June 1999 Volume 23
National News
1 Interpretation of Residue and Tolerance Levels
2 New Pesticide Data
Program Report Released
Health and Safety
2 Children, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, and Level of "Safety"
of Pesticide Residues
4 Parkinson's Disease and Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
4 Registration News
5 Biotech/IPM/Advanced
Technology
6 General Information
Editors: Briggs Skulman, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Fayetteville
6 Did You Know
Arkansas
Is
Our Campus
Visit our web site at: http:/www.uark.edu/depts/napiap/newsletter
and Ples Spradley, Coop. Extension Service, Little Rock.
There are a couple of articles in this newsletter that address the issue of pesticide residues on our fresh fruit and vegetables. The first is about the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP). This program examines a variety of commodities for a wide range of pesticides. The purpose is to provide data which the EPA uses in dietary risk assessment. The report shows that producers are using significantly fewer pesticides than suggested by worst case assessments. Also, only 5% of the samples contained above tolerance residue levels or residues for which there were no tolerance established for that crop.
However, the Consumers Union seems to have interpreted these data differently. You can check out the article "Do You Know What You're Eating?" (the article is very large) at their web site at: http://www.consumersunion.org/. They have taken this same data and created a toxicity index (TI) which reputedly provides some combined measure of the frequency of detection, average levels of residues and the relative toxicity of the pesticides present. From this TI such things as domestic and imported fresh apples, peaches, grapes, spinach and pears (and US grown green beans) emerge as having very high TI values. Just when I was looking forward to having that first juicy tree-ripe peach of the season, darn!
But wait a second! In the article, "Children, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, and Level of Safety of Pesticide Residues" by Extension Toxicologist and the Director of the FoodSafe Program at the University of California-Davis Dr. Carl Winter, some of this TI index stuff is pointed out as skewed due to methodological flaws and possible errors on the estimates of risk by the EPA. So maybe peaches are back in.
One of the points made in the PDP article is that many of the detected residues on certain crops were due to post harvest use of insecticides or fungicides. So maybe the concern should be focused on new and better storage and management practices after harvest. Overall, it does appear that the fresh fruit mentioned above have more residues than canned or processed fruit. Makes sense since processed fruit has the peel removed with any associated residues. Of course if the general population wasn't so concerned by the cosmetic "look" of their fresh fruit, then many of these residue levels might be significantly reduced. Unfortunately, I don't think we will see that happening in the near future because I'm just as guilty in looking for that "perfect" peach or apple when I'm at the store.
The answer to interpretation of residue data is probably somewhere in between these divergent viewpoints. There probably needs to be a little more effort in reducing the residue "load" on some of our fresh fruit and vegetables, possibly through further adoption of such management techniques like IPM or biopesticides. Then there is the question of post-harvest use of pesticides or growth regulators to protect and preserve our crops after they are in storage. Either way everyone seems to agree that the consumer should continue to include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet. The consumer might have to be willing to accept the fact that maybe their fresh fruits and vegetables are not going to look as pristine if the farmer attempts to significantly reduce the occurrence of residues in the future. Or you could start peeling your fruits and vegetables before you eat them to physically remove the source of many of these residues.
Just remember that the peels are a significant source of dietary fiber which is related to a reduced risk for certain forms of cancer. Hummm...well here we go again!
USDA has released their new Pesticide Data Program (PDP) report outlining residues detected on fruits and vegetables for calendar year 1997. PDP data have been collected since 1991, and are used by agencies such as the EPA, FDA, the Economic Research Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and various groups within the private sector. EPA uses these data in their dietary risk assessment and pesticide registration process. FDA uses PDP data to refine sampling to more effectively enforce tolerances.
Pesticides monitored by PDP include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and growth regulators in/on fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, milk, and grains. Commodities chosen for inclusion in the program are based on food consumption surveys. Samples were secured from 10 states (representing about 50 percent of the Nation's population), from all regions of the country, and from importing foreign countries.
Data were collected on 15 commodities including pears, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash, apple juice, canned/frozen green beans, orange juice, canned peaches, canned spinach, and frozen winter squash. In addition, samples were collected for milk, soybeans, and wheat. PDP collected and analyzed a total of 8,177 samples originating from 43 states and 23 foreign countries.
Results of PDP's pesticide residue testing show that producers are using significantly fewer pesticides than would be suggested by worst case assessments. Overall, residues of at least one pesticide were detected on 57 percent of the 6,321 fruit and vegetable samples analyzed, although nearly all residues fell below EPA established tolerance levels for the respective commodities. In comparing fresh versus processed samples, 70 percent of fresh produce and 45 percent of the processed products contained at least one pesticide residue. (In 1996, 72 percent of the fruits and vegetables tested by the PDP contained at least one pesticide, which was up from 65 percent of the fruit and vegetable samples in 1995.) A total of 15 percent of milk samples, 80 percent of the wheat samples, and 87 percent of the soybean samples had at least one pesticide residue. More than one residue was detected in approximately 30 percent of the fruits and vegetables, half of the wheat, 30 percent of soybeans, and only 0.2 percent of milk samples tested. Defined post harvest uses accounted for approximately 24 percent of the fruit and vegetable residues detected.
From a violation standpoint, the PDP found that approximately 5 percent of samples contained above-tolerance residues or residues for which there are no tolerances established for that particular crop. It was noted that many of these presumptive violations, for which there were no EPA tolerances, may be due to spray drift or crop rotations. Only about 1 percent of presumptive violations were for pesticide residues where the tolerance was actually exceeded.
The most frequently detected compound in the analysis was the
fungicide thiabendazole (Mertect), occurring primarily on fruit,
which accounted for nearly 11 percent of all detections. Wheat
data showed that chlorpyrifos-methyl (Reldan) and malathion, both
storage-use post harvest insecticides, accounted for 85 percent
of the residue detections. Similarly, chlorpyrifos and malathion
accounted for 93 percent of the residue detections in soybeans.
PDP Executive Summary; December 1998
Chem. Speak., February, 1999
Children, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, and Level of "Safety" of Pesticide Residues
The public interest group Consumers Union issued a report claiming that levels of pesticides detected in some fresh produce and processed foods pose a threat to the health of children. Consumers Union, however, repeatedly made the point that "there is nothing illegal going on out there," as the legal residue limits (tolerances) were not exceeded.
The Union's study, entitled Do You Know What You're Eating? An Analysis of U.S. Government Data on Pesticide Residues in Foods, claims that seven foods pose a high risk. The seven foods included apples, peaches, pears, grapes, spinach, green beans and winter squash. Consumers Union said that residue levels of one particular insecticide, methyl parathion, posed particular concern for children's health.
The following analysis of the Consumers Union internally-developed, non-pier reviewed report was provided by Dr. Carl Winter, an Extension Toxicologist and the Director of the FoodSafe Program at the University of California-Davis:
"Judging from this evening's coverage (the top story on CNN Headline News in the early evening and the second story featured on the CBS Evening News), it is likely that this topic may remain newsworthy for a few days. Here are some of my comments on the report:
As for methodology, the authors reviewed results from approximately 27,000 food samples analyzed for pesticide residues that were reported in the USDA's Pesticide Data Program (PDP) from 1994-1997. These data were used to compile a curious "toxicity index" (TI) for individual food items that could be further subdivided by the origin of the food. The calculation of the TI involved combining pesticide residue data with acute LD50 findings, the chronic reference dose, the cancer potency factor, and, occasionally, endocrine disruption potential. This all looks very impressive and comprehensive on paper but really has no toxicological validation. At any rate, the TI values for various food items can be compared to yield what the authors term the "relative toxicity loading" for each food.
The major findings of the report were that a few foods had what the authors considered to be "high" TI values such as domestic and imported fresh peaches, domestic frozen and fresh winter squash, domestic and imported apples, grapes, spinach and pears, and domestic green beans. A few food items were singled out as having low, or "clean" TIs, including frozen or canned corn, milk, domestic orange juice, domestic broccoli, bananas, and canned peaches.
While the author's acknowledged that such an approach is not a direct risk assessment, per se, they did urge consumers to consider the relative rankings when making their purchasing decisions. They also concluded that consumers should continue to eat ample quantities of fruits and vegetables, that consumers wash or peel fresh fruits and vegetables, and that consumers should try to purchase organically grown peaches, apples, grapes, pears, green beans, winter squash and spinach if such products are available.
Further into the report, however, the authors did engage in some elementary risk assessment practices and the results of such risk assessments served to drive many of the headlines generated in the news. The authors provided many examples of specific commodity/pesticide combinations that represented potentially harmful exposures. As an example, it was reported that if a 20-kg child consumed a single 100-gram peach containing the average methyl parathion residue from U.S. peaches (0.055 ppm), the child's daily exposure would be almost 14 times higher than the chronic reference dose of 0.00002 mg/kg/day established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for methyl parathion. It was further reported that even the lowest methyl parathion residue found on peaches in 1996 (0.004 ppm) would deliver the reference dose level of exposure and that, since methyl parathion was found on 41 percent of U.S. peaches analyzed in the PDP program in 1996, it was concluded that roughly two of every five children who eat a U.S. peach will exceed the reference dose for methyl parathion by eating that single food item. Not surprisingly, peaches had, by far, the highest TI calculated in the report, and 90 percent of this TI was represented by methyl parathion residues.
Pretty scary, eh? Let's break this issue down a bit more. A major methodological flaw here is to consider individual ACUTE exposures (such as the exposure from eating a particular residue of a pesticide on an individual food item) and then relate this exposure to the CHRONIC reference dose, which corresponds to the LIFETIME average daily level of exposure considered to represent a reasonable certainty of no harm. Over the course of a lifetime, in which a few daily exposures exceeding the reference dose would easily be balanced out by many days in which there was little or no exposure to the pesticide (and also realizing that typical people do not maintain the body weight or food consumption patterns of a five-year-old throughout their lifetimes), even such highlighted exposures would NOT result in an average daily dietary exposure approaching the reference dose. Several other examples in the report (chlorpyrifos and dimethoate in Chilean grapes, dieldrin in squash) also rely on this faulty reasoning to express startling percentages of children receiving "unsafe" doses of pesticides. In short, comparisons with chronic reference doses may be suitable when considering AVERAGE DAILY exposure to pesticides but NOT for considering INDIVIDUAL ACUTE exposures.
Let's also look at methyl parathion in more detail, since it was the greatest contributor to the hi TI values for U.S. apples, pears, grapes, frozen/canned green beans and frozen/canned sweet peas and the target of pleas from the authors to the EPA to initiate immediate regulatory action. Methyl parathion is one member of a large class of insecticides known as organophosphates, or OPs. Members of this class of chemicals exert their toxicity in mammals by interfering with an enzyme in the nervous system known as cholinesterase. Significant inhibition of this enzyme can lead to toxic effects such as increased sweating, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and pinpointing of the pupils.
Among the OPs, methyl parathion is considered to be a fairly toxic member, but not as potent as a cholinesterase inhibitor as several other members of the family such as its ethyl parathion relative. Ethyl parathion is considered to be more toxic because its two ethyl ester groups provide a greater steric hindrance to a normal metabolic detoxification reaction, hydrolysis, than is provided by the two smaller methyl ester groups of methyl parathion.
Surprisingly, the EPA has reported that the chronic reference dose for methyl parathion (0.00002 mg/kg/day) is slightly LOWER than that for ethyl parathion (0.000033 mg/kg/day); the authors of the report listed the ethyl parathion chronic reference dose to be 0.00033 mg/kg/day, which is in error based upon the most recent EPA risk assessments resulting from the Food Quality Protection Act (see http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/group5.htm). This curiously low methyl parathion reference dose is based upon identifying the No Observed Effect Level (NOEL) in a chronic toxicology study of 0.021 mg/kg/day, based on systemic toxicity, neuropathology, and red blood cell cholinesterase inhibition in a rat chronic study (see http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/op/december/methyl_parathion/mp_08.pdf).
Traditionally, the NOEL is divided by an uncertainty factor of 100 (10-fold to guide animal-human extrapolation X 10-fold to guide human-more sensitive human extrapolation). In the case of methyl parathion, however, the EPA has added an ADDITIONAL 10-fold uncertainty factor (leading to a total uncertainty factor of 1,000) because of possible concerns of infant and children susceptibility that must be considered under the Food Quality Protection Act. Such an additional uncertainty factor may seem prudent for estimating acute exposures, but I disagree with EPA's philosophy that the additional 10-fold uncertainty factor should apply for the chronic reference dose since chronic exposures concern an entire lifetime and not just the brief periods of infancy and childhood. Thus, the combination of a curiously low NOEL coupled with an additional 10x uncertainty factor provides methyl parathion with the lowest chronic reference dose of any of the OPs, although conventional logic would suggest otherwise. If the reference dose for methyl parathion were established at levels that would be consistent with the reference doses of other OPs, the findings of the Consumer Reports study would be altered significantly. This illustrates the subjectivity of the risk assessment process and how possible artifacts may indeed drive risk assessments such as those released by Consumer Reports.
So does this report conclusively demonstrate that infants and children are receiving "unsafe" levels of exposure to various pesticides? Certainly not. But what it has done is point the finger at a number of foods. It is critical that emphasis be placed upon the fact that the health benefits of consuming fruits, vegetables and grains, such as decreased risk of heart disease or various types of cancers, far outweigh any THEORETICAL risks posed by pesticides. And while Consumer Reports urges consumers to continue eating fruits and vegetables, presenting their data irresponsibly to apply political pressure on the EPA (their major motivation for releasing this study, in my opinion) will unnecessarily scare many consumers and could potentially decrease consumer consumption of many healthy foods such as peaches, apples, grapes, pears, spinach, and squash. All in all, I think Consumer Reports should concentrate its efforts on rating toaster ovens and automobiles rather than pesticide risks."
A coalition of more than 20 groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Association of Retired Persons, urged the U.S. government to make fruits and vegetables the center of the ideal American diet in upcoming new nutritional guidelines. The president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation says that "we are suffering, and in some cases dying, from a fruit and vegetable deficit that is growing larger every day. Taking a daily pill will not make up for this enormous deficit." The Dietary Guidelines Committee, which includes officials from the USDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and top nutritionists from various universities, releases new dietary guidelines next year. The foundation and the other organizations want the guidelines revised, to make fruits and vegetables the core of the recommended diet. Chem. Speak., March, 1999
In January the Journal of the American Medical Association (1999; 281:341-346, 376-378) reported that heredity plays almost no role in developing Parkinson's disease after age 50. The study made national news. Most newspaper stories repeatedly emphasized the potential role of "pesticides and herbicides" in triggering the disease, but the fact is the JAMA study made no mention of pesticides and referred to just one chemical, a synthetic heroin substitute called MPTP, known to induce the trembling associated with Parkinson's. The study design did not allow researchers to look at any cause other than genetic. So where did the reference to pesticides come from? At a news conference, the JAMA authors stated the obvious, if the cause isn't genetic, then it must be environmental. "Environmental" can include a whole lot of things from chemicals, including pesticides, to diet, germs, and weather. In Muhammad Ali's case, it may have been exposure to leather, a fabric found in boxing gloves.
The science and medical reporters put the connection in their stories following comments by one of the study directors who said "there are a number of epidemiological studies showing risk related to pesticide and herbicide exposure and Parkinson's, but no smoking gun." The usual suspects are the herbicides paraquat and diquat dibromide, because it is often claimed that they have a similar composition to MPTP. These compounds, however, are chemically different and they behave very differently in the body. MPTP is fat soluble, which means it can readily cross the body's shield between the blood and the brain, but the "quats" are water soluble and cannot.
