Environmental and Health Assessments for Spinosad against the Backdrop of Organic Certification

Abstract

Spinosad is often highlighted as a product that combines the best characteristics of the biological insecticides and the synthetic insecticides. As such spinosad has recently been certified as organic for crop and livestock uses based on its natural origin and the fact that it is produced via fermentation. This chapter focuses on the environmental and health safety aspects of spinosad against the backdrop of organic certification. Web searches of public registration information provide the canvas for comparison of spinosad to several of its organic counterparts. Specifically, there is robust documentation of spinosad's favorable safety profile with low mammalian toxicity, low toxicity to most non-target organisms and rapid degradation in several environmental matrices. In addition, a key aspect of managing this popular active ingredient has been refinement of estimated dietary intake to allow for continued development and introduction of new uses.