Problem:
Even as we are now discovering that pesticides pose a much greater threat to society than ever before suspected, the U.S. government is undermining already limited regulations. August 3, 1996, marked a new era for pesticide regulation roll back in the U.S., as President Bill Clinton signed into law the Food Quality Protection Act, dramatically changing the way we regulate the dangers of pesticides in our food. This new law, which President Clinton preferred to call the "Peace of Mind Act," cleverly eliminated the Delaney clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which prohibited the existence of carcinogenic residues in all processed foods. As industry cheers "Ding-dong Delaney's dead,"41 known carcinogens and other toxic chemicals are being allowed into our food supply-but only in quantities which are determined "safe" by the EPA. In other words, policy makers moved by major pesticide industry lobby groups such as the American Crop Protection Association (ACPA), have lowered our food safety standard from one of banning known carcinogens, to just "managing" the risk of having them in our food. In light of endocrine disruption, this new reliance on tolerance levels and risk management poses many problems for consumers. First and foremost, a high proportion of pesticides registered for use have never had full toxicological studies and risk assessments performed on them. This is due to a lack of funding and political will on the part of state and federal agencies.