According to chief neurologists at the George Washington Medical School of Medicine in St. Louis, Parkinson's was described in 1817, long before current pesticides were in use. They went on to add that "the disease is found in every culture of the world. We do not know what causes the disease. But attributing it to something because people have a compulsive drive to postulate a cause to explain the unknown, despite not an iota of evidence, is remarkably stupid."
There is no evidence of any increase in Parkinson's incidence
since the era of modern pesticides began at the end of World War
II. Since the disease is not required to be reported, there are
no reliable national data; however, the Mayo clinic has maintained
the oldest database on Parkinson's disease, monitoring area residents
since the 1930's. It shows no increase in Parkinson's once the
aging of the population is factored in. Naturally, though, it
can never be ruled out that any given chemical might cause unusual
effects on certain individuals. AP; January 27, 1999 Reuters;
January 27, 1999 Investor's Business Daily; February 17, 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Researchers in Jackson, Mississippi are looking into the long-term
effects of an agricultural pesticide sprayed in thousands of Mississippi
homes. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is working
with federal health officials to study the impact of methyl parathion.
The research is aimed at getting a clearer understanding of how
the chemical affects the human body, especially pregnant women
and their babies. Mississippi Headline News; February 23, 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Cascade (fonofos), a turf insecticide from Zeneca, has been voluntarily withdrawn form the market due to the high cost of reregistration. Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Novartis' Triumph (isazophos), another turf insecticide, has likewise been voluntarily withdrawn from the market due to the high cost of reregistration. Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Declare is a new formulation of methyl parathion from Griffin available for use on corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat, alfalfa, potatoes, and some vegetable crops. Chem. Speak., March, 1999
EPA, on its own initiative, has established time-limited tolerances
for residues of tebufenozide (Confirm) in or on lychee and logan,
to aid in management of the recently-introduced lychee webworm.
This action was done in response to the Agency granting an emergency
exemption to Florida under Section 18 of FIFRA. The tolerances
will expire and be revoked on December 31, 2001. Federal Register;
March 17, 1999
* chlorine gas
* DCPA (Dacthal)
* methomyl (Lannate)
* thiodicarb (Larvin)
* hydramethylnon (Amdro Fire Ant Bait)
RED documents detail the Agency's formal regulatory assessment of the health and environmental database for the chemical, as well as presents EPA's determination regarding which pesticidal uses are eligible for reregistration.
Concerning chlorine gas, this material is the most heavily
used pesticide in the U.S., and most of its uses are critical
to public health. Chlorine gas is used as a disinfectant for drinking
water, food processing plants, swimming pools, and sewage systems,
and as an algaecide for cooling towers and ornamental ponds and
aquaria. By EPA's action, chlorine gas may continue to be used,
if risk mitigation measures are followed by the applicators and
certain data are submitted. Chlorine gas products registered for
use in public swimming pools, pulp and paper mill processes, and
industrial food processing plants will need to be applied and
handled only by trained, certified applicators. Chlorine products
registered for drinking water, sewage, and waste water treatment
uses, and residential pool uses will still be considered general
use, but applicators will be required to follow more stringent
labeling requirements to prevent exposure to people. Comments
on the chlorine gas and the other four RED decisions need to be
submitted to EPA by May 10. To request a copy of a RED or a RED
Fact Sheet, call (703) 305-5805 or access them at the Internet
address http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs Federal Register; March
10, 1999 EPA Press Release; March 4, 1999
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
EPA has announced that they have established federal tolerances for residues of azoxystrobin (Heritage/Abound) fungicide in or on commodities including cucurbits, potatoes, peanut hay, and rice. Federal Register; March 17, 1999
Altosid XR-G (methoprene), from Wellmark, can now be used for
mosquito management in crop areas such as irrigated croplands,
pastures, rangeland, rice fields, date palms, citrus, and fruit
and nut orchards.
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
Cinnamite is a cinnamon oil product from Mycotech registered
on ornamentals for management of mites and aphids.
