Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires Federal agencies to insure that any action authorized, funded or carried out by them is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or modify their critical habitat. The wide use of pesticides and other commercial chemicals potentially poses a risk to endangered and threatened species since, by definition, the distribution of listed species is limited and further adverse effects on these populations could lead to extinction. Surrogate species used in toxicity assessments must be carefully selected in order to be protective of listed species.
