ARS
US Agricultural Research Service
Bt
Bacillus thuringiensis is a genetic modification that has been widely used since the mid 1990s. So-called Bt corn and cotton manufacture their own, natural bioinsecticide targeting certain Lepidopteran insects like the European corn borer, corn rootworm, and the cotton budworm.
CDC
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
cPAD
Chronic Population Adjusted Dose, a maximum allowed level of exposure to pesticide active ingredients set by the EPA in the case of pesticides triggering the need for an additional 3-X or 10-X safety factor under the Food Quality Protection Act. cPADs are expressed in milligrams of pesticide per kilogram of bodyweight per day.
cRfC
Chronic Reference Concentration, a measure of the maximum level of a pollutant like a pesticide that can be in a serving of food without exposing a person of known size to a dose exceeding the EPA’s “level of concern.”
DRI
Dietary Risk Index, a system that quantifies relative pesticide dietary risk.
EPA
US Environmental Protection Agency
FDA
US Food and Drug Administration
FQPA
Food Quality Protection Act, passed in 1996 this critical legislation dramatically changed the basis for evaluating pesticide safety.
GMO
Genetically Modified Organism, created through biotechnology that attaches genes from one organism into another’s genetic code to express a desired trait such as herbicide resistance.