Environmental Protection Agency
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted multiple reviews of pyrethroid human and environmental safety across their decades of use such that the pyrethroids are the most deeply researched class of insecticide. EPA mandates very strict labels that prescribe the only uses that ensure safety to users and the environment.
The famous environmental writer Rachel Carson saw the potential advantages of pyrethroids and made this recommendation in her seminal work, “The ultimate answer is to use less-toxic chemicals so that the public hazard from their misuse is greatly reduced,” Carson said, noting that such chemicals as pyrethrins already exist. " Synthetic substitutes for the pyrethrins have recently been developed, and some of the producing countries stand ready to increase the output of the natural product as the market may require.”
As noted below, adjustments in application requirements are made when necessary to ensure proper use. Some facts about pyrethroids and the environment include:
- There have been no meaningful environmental incidents ascribed to pyrethroid residues in the environment in their 30+ years of use.
- Refined application procedures have been designed to reduce the likelihood of pyrethroid off-target movement. Current EPA labels reflect these changes in technology.
- Pyrethroids have been reviewed and approved for use by many government regulatory agencies around the world, including the US EPA and EU regulatory authorities. The use of pyrethroids has been approved in nearly 80 countries globally.
