Food+Quality+Protection+Act+of+1996

The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 was written in 1995 and was passed by United States Congress in 1996. The FQPA is enforced by Environmental Protection Agency and focuses on establishing new safety standards for consumption of pesticides and protecting Americans, especially infants and children, from ingesting unsafe amounts of harmful toxins. The FQPA demanded the re-testing of all pesticides to establish safe tolerances or maximum legally permissible levels of pesticides in food. Also it required the EPA expedite the process fo approving reduced-risk pesticides and educate farmers about safe pest management. The FQPA emphasized the importance of periodically reevaluating the tolerances to ensure it stays up to date. within 10 years of being established, the FQPA resulted reassessment of 99% of the pesticides used, leading to the recommend revocation of 3,200. A major accomplishment of EPA under the FQPA is the banning of most uses methyl Parathion and azinphos methyl, which kill insects by disrupting nerve impulses, because of their effects on children in 1999. The FQPA is commended for its focus on the safety of infants in children. Some farmers are dissatisfied with the extent to which the EPA enforces their policies. The feel that there should be "reasonable certainty" of low risk as opposed to no risk. On the other hand, environmentalists feel there are still unsafe chemicals getting into the systems of children as a compromise to spend less money on testing.

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