Glenn Brank (916) 445-3970 <<gbrank@cdpr.ca.gov>
February 19, 1999 (99-06)
DPR MOVES TO CANCEL REGISTRATION OF PEST STRIPS
SACRAMENTO -- Cal/EPA's Department of Pesticide Regulation this week
began legal proceedings to cancel the registration of pest strips
containing the pesticide dichlorvos, also called DDVP.
(Pest strips are pesticide-impregnated resin strips commonly hung in
an area to control insects. The most commonly known brand name is
"No-Pest Strip." A list of affected products follows this release.)
The action was taken after a DPR risk assessment found an inadequate
margin of safety for children in residences and other indoor areas
where pest strips might be used. (If there are inadequate margins of
safety, it does not necessarily follow that there is an adverse health
impact, but the chance of some individuals experiencing toxic effects
increases.)
There are 11 pest strip products containing DDVP registered in
California, four registered by Amvac Chemical Corp. of Los Angeles,
five by Loveland Industries of Greeley, Colo., and two by Spectrum
Group, St. Louis, Mo. (The specific products are listed below.)
Pesticide registrants have 15 days to request a hearing after receipt
of the cancellation notice. If they do not request a hearing, the
product's registration will be canceled. Sales of canceled products by
registrants is prohibited, but products in the channels of trade may
continue to be sold, and those in the hands of consumers can continue
to be used.
"The law provides for immediate suspension of products that pose a
clear and substantial danger, but this is not the case in this
situation," said Jean-Mari Peltier, DPR Chief Deputy Director. "Our
action is not based on illness data or known problems, but on a risk
assessment. Risk assessments are inherently theoretical since they are
based in large part on extrapolations of effects seen in animal
studies. However, we do have concerns about exposure of children which
can be addressed by removing pest strips from home use."
Ten of the 11 pest strip products are labeled for agricultural,
industrial, and/or commercial uses in addition to label uses in homes
and other buildings where children might be present (for example,
motels, museums, or public buildings). Registrants may avoid
cancellation of these 10 products by voluntarily changing the labels to
delete problematic uses.
DDVP has a variety of uses, primarily in commercial and agricultural
settings. It is used to control household, agricultural, and stored
product insects, and is available in liquid form as well as the pest
strips. It is also contained in some pet flea collars (which are not
considered a problem because of limited exposure to humans). It is
used to control insects in livestock and has limited use on vegetable
crops.
There are 36 products containing DDVP registered in California not
affected by this action. They include nine pet collars, five wasp and
bee sprays, two products designed for use in outdoor insect traps and
utility cabinets, three manufacturing use products, and 17 mixed-use
products. DPR's risk assessment also showed potential exposure
problems for adults-primarily workers-using these 17 products. To
address these concerns, DPR formally notified registrants of the
mixed-use products that changes be made to resolve exposure problems.
Typically, registrants respond by making changes in labeling, and
depending on the product in question, the changes might include
deleting problem uses, adding requirements for protective equipment for
applicators, or establishing a 24-hour interval between application and
reentry. If registrants do not resolve the problem issues, DPR will
include the affected products in the cancellation proceeding.
Under federal law, only the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can
mandate changes in pesticide labeling. DPR has shared its findings on
DDVP with U.S. EPA, and the federal agency is considering its own
actions against various DDVP products.
DDVP is an organophosphate insecticide. Organophosphates are a class
of insecticides that affect the nervous system of the target pest.
Overexposure in humans can result in neurotoxic symptoms.
In 1996, there were 13,097 pounds of DDVP reported used in California,
including 8,569 pounds applied by professional applicators for
structural pest control, and 2,555 pounds in poultry houses, feedlots,
corrals, and other animal husbandry uses. However, most uses of DDVP
do not have to be reported, including institutional, commercial, and
home uses.
DDVP is one of the 200 pesticides subject to priority scrutiny under
the Birth Defect Prevention Act. This law required the Department to
collect data on potential health effects on all pesticides, beginning
with a priority list of pesticides of highest concern. The data are
used to assess a pesticide's potential risk to public and worker health
under typical use conditions.
"With data collection for these pesticides complete, we expect to have
risk assessments completed on 35 high priority pesticides by mid-1999,"
said Peltier. "By definition, these risk assessments are being done on
pesticides that have the greatest chance of posing health problems. We
can expect to find that some current uses will warrant mitigation
measures, cancellation or suspension."
Risk assessment is a process designed to answer questions about how
toxic a pesticide is, what exposure results from its various uses, what
is the probability that use will cause harm, and how any unacceptable
risk of harm can be mitigated.
The Department of Pesticide Regulation is one of six boards and
departments within the California Environmental Protection Agency.
****************
DDVP Strips/impregnated Products to Be Canceled
The following registrants have been sent notices of cancellation for
the DDVP strips listed. Products marked with an asterisk (*) could
avoid cancellation if the registrants remove certain uses from the
label (for example, household uses, and uses in motels, cabins,
garages, wardrobes, and storage spaces of homes).
Affected products registered by Amvac Chemical Corporation, 2110 Davie
Avenue, Commerce, Calif.
o Alco Insect Strip*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-AA
o Alco No-Pest Strip*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-ZA
o Amvac Insect Strip*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-344-ZA
o Alco Pest Strip*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-348-ZA
Products registered by Loveland Industries, Inc., 14520 WCR 64,
Greeley, Colo.
o Loveland Industries Inc. Pest Strip*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-AA-36208
o Prozap Pest Strip*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-ZA-36208
o Prozap Insect Guard Jr.*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-ZB-36208
o Prozap Insect Guard*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-ZC-36208
o Prozap Moth Guard*, EPA Reg. No. 5481-338-ZD-36208
Products registered by Spectrum Group, P.O. Box 15842, St. Louis, Mo.
o Hot Shot Ultimate Bug Killer for Small Spaces*, EPA Reg. No.
5481-348-AA-8845
</fontfamily><fontfamily><param>Symbol</param>o
</fontfamily><fontfamily><param>Arial</param>Hot Shot Ultimate Moth
Killer, EPA Reg. No. 5481-348-ZA-8845 (label contains no acceptable
uses)
</fontfamily>
****************************************
Kathy Brunetti, Agriculture Program Supervisor
California Department of Pesticide Regulation
830 KStreet, Sacramento, California, USA 95814
voice (916) 324-4100, FAX (916) 324-4088, brunetti@empm.cdpr.ca.gov
Our Web site: http://www.cdpr.ca.gov
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