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
Researchers in Texas are looking to secure a patent on an artificial
scent derived from flowers that, coupled with an insecticide,
can help lure and kill moths that prey on crops. By using the
artificial smell of the night-blooming Gaura plant, researchers
have been able to attract corn earworm and bollworm moths, which
rely on the scent of plants to find their favorite foods. After
being attracted to the plant, the moths ate a fatal dose of carbaryl
(Sevin). In a field study, 730 of the pests were killed in a 54-foot
row of corn. More dead moths were found on the second night after
treatment. On the morning after the treatment, researchers also
found insects that were probably eaten by predators. These moths
cost farmers nearly $2 billion in losses and chemical control
expenses each year. The scientists found that females ready to
lay eggs were especially attracted to the aroma, but both sexes
of several insect species were attracted. Other similar tests
with the attractant have been conducted against melonworms, pickleworms,
cabbage and soybean loopers, and European corn borers.
AP; February 12, 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
EPA's long awaited right-to-know brochure entitled Pesticides
and Food; What You and Your Family Need to Know, mandated by FQPA,
was released on February 12. Copies of the brochure are being
distributed to more than 40,000 grocery stores nationwide for
voluntary display, and are available to consumers by calling (800)
490-9198. The brochure can also be found on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Following an incident in which a 2 year-old girl sprayed a
pesticide into her eyes at a retail store, EPA Regional Offices
have proposed a policy that would require stores to keep pesticides
more than four feet from the floor unless children could not open
the package. After all, every pesticide label must carry the warning
"Keep out of the reach of children," so retail outlet
stores need to comply as well. GA Pest Mgt. Newsletter; December
1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
An edible green that the Pilgrims brought to America on the
Mayflower, but is now considered a pesky weed, has been named
the official flower of Carbondale, Colorado. Yes, the dandelion,
the curse of many homeowners, has been given a special spot in
Carbondale. The town has banned the spraying of dandelions with
herbicides, and urges citizens to eat them instead. If passing
through Carbondale, stop by city hall and pick up recipes for
dandelions. They say that all parts of the plant can be eaten,
and the root can even be roasted and made into a passable coffee
substitute. Colorado Headline News; February 18, 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
By a vote of 118-30, the New York State Assembly passed the
Neighbor Notification bill, requiring commercial pesticide companies
to give neighboring property owners 48 hours advance notice of
any pesticide application. Homeowners would have to post a notice
on their property when they apply pesticides on an area of more
than 100 square feet. Lawn and garden centers would have to post
signs advising customers of their obligations under the law. Under
the bill, parents and staff will receive advance notice of the
application of pesticides around schools and daycare centers.
Bus. First of Buffalo; Feb. 22, 1999 via Agnet
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Researchers in Texas are looking to secure a patent on an artificial
scent derived from flowers that, coupled with an insecticide,
can help lure and kill moths that prey on crops. By using the
artificial smell of the night-blooming Gaura plant, researchers
have been able to attract corn earworm and bollworm moths, which
rely on the scent of plants to find their favorite foods. After
being attracted to the plant, the moths ate a fatal dose of carbaryl
(Sevin). In a field study, 730 of the pests were killed in a 54-foot
row of corn. More dead moths were found on the second night after
treatment. On the morning after the treatment, researchers also
found insects that were probably eaten by predators. These moths
cost farmers nearly $2 billion in losses and chemical control
expenses each year. The scientists found that females ready to
lay eggs were especially attracted to the aroma, but both sexes
of several insect species were attracted. Other similar tests
with the attractant have been conducted against melonworms, pickleworms,
cabbage and soybean loopers, and European corn borers.
AP; February 12, 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
"Biopesticides are a key component of integrated pest
management (IPM) programs, with a market projected to rapidly
out-distance chemical pesticides." These are the comments
of the editors of a new publication entitled Biopesticides: Use
and Delivery. The publication draws on an array of international
contributors, summarize the status of biopesticides in agriculture,
including monitoring and management of pest resistance, plus numerous
other aspects of biopesticide development, production, and use.
