January 2002

Pesticide Potpourri

  • In early December, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office alerted the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OLE) of the theft of 44,000 pounds of a fertilizer/herbicide mixture. The product stolen was a truckload of Lesco "Professional Turf Fertilizer and Combination Product." The herbicide in the mixture was Dimension® (dithiopyr) at 0.15%. The product is in 50-pound bags, with white and yellow labels. If you have any information, or have heard of any offers of this product, please report this to the OLE at 1-800-342-5869. (FFAA Focus on Florida, 12/9/02).
  • The USDA is considering regulations that could set acceptable levels for presence of biotech plants not approved for commercial sale in crops intended for food or feed. In a Chemical Policy Alert report Nov. 19, a USDA official said FDA and EPA are being asked by the administration to develop guidance for those asking tolerances to be set for such crops. Anticipated rules could allow biotech crops, shown to pose minimal risks to environment, to be planted near conventional crops. Any initiative would update policies related to the Plant Protection Act of 2000 and be based upon recommendations made by the National Research Council in its report "Environmental Effects of Transgenic Plants." The announcement came on the heels of action by APHIS to quarantine a half million bushels of Nebraska soybeans because of possible contamination by experimental biotech corn, and a call by the EPA in November for 155 acres of Iowa corn to be destroyed for much the same concern. The Nebraska situation stemmed from concern that volunteer corn planted on the same plot a year ago was harvested with about 500 bushels of soybeans this fall and commingled with 500,000 bushels of soybean in storage. In Iowa, inspectors are concerned that the biotech variety may have crossbred with conventional corn. (CropLife America Spotlight, 11/27/02).

  • Due to safety concerns stemming from use of two flea and tick control products for cats and kittens, EPA is announcing that the Hartz Mountain Corp. has agreed to enact measures to reduce potential risks to pets from using these products. Under this agreement, Hartz has ceased sale and distribution of, and will implement a product recovery, label improvement, and consumer education program for two pesticide products, Hartz Advanced Care Brand Flea and Tick Drops Plus for Cats and Kittens (EPA Reg. # 2596-148), which contains phenothrin and methoprene, and Hartz Advanced Care Brand Once-a-Month Flea and Tick Drops for Cats and Kittens (EPA Reg. No.2596-151), which contains only phenothrin. Hartz is required to recover, repackage, and re-label currently available stock. EPA sought this agreement due to concerns over safety issues based on thousands of adverse effects incidents investigated by EPA. Under the revised use directions, application of the products will be limited to a single spot applied on the back of the animal's head, thus reducing likelihood that the cat will lick and ingest the chemical. The new labels will also direct users to consult with a veterinarian before use of these products on debilitated, aged, medicated, pregnant or nursing animals. These new labels further advise that cats should be monitored carefully after application of the product and if any adverse symptoms are observed, the animal should be washed immediately with mild soap and rinsed with water and evaluated by a veterinarian. Consumers may contact Hartz by calling 1-800-275-1414. (EPA Pesticide Program Update, 11/27/02).

  • In what he called a "shot across the bow," retiring House Resources chair, James Hansen (R-UT), filed a bill to exempt military lands, private property and all plant life from the Endangered Species Act, contending that his bill reflects Congress' original intention. In his statement, he said the Endangered Species Act can be used to thwart everything from military use of bases for "mission-critical" training to "the farmer's simple desire to plant a crop ... [to] feed his family," and that his suggestions could give the next Congress something on which to act swiftly. (CropLife America Spotlight, 11/15/02).
  • A university biomonitoring study shows family members, on farms where pesticides are applied, generally do not have appreciably-increased pesticide levels compared with non-farm participants. The study analyzed urine samples from 95 farm families in Minnesota and North Carolina over four days after pesticides were applied on respective farms, along with a pre-pesticide application sample. The head researcher was quoted as stating that "For the types of pesticide scenarios we observed, the Farm Family Pesticide Exposure Study shows that it can be erroneous to assume appreciable pesticide exposure based on participants presence on the farm." (CropLife America Spotlight, 1/3/02).
  • An aquatic toxicologist from the University of Georgia has patented a genetically engineered fish (Japanese medaka) that will allow scientists to examine genetic damage caused by exposure to chemicals in the environment. The fish model, which behaves remarkably similar to rodent models, is of greater benefit because they are smaller, less expensive to keep and maintain than mammals, and they allow fast replication of studies. (Pesticide & toxic Chemical News, Vol.31, No. 9).
  • The city council of Vedic City, IA, under the guidance of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (yes, the one from the Beatles) unanimously passed a resolution requiring all food items sold in the city to be organic. Vedic City Mayor Bob Wynne was quoted as saying, "Vedic City doesn’t endorse poisoning its citizens." Wynne stated the resolution was prompted by an outbreak of allergic reactions in city residents. He believes the allergic reactions were related to recent crop dusting on nearby farms. If passed, the resolution makes the sale of any food that is genetically modified or not grown organically illegal inside Vedic City. Vedic City currently has one restaurant, located at the Raj resort, and no grocery stores. (The Fairfield Ledger via AgNet, 12/2/02).

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