• You sterilize.
    We'll do the rest.

Let Picarro Ensure Your Operational Continuity With the FIFRA Interim Decision (ID)

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is a U.S. federal law that governs the registration, distribution, sale, and use of pesticides to protect human health and the environment. Under FIFRA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for evaluating and approving pesticides based on their efficacy and safety, ensuring they do not pose unreasonable risks when used as directed. The act requires manufacturers to provide scientific data on a pesticide's composition, toxicology, environmental impact, and effectiveness before it can be registered for use. FIFRA also establishes requirements for labeling, worker protection, and proper storage and disposal. Enforcement mechanisms include inspections, penalties, and restrictions to prevent misuse and ensure compliance. Importantly, as of January 14, 2025, FIFRA now regulates the exposure of workers to Ethylene Oxide in commercial sterilizers and other related facilities.  

  • FIFRA requires continuous monitoring of ethylene oxide (EtO) and visible display of concentrations to on-site staff.

  • Stricter worker exposure limits will be enforced, eventually requiring:

    • 100 ppb or lower over an 8-hour Time-Weighted Average (TWA)

    • In areas where employees are present without PPE

  • Legacy monitoring technologies often lack the sensitivity to reliably measure below 100 ppb.

  • Facilities will need to upgrade systems during 2025 to meet compliance requirements by January 1, 2026.

  • Commercial sterilizers using EtO will be subject to the new regulations

  • EtO producers will be responsible for updated labeling and record-keeping requirements

  • Warehouses and certain medical facilities may also be impacted

  • Picarro is actively working to confirm the full scope of impacted stakeholders

  • Contact Picarro now to stay informed as more details are confirmed

  • January 1, 2026:

    • Continuous monitoring must be in place

    • Must collect personnel exposure data

    • EtO concentrations must be visibly displayed (Pg 63, Table 3)

    • 8-hour TWA must be less than 1 ppm

  • January 1, 2028:

    • 8-hour TWA must be below 0.5 ppm

  • January 1, 2030:

    • 8-hour TWA must be below 0.25 ppm

  • January 1, 2035:

    • 8-hour TWA must be below 0.1 ppm

  • The Picarro Workplace Monitoring System (WMS) was designed with FIFRA compliance in mind

  • Utilizes Picarro’s CRDS technology to measure EtO concentrations across up to 25 locations within a facility

  • Offers detection limits as low as 0.25 ppb

  • Competing technologies typically cannot measure reliably below 100 ppb

  • This makes most legacy systems inadequate for meeting upcoming FIFRA compliance requirements

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