The hardbound, all-text monograph's 626 pages provide what was
called "a definitive, contemporary overview." For more
information, write FMI: Humana Press, 999 Riverview Dr., Suite
208, Totowa, NJ 07512. Phone: (973) 256-1699. Website: http://humanapress.com
IPMnet News; March 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
According to New Scientist Magazine, newly-developed sensors
that can tell whether pesticides are dangerous to humans and plants
could reduce the need to conduct tests on animals. These biosensors,
which will give information about the damaging effects of products,
will not substitute for full toxicology testing in animals with
the final molecule, but will offer early alerts that allow researchers
to navigate the chemistry into safer areas. The biosensors are
pieces of glass, nylon or silicon coated with fragments of genes
from a particular species. The chosen genes are ones that scientists
know are activated when exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals.
The magazine added that 2,000 human genes which are activated
by toxic drugs and pesticides will be tested with the biosensors
as well.
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
According to Monsanto, U.S. producers in 1999 will have more
than 1,000 varieties of Roundup Ready soybeans to choose from,
and enough seed to plant 35 million acres. Agricultural Chemical
News; March 1999
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
The Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association has suggested
that control officials should consider statutory changes to provide
more specific descriptions of pesticides based on their uses and
benefits. The word pesticide, over the years, has become a pejorative
term with a highly charged connotation for the public. New nomenclature
for describing pesticide products should use definitions referring
to the products on alternative ways, such as consumer protection
and health benefits products. There should be distinguishing among
different types of pesticides to enhance the public's perception
of the products and to make policy decisions. Chemical Regulation
Reporter; March 12, 1999
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
According the just published Consumer Markets for Pesticides
and Fertilizers, 1997 study, insecticides showed the largest growth
(45%) in the consumer market for pesticides and fertilizers from
1995 to 1997. Strong growth was also noted in herbicides, soil
conditioners and mulches, and fertilizers. Overall, the pesticides
and fertilizers market for consumer products totaled $3.2 billion
at the supplier level in 1997, up 25 percent from 1995. Pesticide
and Toxic Chemical News; February 18, 1999
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
Santa Fe, New Mexico, city councilors have promised to spend
about $150,000 a year in coming years in an attempt to drastically
reduce or eliminate the city's chemical pesticide use. The City
Council voted unanimously to adopt the plan. The resolution advocates
hiring at least six full-time park maintenance workers to pull,
cut and mow weeds instead of using herbicides. New Mexico Headlines;
March 11, 1999
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
EPA has released detailed information on organophosphate pesticide
use patterns for ten food crops: apples, Brussels sprouts, oats
and rye, peaches, pears, rice, sorghum, soybeans, sugarcane, and
tomatoes. The Agency posted the information of these "matrices"
on the Internet in draft form for review comments by growers and
other interested parties. EPA will use these data in its reassessment
of existing tolerances for pesticides on foods under FQPA. The
pesticide use data compiled by the Agency will play an important
role in evaluating overall exposure to the organophosphates. The
data was compiled from several sources and is being presented
in crop specific matrices that provide the percentage of each
crop treated with each pesticide, application and timing, regional
use, and available of alternatives. Besides the initial ten crops,
the Agency anticipates releasing pesticide usage information on
approximately 60 additional food crops. The information is available
on EPA's website at: http://www.epa.gov/oppbead1/matrices. EPA
Press Release; March 12, 1999
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
The former chairman of epidemiology at the Harvard School of
Public Health states in the March issue of New Choices: Living
Even Better After 50, that pesticides and food additives are overrated
health scares. He noted that if pesticides were as scary as some
headlines proclaim, risk experts say that stomach cancer rates
would be soaring when, in fact, they have been falling.
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
The National Food Processors Association has launched a new
Web site. The site is located at http://www.safefood.org and offers
information on food safety facts and tips, how processed foods
are made, frequently asked questions, and fact sheets on juice,
food safety, irradiation, biotechnology, and other topics.
