EPA Finalizes Updates to List of Pests of Significant Health Importance

Released on March 1, 2023

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released an updated list of pests of significant health importance. The list identifies the pests that EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently consider to be of significant public health importance.

The list of pests serves as a useful tool for private and public organizations, including local or state governments, departments of public health, pesticide registrants, and non-governmental organizations when making decisions and planning for future public health actions. Federal law requires that EPA develop and implement programs to improve and facilitate the safe and necessary use of chemical, biological, and other methods to combat and control such pests of public health importance.

Since this list’s original publication in 2002, EPA, CDC, and USDA have identified new vector-borne diseases and pests that were previously considered benign or nuisance pests, but have since been shown to adversely impact public health. The final Pesticide Registration Notice (PRN) adds several new pests (e.g., brown dog tick) and public health impacts (e.g., Zika fever and coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2). Other pests have been renamed, grouped with similar species or removed altogether.

Read the final PRN here and in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0260 at www.regulations.gov.