Regulation of semiochemicals ? global aspects

Abstract

A general awareness of environmental concerns, an increasing chemophobic populace and the reregistration of pesticides, both in the United States and in the European Community, with the concomitant loss of many pest control chemicals through cancellation of their registrations has provided an impetus for the research, development and commercialization of alternative, environmentally benign and safer plant protection products. Amongst such ‘alternatives’ are pheromones, a class of semiochemicals whose commercial development is being championed by a neophyte industry made up, for the most part, of undercapitalized entrepreneurial companies for whom the major hurdle to the introduction of products into the marketplace is the time and cost required to complete the regulatory process. That pheromones and other semiochemicals are different from chemical insecticides has been recognized by several national regulatory agencies and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations [FAO]. Although these regulatory authorities have made significant contributions towards reducing the data requirements and hence the cost of pheromone product registration, it is widely felt that more can, and should be done to further expedite and harmonize pheromone regulation. The adoption of a structure/activity approach to the evaluation of health and environmental risks for types of lepidopteran pheromones together with a 90-day evaluation time-frame. This approach would satisfy the regulatory authorities' risk assessment for food and environmental safety while substantially reducing the cost to the registrants and expediting the registration. It is proposed that this approach be tested first in an actual product application to the US Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], with subsequent applications to other regulatory authorities. A database which could be modified already exists within the EPA and as other databases are incorporated, and shared with other regulatory authorities, harmonization of the regulation of pheromones may be possible. The application of this structure/activity approach should be expanded to other types of semiochemicals as the database is enlarged.