Application of a Screening-Level Pollinator Risk Assessment Framework to Trisiloxane Polyether Surfactants.

Regulatory requirements exist to assess the potential impacts of pesticides on insect pollinators, but "inert," coformulants to pesticide formulations are not included in standard regulatory risk assessments. Some publications in the open literature have suggested that the agricultural uses of "inert" ingredients, including trisiloxane polyether surfactants, may result in adverse effects on pollinators. We conducted a screening-level risk assessment to evaluate the potential risk to insect pollinators, using honey bees (Apis mellifera) as a surrogate, from exposure to three trisiloxane polyether surfactants based on agricultural application scenarios following the current US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidance.