EPA Chlorpyrifos Assessment Draws Criticism

The day specialty chemical manufacturers have feared for more than three years is finally here — the Environmental Protection Agency’s rulings on the Food Quality Protection Act have made their way to the structural pest control industry.

And Dow AgroSciences, manufacturer of Dursban, a popular chlorpyrifos-based insecticide, recently criticized EPA for its preliminary risk assessment of chlorpyrifos.

As part of implementation of FQPA, EPA is reregistering all food-use pesticides under new standards. Organophosphates, the class of chemicals that includes chlor-pyrifos, are one of the first insecticide groups to be reviewed under new FQPA standards. The EPA’s initial review of chlorpyrifos was posted on EPA’s website in late October.

EPA’s reevaluation reported that the residential exposures of chlorpyrifos to be too high. "Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. Uses include a broad range of food crops, termite control in residential and commercial buildings and various home garden products, among others," EPA’s assessment said. "EPA’s preliminary risk assessment indicates that residential and worker exposures to chlorpyrifos are of concern, and that exposures to nontarget wildlife also pose a concern."

According to a statement released by Dow, EPA’s report contains "numerous errors and omission of critical data that significantly skew the results." Furthermore, the company said, "revisions to the preliminary risk assessment submitted by Dow AgroSciences show that chlorpyrifos products have wide margins of safety to protect users and consumers, including children, when used in accordance with label instructions."

Dow also criticized EPA for making policy changes that artificially inflate risk estimates and for setting "risk cup" thresholds that are 100 times lower than scientifically derived regulatory values used by most international regulatory bodies, including the European Union and the World Health Organization.

"We are still in the risk assessment phase for chlorpyrifos. There is a long way to go," said Tim Maniscalo, manager for government and public affairs for Dow. "There are a lot of cards we can play."

According to EPA reports, long-term exposure to chlorpyrifos doesn’t concern the EPA as much as immediate contact with product residue following an application. As a result, uses of chlorpyrifos in structural pest control and lawn care applications are under more scrutiny than are agricultural uses.

According to EPA, between 21 million and 24 million pounds of active ingredient of chlorpyrifos were applied annually across the country since 1987. Of this amount, about 7 million pounds of chlorpyrifos active ingredient were applied by structural PCOs.

An additional 2½ million pounds were applied as part of turf applications, which includes golf courses, turf farms and lawn care applications.

EPA’s preliminary risk assessment of chlorpyrifos is posted at www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/chlorpyrifos.htm. The public has 60 days to comment on this risk assessment. Comments must be received by Dec. 27, identified by docket number OPP-34203.

After the 60-day public comment period, EPA will review and consider comments and information received, and, shortly thereafter, will revise its risk assessment. The agency will then post a final risk assessment and, if deemed necessary, will begin designing strategies to mitigate risks, such as restricting certain uses of the insecticide.

Dow has also established a website, www.chlorpyrifos.com, for information about Dursban. The site also provides information on how PCOs can post comments to the EPA as part of the 60-day public comment period. PCOs can also e-mail EPA directly from the site.

Dow says it remains confident that Dursban is a safe and effective product for PCOs and lawn care operators.

"Our strategy is that we sincerely believe that the uses of our product fall well below the limits established by the environmental community," Maniscalo said.

Sidebar: NO REREGISTRATION FOR FICAM

In other FQPA news, AgrEvo Environmental Health has agreed to voluntarily cancel bendiocarb, the active ingredient in its Ficam and Turcam line of products. The cancellation comes as bendiocarb was scheduled for reregistration with EPA as part of FQPA.

George Raymond, marketing manager for AgrEvo’s professional products, says AgrEvo decided to cancel bendiocarb because EPA requires studies that are too costly to justify further registration.

"Based on our estimates, the cost to run those studies exceeds the value of the product," he said.

Bendiocarb, the active ingredient in Ficam, is a carbamate insecticide used to control a variety of household and ornamental pests. First registered in 1980, Ficam is used for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications, and is available in several formulations, including granular, wettable powder and dust. Turcam, a bendiocarb-based product used in the lawn care market, will also be cancelled.

As part of the cancellation agreement, Ficam end-use products used in or around homes can be sold or distributed by the registrant until Oct. 31, 2000. Turcam end-use products can be sold or distributed until Dec. 31, 2001. Once in the channels of trade, both products can be used until all quantities are exhausted. AgrEvo will continue to produce and sell bendiocarb products for Mexico, Canada and the rest of the world.

In recent years, AgrEvo’s line of DeltaGard products has replaced Ficam in many uses. DeltaGard products feature the pyrethroid deltamethrin as their active ingredient.

For more information, visit the bendiocarb Reregistration Eligibility Decision document at www.epa.gov/REDs/factsheets/0409fact.pdf or visit the AgrEvo homepage at www.agrevopco.com

In addition to drawing criticisms from Dow, EPA’s chlorpyrifos assessment attracted the attention of several consumer media outlets, including reports from USA Today, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, as well as reports from local news outlets. Headlines of the reports included, "Popular Dursban Called Serious Risk For Children, Adults," "Common Pesticide May Be Health Risk," and "Widely Used Pesticide May Pose Health Risk."

A CNN report stated, "the assessment indicated that risks from the use of chlorpyrifos in residential settings, as well as risk to applicators, are of concern." In another report, an unnamed EPA source was quoted as saying that in light of the preliminary risk assessment, the EPA will likely seek to curb the use of chlorpyrifos.