The U.S. EPA will now assess the potential for people to be exposed to pesticide spray drift earlier in the review process. The revised process will apply to new active ingredient pesticide registrations and new uses. The review of new pesticides will occur 15 years sooner. Historically, the assessment happened during the 15-year registration review.

The EPA will now complete a chemical spray drift analysis during the initial registration process or review for amended use of existing products. This ensures that needed protections are put in place from the pesticide’s initial use.

Chemical-specific human health spray drift analyses will help the agency determine specific label instructions and reduce spray drift. These may include droplet sizes and buffer distances for each pesticide and use.

The agency will take action to mitigate spray drift risks for people living or working nearby and for nearby non-target species.

Read more on the EPA’s revised process to address pesticide spray drift here.