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
Scientists at the University of Iowa have established a "Herbicide
Advertisement Hall of Shame" web site. The site's URL is
http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/weednews/adhallofshame.htm GA Pest
Mgt. Newsletter; December 1998
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
A company in Texas has been indicted on charges of violating
FIFRA by selling pesticides to schools in South Dakota and falsely
claiming that the products could be used for purposes that substantially
differed from those registered with EPA. The company was selling
two pesticides, Tisan and DDS-164 (both are kitchen disinfectants),
for use in sanitizing children's toothbrushes! Neither of these
pesticides are authorized for this use. The Texas company is facing
$600,000 in fines. EPA Press Release; February 12, 1999
Chem. Speak., March, 1999
A resident in Hilo, Hawaii just wanted to kill some ants that
were running rampant at a cabin he rented at Hawaiian Volcanoes
National Park. His eradication efforts may land him in federal
court. The man scattered insecticide around Pepeiao Cabin and
the surrounding area, but a park ranger noticed the poison on
the cabin floor, setting off a chain of events that have yet to
run their course. Rangers first closed off the cabin and surrounding
area to prevent exposure to campers and hikers, then ordered a
chemical analysis because they did not know what the chemical
was. The substance was found to be a commercially available ant
killer containing bendiocarb. The park considers bendiocarb to
be a hazardous material, leading to calls to the EPA, which is
planning a trip to the area. According to the park's chief ranger,
the government has strict regulations covering what poisons or
pesticides can be used on federal lands, and bendiocarb is not
on the list. Park officials are following procedures designed
to protect the park's resources and employees as well as the general
public. Some of the rules are the result of laws enacted following
the soiling of Alaska shoreline by an oil spill from the Exxon
Valdez. Some might say this is overkill but that is what the guidelines
say. Park officials are looking into whether the dose of bendiocarb
warrants criminal action against the man (a member of the Sierra
Club who is declining to discuss the matter). Maui News; March
15, 1999 via OK State Univ. PIAP
Chem. Speak., April, 1999
Environmental Art Leads to Different Colored "Gates" In Rice Fields
(Editor's Note: As I have been on several sampling trips through the rice growing regions of the state I have notice that the "gates" on the rice fields are a different color this year. After a little research I have found the reason for this change from what seemed to be the standard for the last several years.)
Oryzon Skulvalio, the avant-garde "Environmental Artist", has worked his magic on the rice fields in Arkansas this season! Says Skulvalio, "I was contacted by the manufacturers of the plastic sheeting used in the rice fields that form the drainage gates between the field levees about how to make them more attractive and environmentally pleasing." So consequently, this year as you travel through the state you will notice that most of the "gates" are a bright yellow in color as apposed to the rather dull and uninspiring orange that they have been for the last several years.
Our reporter was able to contact Skulvalio by cell phone on his yacht somewhere in the Mediterranean near Greece. " I am taking a brief 3 month vacation after this project to recoup my energies and to seriously consider my next environmental art project." When asked about this recent project the artist said, "The gate project took nearly a year of intense effort. I explored a variety of different colors and patterns for the gates. At one point a blue and red paisley pattern really looked like it would be the way to go, though a strong contender was also a plaid that was derived from that of the lesser known Scottish Clan Young. However, those colors just didn't have quite the right interaction with the topography and soil colors. I even explored different textures and was very enamored with velour textural effect for some time, but the light reflection when the material was wet lost the effect I was interested in." When asked what statement the artist is trying to make with the chosen gate color he replied, "The yellow color is both symbol and art. It signifies both the farmers' heightened prospects for a good yield and artistically provides a visually dynamic interaction between the green of the rice crop and the gates. Yet that interaction will constantly be changing during the season. Ultimately, when the rice starts changing color at the end of the season I think everyone will be astonished at the visual harmony that new colored gates will bring to the field."
When asked about his next project the artist replied, "I am currently looking at other aspects of the rice fields, a whole new genre. I would like to see the levees or terraces arranged in specific patterns, much like the `crop circles' that have appeared around the world. Sucharrangements would be visually stunning from aircraft as they fly overhead to their destinations. Closer to the ground I would plan to have the equipment that is used in the production painted with less boring colors, again maybe in some patterns, but I haven't decided yet."