BIG DOLLARS COMMITTED FOR RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL SAFETY

The chemical industry has now committed $1.2 billion for a six-year program of independent research into how chemicals affect health and safety. Project chairs have said that the results of this research will be peer reviewed and made public, "even if it hurts," promising to "let the chips fall where they may." The wide-ranging program includes an ambitious project that earmarks $100 million into general research into 10 priority areas. These include:
* Research into pathways through which humans are exposed to chemicals;
* Risk of disease from exposure;
* How health data from animals relates to humans; and,
* Obtaining a better understanding of the relationship between chemical exposure and cancer.
The industry believes that these are fundamental questions that must be better understood. The industry will spend $500 million over six years to test the toxicity of the 3,000 most widely used chemicals. An additional $600 million is expected to go toward screening as many as 15,000 chemicals to learn whether they pose a threat to human hormonal systems, leading to cancer or infertility. EPA has called the industry initiative "a truly very significant commitment of resources. Most important is the fact that the funding is not focused on 'firefighting' but at trying to answer the long-term questions that have puzzled health experts and the industry about the relationship of chemicals and public health." About two-thirds of the $100 million for general research is expected to go to the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology. Although formed in 1974 by the chemical industry, its work is widely respected for independence. The remaining one-third will be awarded to independent research scientists. Industry officials said that the research will be open to peer review and public scrutiny, stating that "the integrity of this research must be unquestioned."
AP; January 27, 1999

PESTICIDE APPLICATORS' OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPOSE FAMILY MEMBERS

Unlike many other occupations, family farms are different in that the workplace is often at the same location as the worker's home. Therefore, families of farmers have unusual opportunities for potential indirect exposure to occupational hazards, such as pesticides, regardless of whether they themselves are engaged in the daily operations. Additionally, family members may assist in farm duties and, thus, have the potential for direct pesticide exposure. The National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences conducted an Agricultural Health Study in which all people applying for private pesticide applicator licenses in North Carolina and Iowa from 1994-96 participated. The study included an extensive questionnaire assessment of exposures and health. One questionnaire was administered at enrollment. Applicators were then given a supplemental questionnaire that queried many items relevant to indirect household exposure to complete and return. Applicators were also given a take-home questionnaire for their spouse to complete that included additional items on indirect exposures as well as items relating to farm work carried out by the spouse that might lead to direct exposure. The final take-home questionnaire included information about children. A total of nearly 26,800 applicators supplied completed surveys, and this included information on more than 18,800 children.
Results suggest that members of households of licensed private applicators have several types of potential opportunities for indirect exposure. Many homes (21%) and wells were located within 50 yards of pesticide mixing areas, and 48 percent of homes were within 100 yards of the nearest field or orchard where pesticides were applied. Proximity of homes to areas of pesticide use has been shown to be related to pesticide residue levels in household dust and yard soil. In addition, there was the opportunity for potential indirect exposure via pesticides inadvertently carried into the home on the applicators themselves and on their clothing.
Another route of potential exposure was the fact that 79 percent of applicators indicated that they usually washed up or showered in an in-house bathroom after mixing pesticides, whereas 5 percent used an outside shower and 16 percent used another area outside the home. The laundry is yet another mechanism of possible exposure. The most common practice, used by 81 percent of respondents, was to wash clothes worn when mixing or applying pesticides separately in the machine used for all laundry. Another 2 percent always wore disposable clothing, and 4 percent sent the work clothes out to be laundered or washed it in a machine used only for this purpose. The remaining 13 percent mixed clothes worn when mixing or applying pesticides in with the other wash. Work boots were another route of bringing pesticides into the house. Typical habits show that 38 percent of respondents who had been working in the fields usually did NOT take their boots off before entering the house. A total of 93 percent reported that there was a wipe mat by the door used by family members working in the fields. The data showed that spouses and children of licensed private applicators frequently engage in farming activities, thus potentially directly exposing themselves to pesticides. Approximately 50 percent of wives did some work in the fields, and 40 percent reported having mixed or applied pesticides (66 percent of these performed both duties, 3 percent only mixed, and 31 percent only applied). The vast majority of older boys and more than half of the older girls also participated in farm activities.
The consequences of families being exposed to pesticides in these manners are uncertain but could be potentially serious. The extent of these opportunities for family member exposure makes additional studies of their health important. The Agricultural Heath Study includes follow-up plans for continuing formal contact the applicators and their families. Passive follow-up is also planned through cancer registries and death certificates. Somewhat conversely, however, was a study released in October 1998 suggesting that farmers have a lower standardized mortality rate, are healthier, and have a lower rate of accessing health care than other occupational groups and the general population. The study assessed the health status of more than 1,200 male farmers matched against 1,100 nonfarmers from the national population. Results of the physician-administered examinations included:
* Farmers had significantly more lower back pain, hip pain, and numbness of the hands;
* Farmers had significantly less fatigue, dizziness, chest discomfort, and heartburn;
* Farmers had significantly less use of outpatient heath care for psychiatric, neurologic, ear-nose-throat, ophthalmologic,
gastrointestinal, and dermatological diseases;
* Farmers had significantly more use of outpatient health care of trauma; * Farmers had lower rates for all causes of admission
to the hospital;
* Farmers had a heavier workload, worked longer hours, had more sleeping hours, and consumed less alcohol.
Interpretation of these data shows that the differences between farmers and nonfarmers were independent of the urban-rural factor and could not be explained by traditional determinants of heath and health care utilization.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine; December 1998 Agromedicine Program Update; Nov. 1998

