The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the manufacture and use of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). All pesticides sold in the United States must be registered and approved by the EPA. Manufacturers must submit an application to the EPA demonstrating that the proposed pesticide is effective as advertised and that it will not have an "unreasonable adverse effect on the environment." If approved, the manufacturer must reapply every five years or the EPA will automatically cancel the pesticide's registration. Additionally, should the EPA determine that an already approved pesticide causes an "unreasonable adverse effect on the environment," EPA can cancel the registration.

Since the passage of FIFRA in 1947 over 50,000 pesticides have been registered. However, over 600 pesticides existed before FIFRA was enacted. These older pesticides did not undergo the rigorous cost-benefit analysis required of those produced after the enactment of FIFRA. In 1988 FIFRA was amended requiring the EPA to begin evaluating these older pesticides.