Deck 19: Controlling Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals

Question 1

The first TSCA inventory was published in the 1970s.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Risk perception of chemical exposure does not always align with actual risk.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Pesticide registration results in a formal listing with the EPA that is based on benefit-cost analysis.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

To internalize the consumption externality of pesticide use, a product charge can be implemented as a unit tax.

Question 5

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was passed in the 1970s.

Question 6

The Green Chemistry Program calls for a commitment by all participants in the product cycle to reduce environmental effects of products.

Question 7

According to the textbook application, the Responsible Care Program was launched in the U.K.

Question 8

FIFRA rulings require that no pesticide be sold or distributed unless it has been registered with the EPA.

Question 9

Recently, the EPA announced a set of 6 principles to facilitate the reauthorization and strengthening of TSCA.

Question 10

The primary goal of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) is to regulate pesticide use.

Question 11

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

A) is the primary law that governs U.S. pesticide policy
B) uses registration of new pesticides and reregisration of existing pesticides as its chief regulatory instruments
C) was revised through the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 12

The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) amended FIFRA and TSCA.

Question 13

Legal limits on how much of a pesticide residue can remain on raw or processed food are known as pesticide tolerances.

Question 14

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996

A) amended both TSCA and FIFRA
B) gives particular attention to pesticide risks faced by infants and children
C) establishes several health-based standards to control pesticides in foods
D) none of the above

Question 15

The incremental benefits of pesticide use can be modeled as the change in consumer and producer surplus associated with an increase in the demand for an agricultural crop.

Question 16

Pesticide reregistration refers to a reevaluation of a previously licensed pesticide that is already on the market.

Question 17

Chemical use is associated with a production externality.

Question 18

In the presence of a negative consumption externality, the MSB lies below the MPB.

Question 19

Registration of new pesticides and reregistration of those already on the market are the chief instruments of FIFRA.

Question 20

If a unit tax is used to internalize the consumption externality of chemical use, it achieves efficiency if it is set equal to the MSB at the efficient output level.

Question 21

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

A) a registration procedure is used to control the introduction of new chemical substances
B) manufacturers are required to notify the government of a new chemical by the day it is introduced into commerce
C) producers must notify the government 90 days before they plan to produce a new chemical
D) the EPA has one year to evaluate the risks and respond to a manufacturer's premanufacture notice (PMN) of a new chemical

Question 22

The Responsible Care Program

A) is strictly a United States initiative
B) originated in the United States
C) was launched in 2010
D) was originally launched in Canada by a chemical producers association

Question 23

When a previously licensed pesticide is reevaluated

A) it can be restricted in use, but not banned
B) a Reregistration Eligibility Decision document is issued in the final phase of the process
C) it must become part of an Integrated Pest Management program
D) all of the above

Question 24

The Green Chemistry Program

A) calls for participants in the product cycle to reduce life cycle environmental effects of products
B) is synonymous with product stewardship
C) involves only participants from the scientific community
D) involves partnerships with many sectors, including academia, industry, research centers, and others

Question 25

The negative externality in a pesticide or other chemical market

A) is associated mainly with production of the chemical
B) is primarily a consumption externality
C) should be modeled as a marginal external cost (MEC)
D) is appropriately captured by the MSC function

Question 26

All of the following statements about the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) are correct EXCEPT

A) TSCA was enacted in the 1970s.
B) One of TSCA's primary objectives is to control chemicals that pose a risk after they are introduced into commerce.
C) TSCA is the legislation that governs U.S. chemical policy today.
D) TSCA grants EPA the authority to require testing on existing chemicals and to review most newly introduced chemicals before introduced to commerce.

Question 27

The major goal of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) is

A) to control pesticide use
B) to determine which pesticides must be banned
C) to achieve pollution prevention by reducing the use of pesticides
D) to accelerate the pesticide registration and reregistration processes

Question 28

According to an EPA task force that examined risk assessment,

A) expert risk rankings are in line with those of the general public
B) only expert risk rankings are relevant
C) the federal government's environmental priorities are consistent with expert risk ranking
D) none of the above

Question 29

Promoting the development of chemical technologies to achieve pollution prevention

A) is the objective of the Green Chemistry Program
B) defines the commitment of Extended Product Responsibility
C) is required under TSCA
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 30

The market for a chemical pesticide can be modeled as given below, where Q is measured in thousands of pounds:
MSB = 20 - 0.4Q $\quad$ MPB = 20 - 0.3Q $\quad$ MSC = MPC = 12 + 0.1Q
Use this model to respond to the following questions.
a. Find the efficient output level for this market.
b. Find the equation that represents the negative consumption externality in this case.
c. Determine the value of a product charge that would achieve the efficient solution.

Question 31

Under FIFRA,

A) only benefits are considered in determining whether a pesticide can be sold
B) registration of a pesticide is denied if it is linked to unreasonable adverse effects on the environment
C) a pesticide registration is contingent upon only the risks associated with that substance
D) benefits are the dominant factor in registration decisions

Question 32

To internalize a consumption externality in the market for a toxic chemical

A) a unit subsidy can be offered on production equal to the MEC
B) a unit tax can be imposed equal to ‒MEB
C) a tax should be set equal to the MSC
D) none of the above

Question 33

Proper registration of new pesticides

A) is subject to EPA approval
B) generates a formal listing of a pesticide based on benefit-cost analysis
C) is independent of the pesticide labeling
D) cannot be denied if adverse environmental effects are linked to its widespread use

Question 34

Risk-benefit analysis of chemicals is difficult because

A) there is a void in formal assessments of health and ecological risks
B) perception of risk of chemical exposure is not always aligned with actual risk
C) the estimation of social benefits is particularly daunting
D) U.S. policy on toxic chemicals is not as well established as it is for policy on air and water quality
E) all of the above

Question 35

In a risk-benefit analysis of pesticide use,

A) benefits are the gains from eliminating or reducing pesticide use
B) benefits can be measured as the change in producer and consumer surpluses linked to increasing supply due to enhanced crop yields
C) the data needed to estimate benefits are readily obtainable
D) secondary benefits, such as improved worker productivity, are not relevant