A National Research Council study on Carcinogens and Anti-Carcinogens in the Human Diet: Found that any risk that may result from increased pesticide residue exposure "would be greatly outweighed by the potential benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables." Their report also states that the "recommendation to consume liberal amounts of fruits and vegetables is appropriate and poses no undue competing risk."

EPA REGISTERS NEW REDUCED RISK HERBICIDE FOR FIELD CORN USE

The EPA has registered a new reduced risk herbicide for use on field corn. The new herbicide controls a wide range of broadleaf weeds and suppresses some grasses. It is of low acute toxicity to humans, mammals, birds, aquatic organisms, and honeybees. The active ingredient in the herbicide is a chemical called diflufenzopyr and will be manufactured by BASF Corp., Research Triangle Park, N. C., under the trade name, Distinct. Health and safety data submitted to the EPA indicate that in addition to its low acute toxicity, diflufenzopyr is not a carcinogen, and does not cause developmental o r reproductive effects. Based on its chemical and physical characteristics, diflufenzopyr is not expected to contaminate groundwater. As a result of these findings, the EPA was able to register this product in 13 months. The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 directs the EPA to give priority to the registration of reduced risk pesticides. In addition, the EPA conducted its review of diflufenzopyr jointly with the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada also has registered the product for use on field corn. Under NAFTA, U.S. and Canada are coordinating their review of pesticides to reduce trade barriers and bring safer pesticide products to both markets faster. The EPA and PMRA have requested the development of field data on the use of diflufenzopyr, including rotational crop studies, and certain ecological studies. As a condition of registration, these studies will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the EPA and PMRA. More information on diflufenzopyr is available on the EPA website at:
www.epa.gov/oppfead1/international/naftatwg.

Tolerance reassessment decisions for chlorpyrifos (Lorsban/Dursban), one of the most widely applied insecticides, will not be completed by the August 1999 deadline. This delay is due primarily to all the necessary periods of comment required as a part of the reassessment process.
Pesticide and Toxic Chemical News; January 21, 1999

The Agency is now seeking public comment on FQPA-mandated preliminary risk assessments for 12 organophosphates. The risk assessments that the EPA is making available may be refined in the future if additional health and environmental effects data, use data, or other information on the pesticides becomes available. Human health and ecological preliminary risk assessments are available for acephate (Orthene), disulfoton (Di-Syston), methamidophos (Monitor), oxydemeton-methyl (Metasystox-R), pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 5EC/Tomahawk Ear Tags), azinphos-methyl (Guthion), chlorethoxyfos (Fortress), ethyl parathion (Parathion 8EC), methidathion (Supracide), phosmet (Imidan), propetamphos (Safrotin), and tetrachlorvinphos (Rabon/Ravap/Hartz Flea and Tick Collar). Comments are requested by March 16. This brings the total number of organophosphate risk assessments available for public comment up to 28, and more are scheduled for release through this spring.
EPA Press Release; January 20,
1999 Federal Register; January 8 and 15, 1999

