Agricultural Chemistry
Our Agricultural Chemistry team has supported the crop protection industry by specializing in providing analytical support using the latest technology for residue chemistry, product chemistry (OPPTS 830) and method development/validation studies performed in compliance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) Good Laboratory Practice Standards (GLP) for over 35 years.
These studies are designed to play a role in answering the following questions:
- Does the proposed pesticide use meet EPA’s standards for human health protection?
- Does the proposed pesticide use meet EPA’s standard for worker protection?
- Does the proposed pesticide use meet EPA’s standard for protecting the environment?
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) 1947 is the main authority for EPA regulation of pesticides. This law has been amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) and by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003 (PRIA), which was reauthorized by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2012.
EPA also derives its authority to regulate pesticide residues on food items from the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). FIFRA and FFDCA require EPA to carefully evaluate any pesticide intended for use on food or animal feed crops before making a registration decision. If EPA determines that use of the product would result in residues of the chemical(s) in or on food/feed items, the Agency may not register the product under FIFRA unless EPA can determine that the residues are “safe” under the FFDCA. The FFDCA defines “safe” to mean that there is “a reasonable certainty of no harm” from the exposure to the residue in food and from other non-occupational sources.
EPL has over 35 years of experience in providing data in compliance with EPA requirements and has continued to invest in the best technology to support these studies.
GLP Product Chemistry Studies
EPL has successfully completed over 500 reports for submission to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and foreign regulatory bodies on behalf of more than 40 pesticide registrants including a variety of active ingredients (AI) and impurities. IMG_6927cAll Product Chemistry studies are conducted in compliance with EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) (formerly called the “Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances” and “OPPTS”) OCSPP 830 Harmonized Product Properties Test Guidelines. Preliminary analysis (5-Batch Analysis), physical/chemical characterization, and enforcement method validation studies are performed routinely on products encompassing most pesticide classes, including anti-microbial pesticides.
- Preliminary (5- Batch) Analysis
OCSPP 830.1700 (previously OPPTS 830.1700) - Physical/Chemical Characterization
OCSPP 830.6302-830.7950 (previously OPPTS 830.6302-830.7950) - Test, Control and Reference Substance Characterization
Purity Determination, Identity Confirmation, GLP Certificate of Analysis (COA)
GLP Residue Chemistry Studies
As an integral part of the pesticide registration process, residue chemistry services are important to agrochemical companies. Residue chemistry guidelines are required to monitor IMG_6949dthe safety of pesticide use in human food and animal feed. Residue Chemistry is also integral to the assessment of dietary risks associated with pesticide use. As a Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) compliant agricultural chemistry laboratory, EPL BAS is a contract research organization (CRO) that provides residue chemistry data needed to meet the requirements of registration guidelines. In addition to analytical capabilities, EPL BAS Scientists have a complete understanding of the regulatory concerns on which the guidelines are based.
Scientists at EPL BAS have the knowledge and expertise to provide the most accurate agrochemical data for successful pesticide registration. EPL BAS has repeatedly demonstrated these capabilities to provide timely and efficient completion of residue chemistry studies.
Residue Chemistry Services Include:
- Pollinator health studies
- Dissipation studies
- MOR (magnitude of residue) studies
- TTR (turf transferable residue) studies
- RAC (raw agricultural commodity) studies
- Residues on processed food/feed
- Foliar dislodgeable residue studies
- Multi-residue studies
- ILV (independent laboratory validation) studies
- Storage stability
- Human exposure studies
- Environmental fate studies including terrestrial field dissipation (TFD) and aquatic dissipation
- Fumigant MOR studies
Example Matrices:
- Fruits (citrus fruit, stone fruit, berries) AB Sciex for Ag Chem
- Tree nuts
- Cereal Grains (wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, sorghum)
- Root Crops (onions, carrots)
- Legumes (peanuts, kidney beans, green beans)
- Commodity Crops (corn, cotton, soy, canola)
- Rotational Crops (alfalfa)
- Soil, Air, Water, Sediment
- Meat, Milk, Eggs
- Manure
Example Chemistries:
- Insecticides
- Herbicides
- Rodenticides
- Fungicides
- Nematicides
- Fumigants
- Antimicrobials
- Biopesticides
- Plant or insect growth regulators