WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed June 8 that it has banned most lawn and home uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos (Dursban) – the most widely used pesticide in the nation found in more than 20 million homes, according to the EPA. The EPA’s declaration followed the June 7 announcement by Dursban manufacturer Dow AgroSciences that the company and other makers of related products agreed to voluntarily comply with the EPA’s stipulations on chlorpyrifos. The lawn and landscape industry and others will now have to adjust to the reduction in uses for chlorpyrifos-based products.
Chlorpyrifos is part of a family of several pesticides known as organophosphates, which are under governmental review as part of an ongoing effort to implement the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. The FQPA requires a systematic government review of all pesticides to ensure they meet tighter standards with the goal of protecting children foremost. Congress passed the law requiring the review to be completed by October 1999. However, only a few of the chemicals have been examined thus far, including methyl parathion, which was banned for use on fruits and many vegetables, azinphos-methyl, which had several uses restricted, and diazinon, another insecticide widely used in homes and gardens that is expected to receive a final review before the end of the year.
For 30 years chlorpyrifos has been used by lawn care and pest control operators, homeowners and commercial food growers to kill a variety of insects, including fire ants, termites, cockroaches, spiders, fleas and ticks. It can be found in approximately 825 registered products, according to the EPA, from pet flea collars and lawn care products to a variety of bug sprays used in homes, schools, parks, and on residential lawns and gardens. More than 20 million pounds of chlorpyrifos are applied annually with 50 percent being used around homes, gardens and lawns and the remaining 50 percent being used on 40 different agricultural crops, according to the EPA.
According to Mike Shaw, Dow AgroSciences’ global policy leader for chlorpyrifos, all outdoor residential uses, except for fire ant mounds and mosquito control by professional applicators only, will be eliminated, as well as all outdoor, non-residential uses, except for golf courses and roadside medians. Applications of chlorpyrifos to these outdoor areas cannot exceed a maximum of one pound of active ingredient per acre as of Dec. 1, 2000.
A release by the EPA stated, "[The] agreement will halt the manufacture of chlorpyrifos by December 2000 for nearly all residential uses. It will require that virtually all of those residential uses be deleted from existing product labels prior to that time, including uses for home and garden sprays, uses to control termites in completed houses and uses on lawns.
"This agreement also mandates that all uses will be phased out this year in areas where children could be exposed, including schools, daycare centers, parks, recreation areas, hospitals, nursing homes, stores and malls.
"By the end of 2001, uses to control termites in buildings other than homes or areas where children could be exposed will be phased out as well. By the end of 2004, the termiticide use on new construction will also be phased out unless new information becomes available which shows that this use could safely continue."
Dow AgroSciences noted that more than 3,600 scientific studies have proven Dursban to be harmless when used as directed. "We ultimately felt that we had to reach an agreement with EPA for the use of these products in the U.S., but this does not change our conviction in the safety of chlorpyrifos for all labeled uses," said Elin Miller, vice president of the Dow AgroSciences urban pest business.
Although new production of the chemical is to stop by the end of the year for virtually all nonagricultural uses, actual retail sales will not be required to end until Dec. 31, 2001, under the agreement. "We are turning off the manufacture of this chemical … for garden and home uses," said EPA Administrator Carol Browner, predicting the chemical will be largely off store shelves by the end of the year because, she said, the market "will dry up."
Canada Follows U.S. Moves to Ban Dursban
OTTAWA – A Reuters news release reported that Canada is moving to ban sales of Dursban after Dow AgroSciences decided to not withdraw the product voluntarily as previously promised.
Canadian Health Minister Allan Rock told Parliament that Canada had originally agreed with Dow AgroSciences that the pesticide would be withdrawn voluntarily.
"(This deal) was in place until two days ago when the manufacturer reneged on it. As a result we are going to impose unilaterally – using our authority as a government – (the requirement) that that product come off the market," he said.
"When we finish the scientific work to uphold that approach, that is the step we are going to take to protect the health of all Canadians and particularly children," he added, but did not specify exactly when the government would act.
For more information about Dow AgroSciences’ reaction to the EPA’s actions, please click here:
BREAKING NEWS: Dow Voluntarily Withdraws Dursban Uses.
