December 2000
Pesticide Phase-Out To Begin in March 2001
The EPA announced an agreement on
December 4, 2000 to phase-out diazinon, one of the most widely used
pesticides in the United States, for indoor uses, beginning in March 2001,
and for all lawn, garden and turf uses by December 2003.
According to the EPA, diazinon is the most widely used pesticide by
homeowners on lawns, and is one of the most widely used pesticide
ingredients for application around the home and in gardens. It is used to
control insects and grub worms. The agreement reached with the
manufacturers, Syngenta and Makhteshim Agan, will eliminate 75 percent of
the pesticide's use, which amounts to more than 11 million pounds annually.
The EPA is taking this action under the Food Quality Protection Act, which
President Clinton signed into law in 1996 after the Administration helped
lead the way for the new, tougher national pesticide law. Since then, EPA
has targeted a large group of older, riskier pesticides called
organophosphates for review because they pose the greatest potential risk to
children.
In August of 1999, for example, EPA announced
action against methyl parathion and azinphos methyl to protect children from
pesticide residues in food. The Agency reached an agreement to halt by
December 2000 the manufacture of chlorpyrifos, or
Dursban, for nearly all residential uses. Diazinon -- used in homes, and
on lawns and gardens -- is the latest organophosphate to be phased out.
Specifically, the terms of the agreement implement the following phase-out
schedules:
- For the indoor household use, the
registration will be canceled on March 2001, and all retail sales will
stop by December 2002.
- For all lawn, garden and turf uses,
manufacturing stops in June 2003; all sales and distribution to
retailers ends in August 2003. Further, the company will implement a
product recovery program in 2004 to complete the phase out of the
product.
- Additionally, as part of the phase out,
for all lawn, garden, and turf uses, the agreement ratchets down the
manufacturing amounts. Specifically, for 2002, there will be a 25
percent decrease in production; and for 2003, there will be a 50 percent
decrease in production.
- Also, the agreement begins the process to
cancel around 20 different uses on food crops.
Organophosphates can affect the nervous
system. The effects from diazinon vary depending on the dose, but symptoms
from over-exposure can include nausea, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, and
general weakness. This ban also represents an important step for the
environment. Diazinon's use on turf poses a risk to birds, and it is one of
the most commonly found pesticides in air, rain, and drinking and surface
water.
It is legal to purchase and use diazinon products according to label
directions and precautions. If consumers choose to discontinue use, they
should contact their state or local hazardous waste disposal program or the
local solid waste collection service for information on proper disposal.
Additional information can be found at www.epa.gov/pesticides.
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