April 2003

Pesticide Potpourri

  • The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declined March 17 to hear the U.S. government's appeal in League of Wilderness Defenders v. Forsgren (see Chemically Speaking - January 2003). A three-judge panel of this court previously had ruled that U.S. Forest Service aerial pesticide spraying requires a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit under the Clean Water Act. CropLife America and allied organizations had filed amicus briefs supporting the appeal. Now, however, the prior decision will be the law in the Ninth Circuit until and unless the government appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and the decision is overturned (CropLife America Spotlight, 3/28/03).
  • A Respirator Users Notice was sent out from the Department of Health and Human Services in 2002 involving an investigation into respirators which were manufactured as recently as 1998 under 30 CFR Part 11. The respirators were labeled as NIOSH approved. Examination of some of these respirators suggests that the zinc/calcium salt resin that is applied as a coating to the filter fibers can crumble, resulting in small particles of the resin being released. There are no known health risks associated with exposure to the zinc/calcium salt resin. The notice recommends that any respirator user who is still using filters approved under 30 CFR Part 11 should discontinue the use of these and replace them with filters approved under the enhanced filter penetration requirements of 42 CFR Part 84. The UF Pesticide Information Office also sells a manual (SM-64/$1) that describes respirators currently available as personal protective equipment for pesticide handlers as well as changes in the NIOSH approval codes. (DHH letter of 9/4/02).
  • The EPA has granted a registration to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for the new active ingredient acetaminophen, to be used to control the invasive brown tree snake in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. The brown tree snake, a species that originated in New Guinea, is a significant and invasive exotic pest that was introduced on Guam during World War II, presumably by military transport. Native wildlife on Guam and the Marianas Islands have been under severe predation pressure by this pest for years. If the brown tree snake were to reach Hawaii or enter the continental United States, the potential for damage by this invasive species is high. Since the early 1990s, the Department of Defense has spent over $1 million yearly to combat the brown tree snake and prevent its movement to other locations. The brown tree snake is also responsible for numerous power outages in Guam, deaths of pets, and bites (venomous) of humans, especially infants. Research and use of acetaminophen under quarantine exemptions has shown excellent results in reducing brown tree snake populations, with consumption of only one baited mouse needed to kill a brown tree snake. (EPA OPP Pesticide Program Update).
  • The State of Washington has issued a hazard alert on the use of spray-on urethane used to coat truck beds after recording several cases of both new-onset asthma and aggravated asthma in workers. In the coating process, workers are exposed to isocyanates, a reactive group of chemicals, which are used to make urethane, polyurethane, or polyurea coatings. The alert tells employers to determine the potential for worker exposure and install feasible work area controls, such as spray booths. (Chemical Regulation Reporter, 3/31/03).
  • The Certified Pest Control Operators Association of Florida is establishing a wood-destroying organisms inspector registry program. The registry will allow realtors, homeowners, and home buyers to ensure that an inspector has verifiable credentials. For more information call CPCO at (954) 724-8947. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 3/10/03).
  • The federal government has announced a website aimed at allowing greater public participation in the federal regulatory process by consolidating all government rules open for public comment into a single site. All such rules will be available for both review and comments. The e-rulemaking site can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov (Courtesy of H. Jones, 4/2/03).
  • According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, a child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds in the United States. More than half of these poisonings occur at home to children under age five. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that in 2001, an estimated 66,000 children less than six years of age were involved in common household pesticide-related poisonings or exposures. To assist education in this area, a new kit entitled “Poison Prevention: Read the Label First!” is available for communities to raise awareness of poison prevention and the importance of reading labels on household chemical cleaners and pesticides. Produced by the National Safety Council under an EPA grant, the package is designed for use by community organizers and other organizations engaged in public education. The kit includes fact sheets, sample press releases, activities for children, and a variety of other materials designed to: raise awareness about the preventable poisonings caused by the improper use and storage of household chemicals and pesticides; teach parents, pet owners, gardeners, and others the value of reading and understanding product labels; plan poison prevention outreach activities and evaluate these activities; and work with local officials and the media to focus attention on your planned outreach activities. The Community Action Kit is available by contacting Donald Gooding at the National Safety Council at 202-974-2496 or by sending an e-mail to gooding@nsc.org. (EPA OPP Pesticide Program Update, 4/3/03).
  • A proposal to ban pesticide use in Montreal was the subject of a public meeting held March 13, and one attendant questioned whether there was need for the ban, since Quebec, the province in which Montreal is located, recently adopted one of the toughest pesticide bans in the world. Quebec’s new law immediately bans the use of 23 pesticides; but left seven ingredients, including sulfur, spinosad, and methoprene, on an approved list. Products containing active ingredients such as carbaryl, 2,4-D, and malathion are now banned from public, semi-public, and municipal green spaces. The ban will include private and commercial green spaces in three years. It will also prohibit pesticide/fertilizer mixtures as of March 2004, and a year later will prohibit the display of pesticide products intended for domestic use in such a manner that the products are accessible to the public. However, Montreal’s proposal would go further, banning the use of all pesticides, except in particular circumstances. Industry has sharply criticized Quebec’s actions as threatening NAFTA agreements. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 3/24/03, 3/31/03 & CropLife America Spotlight, 3/28/03).
  • The days of the venerable corn/soybean rotation appear to be numbered. The reasons include declining soybean yields, federal commodity policy, soybean competition from Brazil, developing local corn markets and the advent of rootworm-resistant hybrids. With soybean yields falling by nearly twenty percent over the last eight years, growers who are experimenting with two years of corn followed by one year of soybean are seeing increased soybean yield. When Bt rootworm- resistant corn hybrids become available, they should let growers plant a second year of corn without losing yield, while picking up higher soybean yields in the third year of the rotation. (Top Producer, March 2003, via Agnet).
  • Carl Casale, vice president of North American operations for Monsanto, was cited as telling a group of investors that the company's practices in the glyphosate herbicide industry, which is being investigated by the Justice Department, is in preliminary stages and could last "some period of months." Monsanto said last week that it and other glyphosate makers are cooperating with the investigation into "possible anticompetitive conduct." Casale said the glyphosate industry is very competitive. Although Monsanto's Roundup® brand products are dominant, the company expects its market share to fall to about 71 percent this year from 77 percent in 2002. (Knight-Ridder Tribune, March 20, 2003 via Agnet).
  • A Cotton Foundation study reports that 78 percent of growers who have moved to conservation tillage since 1997 credit the change to Roundup® Ready technology. Also, about 59 percent of U.S. cotton acres are being farmed using some form of conservation tillage (no-till or reduced till). Growers who have adopted conservation tillage indicated on the survey that they believe it saves an average of $20.13 an acre over conventional production methods. The director of the National Cotton Council's technical services says this study confirms what most in the industry suspected. (Progressive Farmer, March 2003, via Agnet).
  • A plant pathologist at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred was cited as saying that the "Sudden Death" disease that threatens to devastate the Brazilian citrus industry presents little risk to Florida. The disease infects citrus on Rangpur lime rootstock, and has spread to the state of Sao Paulo which accounts for 85 percent of Brazil’s 280 million trees. (Knight-Ridder Tribune, March 26, 2003 via Agnet).

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