Emergency Petition to Require Cancer Warning Labels on All Pesticide Products That EPA Considers Carcinogenic: Center for Biological Diversity July 8th Submission to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) submitted on July 8th a document to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) styled:

Emergency Petition to Require Cancer Warning Labels on All Pesticide Products That EPA Considers Carcinogenic (“Petition”).

The Petition requests that EPA use its authority under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”) to:

… add cancer warnings to all pesticide product labels that contain active ingredients that the EPA has found to be probable, likely or possible carcinogens or to have suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity.

Specific rulemaking actions requested include:

• Amend 40 C.F.R. § 156.10(a)(1) to add a tenth enumerated requirement:
  • (x) A cancer warning for any active ingredient that EPA has determined is a known, probable, or possible cause of human cancer or for which there is suggestive evidence it causes human cancer.
• Amend 40 C.F.R. § 156.60(a)(1) to include the underlined language:
  • Front panel statements. The signal word, child hazard warning, chronic hazard warning, and, in certain cases the first aid statement are required to appear on the front panel of the label, and also in any supplemental labeling intended to accompany the product in distribution or sale;
• Add a new subsection to 40 C.F.R. 156 Subpart D:
  • § 156.69 Cancer Warning. This product contains [chemical], which EPA has determined is a probable, likely, or possible cause of human cancer, or there is suggestive evidence that it causes human cancer;

The Petition contains the following subsections articulating CBD’s position:

• Pesticides Are Linked to Cancer
• EPA Has Systemically Failed to Warn of Cancer Risk From Pesticide Exposure
• EPA Has the Authority and Obligation to Require Cancer Warnings on Labels
• The EPA Must Fulfill the Make America Healthy Again Mandate
• The EPA Is the Sole Government Agency Responsible for Cancer Warnings on Labels

A copy of the Petition can be found here.