United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
nvironmental Technology Verification Program
www.epa.gov/etv
U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification Program
Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations (ESTE):
Verification of Pesticide Drift Reduction Technologies
Impact Statement
Addressing human health and environmental risks posed by pesticide spray drift is a significant
priority for EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) in carrying out its pesticide licensing
responsibilities. OPP routinely considers potential exposures and risks from spray drift in each
pesticide risk assessment and management decision, and imposes restrictions on pesticide
applicators to minimize the amount of drift to protect sensitive environmental areas and nearby
people. Nevertheless, incidents from drift remain a significant environmental problem for EPA,
state regulatory/ enforcement agencies, pesticide applicators, land owners, and the public,
especially at the expanding interface of new residential areas and farmland. To address this
challenge, EPA's Office of Research and Development, in collaboration with OPP and various
stakeholders, is constructing a research program to determine the feasibility of establishing a
drift reduction technology (DRT) process that will (1) verify performance of DRTs, (2)
incorporate incentives for using verified DRTs as drift mitigation, and (3) ultimately increase the
use of these verified DRTs in the U.S. to reduce spray drift and the associated inadvertent
pesticide exposures and risks.
Background
By their very nature, many pesticides are potentially hazardous. They also help to provide
Americans with an abundant food supply. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs is responsible for
balancing the benefits that pesticides provide with risks that may result from their use. An
example of the application of this difficult balancing act is the off-target drift of pesticides,
commonly referred to as spray drift. Since it is not possible to completely eliminate drift, OPP
faces the challenge of finding ways to minimize spray drift so that pesticides can be applied
without resulting in unreasonable exposure risk to people or the environment. EPA has spent
considerable time and resources reviewing the best available science to better understand and
estimate drift and its potential adverse effects. The information gained through these reviews has
informed decisions on product labeling, use directions and restrictions.
The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program was established by EPA to develop
testing protocols and verify the performance of innovative technologies that have the potential to
improve protection of human health and the environment. The ETV Program has operated as a
public-private partnership through cooperative agreements between EPA and private nonprofit
testing and evaluation organizations. These ETV verification organizations work with EPA
technology experts to create efficient and quality-assured testing procedures that verify the
performance of innovative technologies. In 2005 a new element of ETV was initiated, called
August 2007
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"Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations" (ESTE), in which the most important
technology categories for meeting Agency mandatory and voluntary program needs are verified
under contract with verification organizations.
The DRT ESTE project brings together OPP and EPA's Office of Research and Development
(ORD), along with experts in industry, academia, and government who have experience in
pesticide spray drift studies and application technologies to help determine which technologies
exist, how well they work, and how best to disseminate information on their use. As a first step,
EPA has formed a technical panel including representatives from government, pesticide and
application equipment industries, pesticide applicators, growers, environmental interests and
researchers. The panel is working with EPA to develop a test protocol to verify the potential
effectiveness of technologies such as improved sprayer designs, low drift nozzles, and drift
retardant chemicals to reduce spray drift.
Status
Two meetings of the technical panel were held in January and July 2006. A draft test protocol
has been reviewed by the technical panel and other experts and has been approved by EPA for
use. Validation testing of this protocol in low- and high-speed wind tunnels is scheduled for late
2007. EPA will issue Fed Biz Ops solicitation of vendors of equipment for use in ground or
aerial spraying interested in participating in validation testing of the protocol.
Project Resources
For more information, progress, and updates on the DRT program, access
http://www.epa.gov/etv/este.html.
Contacts
For further information contact:
Michael Kosusko
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
Mail Drop E343-02
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Phone: 919-541-2734
Fax: 919-541-0359
email: kosusko.mike@epa.gov
Kerry Bullock
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
Mail Drop E343-02
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Phone: 919-541-2340
Fax: 919-541-0359
email: bullock.kerry@epa.gov
August 2007
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