Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-25-3. Declaration of purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to regulate, in the public interest, the labeling, distribution, sale, storage, transportation, use and application, and disposal of pesticides as defined in this chapter. The general assembly finds that pesticides are valuable to our state's agricultural production and to the protection of human life and the environment from insects, rodents, weeds, and other forms of life which may be pests; but it is essential to the public health and welfare that they be regulated to prevent adverse effects on human life and the environment. New pesticides are continually being discovered, synthesized, or developed which are valuable for the control of pests and for use as defoliants, desiccants, and plant regulators. Those pesticides may be ineffective, may cause injury to man, or may cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment if not properly used. Pesticides may injure human life or animals, either by direct poisoning or by gradual accumulation of pesticide residues in the tissue. Crops or other plants may also be injured by their improper use. The drifting or washing of pesticides into streams, lakes, or other bodies of water may cause appreciable damage to aquatic life. A pesticide applied for the purpose of killing pests in a crop which is not itself injured by the pesticide, may drift and injure other crops or non-target organisms with which it comes in contact. It is deemed necessary to provide for regulation of pesticides.