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PA REPORT ON INIT. TO REDUCE EXPOS. TO BIRDS FROM PESTICIDES

Release Date: 11/2/94
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PA REPORT ON INIT. TO REDUCE EXPOS. TO BIRDS FROM PESTICIDES

FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1994

EPA RELEASES REPORT ON INITIATIVES TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO BIRDS FROM 12 HIGHEST AVIAN-RISK GRANULAR PESTICIDES

EPA has released a report which describes the results of an Agency initiative to reduce acute risks posed to birds from exposure to the 12 granular pesticides that pose the highest potential acute risks. The purpose of the report is to provide the public and the regulated community a summary of the voluntary measures that have been adopted by some manufacturers to reduce the potential exposure of their granular pesticide products to birds. The report, "Avian Granular Risk Reduction Initiative", indicates that most of the registrant/manufacturers of the l2 pesticides participated in the initiative: Ciba-Geigy Corp. of Greensboro, N.C., diazinon; DowElanco of Indianapolis, Ind., chlorpyrifos; DuPont Agricultural Products of Wilmington, Del., methomyl; Zeneca (formerly ICI Americas Inc.) of Wilmington, Del., fonofos; Miles Corp. of Kansas City, Mo., disulfoton and fenamiphos; NOR-AM Chemical Corp. of Wilmington, Del., bendiocarb; and Rhone-Poulenc AG Co. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., aldicarb and ethoprop. Measures taken to reduce risks to birds include label changes providing for lower application rates, more complete soil incorporation of granules, new application technologies, limiting the number of applications per season, scouting to determine infestation levels before applying a pesticides and cancelling certain uses. Registrants also developed public education materials and research to support integrated pest management programs. No new label amendments or other measures were proposed by American Cyanamid Co. of Princeton, N.J., for its terbufos and phorate products, nor by Miles Inc. for isofenphos. The risk reduction measures were taken in response to EPA's "Comparative Analysis of Acute Avian Risk From Granular Pesticides", issued in May, l992. That analysis identified l4 in a universe of 99 granular pesticides that the Agency believes pose potentially high risk of killing birds due to the acute toxicity and availability in the environment. Two of the l4, carbofuran and ethyl parathion, are not included in the report: carbofuran is being phased out; all registrations of granular ethyl parathion have been cancelled. Reporters can obtain the report by calling Al Heier; others can obtain the report by calling the Communications Branch in the Office of Pesticide Programs at 703-305-5017.

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