* EPA issued notice in the January 13 Federal Register that the Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) document for bromoxynil (Buctril Herbicide) is now available. This notice started the 60-day window to provide comments. EPA proposed product labeling changes associated with this new RED include:
* Plantback intervals. Labels must restrict rotation of treated fields, treated with more than 0.5 pounds of active ingredient per acre per season, to transgenic cotton (BXN cotton).
* The following language must be placed on registered labels: "The restricted-entry interval (REI) for cotton is 4 days and this includes scouts and crop advisors. The exemption in the Worker Protection Standard for certified crop advisors does not apply to bromoxynil. Scouts and crop advisors are prohibited from entering the treated area during the entire 4-day REI for bromoxynil. Applicators and other users must inform crop advisors and scouts of this requirement."
* In addition to the 4-day REI for bromoxynil on cotton, EPA is establishing a 26-day REI for uses of bromoxynil on turf grown for transplanting (ex., on sod farms).
* EPA has required mixers and loaders to wear a chemical-resistant apron. Although EPA has no data to assess the exposure reduction to mixers/loaders afforded by a chemical-resistant apron specifically, the Agency was persuaded that the exposure reduction would be significant.
For more information, call EPA at (703) 305-5805, or copies of this RED and RED Fact Sheets can be downloaded form the EPA
Website at http://www.epa.gov/REDs
Federal Register; January 13, 1999
Bromoxynil RED Fact Sheet

Monsanto has estimated that 27 million acres of Roundup Ready soybeans were planted in the U.S. last year. This is 37 percent of the total crop.
Agricultural Chemical News; January 1999

Abbot has added control of mosquito larvae in citrus, rice and irrigated crops to their Clinch (avermectin) label.

Thiacloprid is an analog of Bayer's insecticide imidacloprid. Thiacloprid is being developed for use on fruit trees, rice, and other crops.

Dutch farmers whose slow-growing cucumbers have been causing them headaches may have found what they believe to be a solution - Aspirin, and not aspirin for the farmers, but aspirin for the cucumbers. Scientists with the Dutch research institute TNO have discovered that feeding Aspirin to young cucumber plants helps prevent thickening of the root walls. Plants with thick root walls absorb water, pesticides and minerals less easily than those with thin root walls, leading to slower growth and related problems. It was reported that aspirin contains an acid also made naturally by plants to protect themselves. Further research is also planned on eggplants, tomatoes and peppers. The Globe and Mail; November 11, 1998

Locusts may become an endangered species following the development of the world's first bioinsecticide active against the insect. Trade named Green Muscle, this fungal pesticide spray contains spores of Metarhizium anisopliae, a fungus that invades and kills locusts and grasshoppers but is harmless to beneficial insects. It reportedly kills nine out of every ten locusts within 21 days.
New Scientist, via Agnet; November 28, 1998

Scientists at the University of Florida have found what seems to be a sure-fire way to outsmart cockroaches and get rid of them for good. It was reported in this month's New Scientist magazine that the insects follow filthy trails laid down by other roaches, and that the chemicals they follow could be used to lead them to traps. In some badly infested homes the long-lasting brown trails are visible on sinks, counter tops and other areas frequented by the insects. The pests use their antennae to sense chemicals in the fecal trails, so researchers thought they could use the chemical as bait for traps. The material, however, was very foul smelling, and they decided to dissolve the feces and isolate the chemicals instead. They transferred the chemicals to a water solution and found that the cockroaches still followed the odorless path directly to the traps. Until scientists specifically identify and synthesize the chemicals involved, they suggest people with a cockroach problem place their traps along the well-trodden roach trails.
Reuters; November 16, 1998

London-based 3M is investing $1.5 million in equipment so they can produce a complete line of microencapsulated products that can be dispensed by sprayers, including insect pheromones. The pheromones, which mimic a female insect's scent produced to attract a mate, have long been used by farmers and foresters in "fixed point dispensers" to monitor and/or foil the male insect's search and disrupt breeding behavior. While the fixed point dispensers can be effective, they are labor-intensive. By encasing the pheromones in a polymer coating, the company has created a mechanism for controlled release of the chemical come-on. As the capsules break open, they release a steady stream of pheromones that mask any plume sent up by a female insect. The female discovers her chemical voice cannot be detected over that of the popping capsules.
The London Free Press; September 26, 1998

Researchers are utilizing foraging honeybees to deliver biocontrol pesticide products to fruit, vegetable and field crops by placing an applicator containing a fungicide or narrow-spectrum insecticide, like B.t., at bee hive entrances. The bees pick up the material, which is harmless to them, on their bodies as they exit the hive and then rub it on the host plant when they visit the flowers. This technique was first used experimentally in Canada to control gray mold in strawberries and later expanded to raspberries. Since then, scientists in Oregon and Washington have used this technique to fight fireblight in apple orchards, while European researchers use bees to infect beetle pests of canola with a lethal fungus.
Ontario Farmer; September 22, 1998

