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Biotechnology
Safe Pesticides &
Safe Products
Biotechnology presents a wealth of opportunities to improve crop productivity, nutritional value, and resistance to pests and other stressors. While it is not anticipated that biotechnology products will pose new types of risks, the products of biotechnology are often on the cutting edge of science and regulatory policy. Thus research support is needed to ensure that their safety can be properly evaluated and, if need be, regulated. Currently, EPA regulates several biotechnology products, including pesticides produced by plants or microorganisms and non-pesticidal substances such as industrial enzymes, biosensors, and bioremediation agents produced using microorganisms.
The present focus of biotechnology research at EPA is on risks posed by genetically modified (GM) products. Projects underway include development of models to predict allergic reactions that may be provoked by proteins present in GM foods and the development of standardized, verified, and affordable tests to determine the potential ecological effects of biotechnology products. Additionally, EPA scientists are working to understand the factors that influence the potential for GM plants to escape into the natural environment and to develop methods to evaluate the persistence of inserted genes in plants as a basis for understanding the effects of gene transfer.
Further details about the work conducted at EPA in this area are described in the document Biotechnology Research Program (PDF, 52 pp, 6.6 MB, About PDF).
