Biologically Based Technologies for Pest Control (Part 6 of 13)

iologically based technologies (BBTs) pose certain risks, some better documented than others. The significance of these risks depends on how well the regulatory structure prevents the high impacts. Scientists who study the ecology of natural systems are most concerned about the effects of introduced classical biological control agents on the population dynamics of native species and the functioning of ecosystems. Past regulatory review by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been erratic and inconsistent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has done a better job in its oversight of microbial pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), but critics charge that previous thoroughness and concomitant expense to registrants kept useful products from entering the market. The evaluation of new risks from the release of genetically engineered microbial pesticides could pose a major challenge. Chapter 4 begins with an examination of potential health and environmental effects from BBTs, summarized in table 4-1. The discussion then turns to some of the tools that scientists and regulators use to evaluate and rank those risks. The remainder of the chapter looks at how EPA, USDA, FDA, and state governments decide which BBT risks are acceptable.