May 2003

Pesticide Potpourri

• New York's attorney general says he will sue Dow AgroSciences for a court order to cease alleged false advertising regarding chlorpyrifos (Lorsban®, Dursban®). In comments made in early April, Eliot Spitzer alleged that Dow violated a 1994 agreement to stop claiming the product "safe." A spokesman for Dow said the company will mount a "vigorous defense" and that the suit not only would be unwarranted but allegations grossly misrepresent the truth. (CropLife America, Spotlight, 4/11/03).

• U.S.health officials were cited as saying on May 8 that a recent cluster of food poisonings in Michigan likely was caused by a nicotine-laced pesticide deliberately added to ground beef bought at a supermarket. The study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that nearly 100 people developed diarrhea, burning in the mouth, vomiting and other symptoms consistent with food poisoning early this year after eating meat from an unidentified store in the state. The tainted meat was recalled in January after members of four families notified the store of their illnesses. Tests conducted by a private laboratory later identified nicotine as the source of the contamination. A former supermarket employee has since been indicted for allegedly poisoning 200 pounds of ground beef with an insecticide that contained nicotine. (SPDN letter of 5/12/03).  

• As of early April, Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 had been found in 71 facilities in 20 states, including GA and AL. As of that time, 443 greenhouses had been released from quarantine while 454 were still on hold. More at: www.aphis.gov/ppq/ep/ralstonia/index.html. (Greenhouse Grower, April, 2003).

• USDA's Forest Service is proposing to ignore "form letters, check-off lists, pre-printed post cards, or similar duplicative materials" submitted by the public as comments about its proposed rules. Such a plan would disable internet "action centers" now used by advocacy groups to generate thousands of e-mail and form letters and could set a potential precedent for other agencies to follow. (CropLife America Spotlight, 4/25/03).

• The Washington Apple Commission closed its doors April 10 following a federal court ruling that the commission's mandatory fee collection is unconstitutional. The Wenatchee-based body was established in 1937 to promote the state's top crop by assessing growers a fee for every apple box marketed. Washington produces more than half the nation's crop. Whether the commission can reconstitute in some way is not clear, nor is the future of other state commodity-promoting commissions. (CropLife America Spotlight, 4/25/03).

• Registrant representatives and growers met with Panama's Ambassador Roberto Alfaro regarding a proposed Panama law which would permit a person to sue a pesticide manufacturer for a claim of negative effect from pesticide use. The manufacturer would have to post up to $100,000 as a bond, pending outcome of the case that could be decided solely on testimony of two "professionals." Chiquita, in particular, stressed that without such crop protection chemicals it would have to desert the Panama banana market. (CropLife America Spotlight, 4/25/03).

•  The Florida House Commerce Committee unanimously approved the Florida Agricultural Worker Safety Act, and it now heads to the House Agricultural Committee for consideration. The act would require that employers provide written copies of agricultural pesticide information within two days of a request by a worker, his doctor, or a designated representative. The employer would have to detail the product name, EPA registration number, active ingredients, known acute and chronic health effects, as well as those recognized as aggravating existing conditions. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has requested and additional $1.43 million over the next three years to implement the standards and hire six more field inspectors. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 4/21/03).

•  In a letter dated March 20, 2003, FDACS Commissioner Charles Bronson outlined for EPA Administrator Whitman the problems associated with the ramifications of legal precedents which require Clean Water Act (NPDES) permits for certain types of pesticide application (mosquito, aquatic). The Commissioner also requested that the Agency move forward with the development of guidance that will support the unimpeded continuation of mosquito control efforts. (FDACS letter of 3/20/03).

• Nearly a decade after it was discovered, an exotoxin derived from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium is on the verge of gaining commercial approval in the U.S. for incorporation into transgenic cotton plants as another pest insect management tool. VIP cotton (for vegetative insecticidal protein) is said to offer broad spectrum, full season control of major lepidopteran pests, and potentially Spodoptera species. However, selected field testing in 2002 produced mixed results with a report of excellent control of several key insects, but inadequate impact on others. Structurally, functionally, and biochemically VIP is different from B.t. delta-endotoxins. When pest insect larvae feed on VIP cotton plants, the critical protein is ingested, causing the larvae to stop feeding and expire. Further field testing is anticipated during 2003, perhaps including head-to-head comparative trials between current B.t.-cotton and VIP cotton. (Syngenta Crop Protection via IPMnet, 4/25/03).

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