Pesticides applied in the 1980s to wood in buildings where wine was stored has been identified as being responsible for the poor taste of some wines produced in France's Bordeaux region over the past decade. Up to this point, the bottle corks were believed to be at fault. Trace quantities of pentachlorophenol, a wood preservative used on new wood to prevent decay and infestation by termites and other wood-destroying insects, somehow seeped into wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, and even champagnes. The chemical apparently worked its way into the wines in trace quantities, giving them a faint taste of damp cardboard or mold that is often associated with a wine cork that has gone bad. The amount of chemical in the wines is not enough to threaten health. When the cause was identified by wine chemists in 1993, several vineyards, including some of the Bordeaux region's most prestigious names, decided to tear down treated storage buildings and replace them with more expensive buildings made of solid oak, which do not require treatment, to eliminate the problem. Bordeaux wines were the hardest hit because they are always stored in wooden buildings after bottling. In most other regions, bottled wines are stored in underground cellars made of stone. This problem should never resurface, however, because that use of the pesticide in question was banned in the European Union in 1991. During analysis of 1,344 wines tested in the past two years, 44 had a bad corky taste, and only 11 (0.82%) of those were due to pentachlorophenol contamination.
AP, Reuters; December 28 and 29, 1998

According to a brief in the December 5 National Post, the EPA claims that foods grown organically are a safe alternative to those grown using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Others, however, say that evidence suggests consuming organic foods can be more dangerous than eating food treated with pesticides. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed 2,471 cases of people infected with the potentially deadly O157:H7 E. coli strain in 1996, but the CDC says this was only a small fraction of the total poisonings that occurred, and estimates there were at least 250 deaths. Organic foods made up barely 1 percent of the U.S. food supply, but were implicated in at least 85 of the confirmed cases. Crops grown organically also have higher rates of infestation by natural toxins from fungi, says the FDA, including aflatoxin, one of the most virulent cancer agents known to man. The story also says that organic food producers can compound risk by not using chemical washes, disinfectants, or even chlorinated water to prepare their products for market. Researchers say composting manure may not kill the bacteria, since the compost must be heated to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
FSNet; December 8, 1998

The U.S. Congress has approved $23 million for further research into what are known as "mycoherbicides." Mycoherbicides are soil-borne fungi capable of eradicating plants that provide the raw material for cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Skeptics are cited as saying more testing must be done to prove the effectiveness and safety of the technology, and winning the support of governments of drug-producing South American countries, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, will not be easy. Experiments conducted by Agriculture Department scientists focus on isolating the mycoherbicides that narcotics plants produce naturally. If, for example, a coca plant is doused with the fungi, it wilts, and decades must pass before the area is again suitable for growing coca. In addition, beans, corn or other crops grown nearby are unaffected. EPA scientists are cited as saying they believe no harm will come to humans or animals either.
AP; October 23, 1998

The pesticide industry currently is reportedly losing $200 million per year in sales, primarily because new crop varieties have lowered input costs. Additionally, next year the loss is estimated to be $300 million or more, and in two to three years it will be $700 million a year. Roundup-Ready beans, for example, have lowered herbicide costs from about $20 to about $10 to $12 an acre. This reduced pesticide sales across North America from $8.7 billion last year to about $8.5 billion this year, and next year it will be down to about $8.4 billion and then will decline to about $8 billion. The big companies that have invested heavily in biotechnology will be hard pressed to capture enough sales revenue from the new crop varieties to cover their costs and they are losing revenues on pesticide sales. The companies that have stuck to chemicals and stayed out of biotechnology and seeds are also losing revenues, so they have less to spend on research and development for the next generation of pesticides.
Ontario Farmer; September 29, 1998 via Agnet

Mountains in the temperate zones that get high levels of snow are reportedly "particularly susceptible" to accumulation of some organochlorine-type pesticides (chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor), according to a report in the October 8 issue of Science. The report says that accumulation of organochlorine compounds in snow on mountains in temperate areas increases with altitude. The chemicals are said to become airborne in warmer areas, then are carried by air currents toward the poles, then condense and fall out of the atmosphere in colder climates. Analysis shows that concentrations of organochlorines increased 10 to 100 times between altitudes of about 2,500 feet to 10,200 feet. It was also noted that there is 10 times as much snow at 10,200 feet than at 2,500 feet. Increased organochlorine concentrations were gradual at first, but increased sharply above 6,600 feet.
Chemical Regulation Reporter; October 9, 1998