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Pesticide Registration

PRN 2002-2: Guidance for Submitting Requests for TOR Decisions to the OPP

In the Federal Register of October 27, 1999 (64 FR 57881), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of a document entitled “Threshold of Regulation Policy - Deciding Whether a Pesticide with a Food Use Pattern Needs a Tolerance.” The Threshold of Regulation (TOR) Policy describes criteria and procedures to be considered in determining whether a use of a pesticide in a location and manner that has the possibility of resulting in residues in food is below the threshold of regulation.

As explained in the policy notice, a use may be below the threshold of regulation if:

  • using a reliable and appropriately sensitive analytical method to measure residues in the commodity, no residues are detected in the commodity under the expected conditions of use; and
  • using reasonably protective criteria, the estimated potential risk of any theoretically possible residues in food is not of concern.

The TOR Policy also describes data that might be used to support a finding that a use is below the threshold of regulation. 

More information about pesticide tolerances.

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