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EPA and biotechnology regulation.

The Policy Forum "A need to reinvent biotechnology regulation at the EPA" by Henry I. Miller (16 Dec., p. 1815) gravely misportrays an approach to reviewing biotechnology products of which I am proud. The contention on which the Policy Forum is based, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates or singles out for special treatment products because they are created using recombinant DNA, is wrong. EPA has had a functioning program addressing biotechnology products under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act since 1986 (1). That regulatory program focuses on identifying and minimizing risks to public health and the environment. Early indications are that many biotechnology products provide lower-risk agricultural and industrial approaches. For example, biological pesticides may present lower risks than do older chemical pesticides. In general, EPA wishes to promote development of environmentally safer products and technology. EPA's accomplishments in the biotechnology area show that it is achieving this goal. EPA has an established record of bringing a range of biotechnology products through field testing to commercialization while safeguarding public health and the environment. At the same time, EPA's activities reassure the public concerning biotechnology products. Readers who would like additional information are referred to documents in the public domain (2) that describe the EPA program. Lynn R. Goldman Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460, USA