of water quality monitoring data. Comparing a measured concentration of a pesticide in water with its aquatic life quality indicators can be useful in interpreting monitoring data and identifying and prioritizing monitoring locations that may require additional investigation. International regulatory authorities and researchers also use this data in their work.

This update replaces the previous version published on August 31, 2021.

The complete table can be seen at the link below: