Pesticide Banned by EPA
Advisory Report - June 2000
Pesticide Banned by EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned most home uses of chlorpyrifos, commonly referred to as Dursban, Lorsban and other trade names. Chlorpyrifos is one of the United States' most widely-used insecticides in and around the home.
The EPA performed a revised risk assessment of chlorpyrifos and has entered agreements to lessen exposure to chlorpyrifos by reducing residential, food and drinking water risks.
About 50 percent of chlorpyrifos is used in and around residential homes. The agreement will cancel and phase out nearly all indoor and outdoor residential uses. It effectively eliminates the use of chlorpyrifos by homeowners, limiting use to certified, professional, or agricultural applicators.
Those uses that pose the most immediate risks to children, including home lawn, indoor crack and crevice treatments, and whole-house, post-construction termiticide treatments, will be canceled first. Spot and local post-construction and pre-construction termiticide uses will be phased out over the next several years. Below is a chart of the agreed upon mitigation measures and effective dates for home uses of chlorpyrifos.
| Site | Mitigation Measures | Effective Dates |
| Home lawn and most other outdoor uses | Classify new end-use products for restricted use or package in large containers (except baits in child-resistant packaging)
Use will be canceled |
As of 12-1-00
Stop formulation 12-1-00 |
| Crack and crevice and most other indoor uses | Classify new end-use products for restricted use or package in large containers
Use will be canceled |
As of 12-1-00
Stop formulation 12-1-00 |
| >Termiticides
Full-barrier (whole-house) post-construction use Spot and local post-construction use
Pre-construction use |
Classify new products for restricted use or package in large containers
Limit use to 0.5% Use will be canceled Use will be canceled
Use will be canceled |
As of 12-1-00
In label directions as of 12-1-00 Stop formulation 12-1-00 Stop formulation 12-1-00 unless label has stop use date of 12-31-02 Stop production 12-31-04 |
For more information on the chlorpyrifos decision, visit www.epa.gov/pesticides. Or to learn more about pesticides and their toxicity, contact the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network at (800) 858-7378.