Pesticide Handlers Exposure Database (PHED)
Occupational handler exposure data for use in preparing risk assessments has been a USEPA Guideline requirement since 1986. At that time, the only way registrants could satisfy the requirement was to conduct product-specific exposure studies on workers who mix, load and apply pesticides.
Based on agreement that handler exposure to pesticides is generic rather than product-specific, the agricultural chemical industry and the regulatory agencies cooperated in establishing the Pesticide Handlers Exposure Database (PHED) in the early 1990’s. Companies contributed their exposure data for the common benefit of all registrants, while waiving their rights to data compensation. PHED was then used by the regulatory agencies and all registrants to satisfy the data requirements, regardless of whether or not the registrants contributed to the database.
Today there are new handling systems and formulations that are not covered in PHED. The software used for PHED is outdated and difficult to use. Because of these deficiencies in PHED, USEPA, CDPR and PMRA announced in 2001 that they would proceed to develop a new approach, ultimately to supplement or replace PHED. The new approach would consist of monographs of handler exposure scenarios, compiled from all available sources, including registrants’ proprietary regulatory data files. Consequently, AHETF was formed in December 2001, the mission of which is to share member resources in the design, evaluation and development of a proprietary agricultural mixer/loader and applicator exposure database for use in regulatory risk assessment.