The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) conducts risk assessments as part of its mission to protect human health and the environment by regulating pesticide sales and use in the state. Premarket evaluation of pesticide products that have been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is used to determine whether a product can be used safely in California. Risk assessments are also undertaken by DPR during the re-evaluation of registered pesticides or if an important health hazard resulting from exposure to a pesticide is identified. To ensure that DPR's assessments use the best scientific information and current methods, DPR arranged for an independent peer review of the agency's risk-assessment practices. Because the National Research Council has produced several important reports outlining improvements in the practice of risk assessment, DPR asked it to review whether DPR's risk-assessment practices are scientifically and technically credible and to identify ways to improve the agency's efficiency and productivity.

In response to DPR's request, the National Research Council convened the Committee to Review California's Risk-Assessment Process for Pesticides, which prepared this report. The members of the committee were selected for their expertise in toxicology, epidemiology, agronomy, occupational health, exposure assessment, and risk assessment. Appendix A has biographic information on the members.

The committee held public meetings to collect information on DPR's risk-assessment process, to clarify relevant information about EPA's pesticide program, and to get input from stakeholder groups. The committee thanks Sheryl Beauvais, Svetlana Koshlukova, Brian Leahy, Gary Patterson, Andrew Rubin, Randy Segawa, and Marylou Verder-Carlos, of DPR, for their presentations and assistance with providing background information on DPR's risk-assessment practices. The committee also thanks the following for their presentations and other input: William Jordan, EPA; Anne Katten, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation; and Arthur Lawyer, Technology Sciences Group.

The committee's report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purpose of the independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of the report: Steven Bradbury, Steven Bradbury and Associates; Robert Brent, Thomas Jefferson University; Thomas Cline, University of California, Berkeley; Richard Jackson, University of California, Los Angeles; Susan Kegley, Pesticide Research Institute; Timothy Pastoor, Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc.; Nu-May Ruby Reed, Davis, CA; Diane Rohlman, University of Iowa; Larry Sheets, Bayer CropScience; and Mae Wu, Natural Resources Defense Council.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of the report was overseen by Deborah Cory-Slechta, University of Rochester, and David Savitz, Brown University. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the author committee and the institution.

The committee is grateful for the assistance of National Research Council staff in preparing the report. It particularly wishes to acknowledge the support of project director Susan Martel, who coordinated the project and contributed to the committee's report. Other staff members who contributed to this effort are Camilla Ables, program officer in the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources; James Reisa, director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Tamara Dawson, program associate; Norman Grossblatt, senior editor; and Mirsada Karalic-Loncarevic, manager of the Technical Information Center.

Finally, I thank all the members of the committee for their efforts throughout the development of this report.

Marion F. Ehrich, PhD,  Chair, Committee to Review California's Risk-Assessment Process for Pesticides