The Agricultural Experiment Station
276 Altheimer Drive,
Fayetteville, AR 72703
Telephone: (501) 575-3955 Fax: 575-3975

Cooperative Extension Service
P.O. Box 391,
Little Rock, AR 72203
Telephone: (501) 671-2000 Fax: 671-2251

University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture and USDA Cooperating

ARKANSAS PESTICIDE NEWS EDITORS

Robert Frans and Diana Horton, Department of Agronomy, Fayetteville and Ples Spradley, Coop. Extension Service, Little Rock

Volume 6, October 1994

News From All Over

CHEMICALLY SPEAKING POTPOURRI

With the continuing disappearance of government defense contract opportunities, some companies who have primarily been in the defense industry may focus on weed identification in agriculture. The USDA thinks that this could mean great advances in "smart" spray rigs.

Some strategic positioning has already begun. The defense contractor Unisys Corporation recently announced a long term development and marketing alliance between one of its electronics divisions and Ag-Chem Equipment Company, which holds patents on a site specific applicator.
-Farm Chemicals May 1994

CROSS-CONTAMINATION AMONG PESTICIDES IS MAJOR EPA-NACA ISSUE

Increasing reports to EPA of cross-contamination among pesticides and the agency's policy to enforce a zero contamination standard are a problem for members of the National Agricultural Chemicals Association (NACA) as well as EPA. The agency and NACA are focused on the matter because of the alleged contamination of Benlate with low levels of other active ingredients.

EPA stated that rulemaking was not necessary or appropriate and that a moratorium on enforcement actions (misbranding, adulteration) involving contamination, suggested by NACA, was not acceptable.

Registration Division Director Johnson rejected setting a certain part per million cutoff for acceptable-unacceptable contamination based on the alleged low level of contamination of Benlate with active ingredients(s) which possibly caused phytotoxicity.

NACA had proposed, in part: "The maximum allowable concentration of a contaminant is the lesser of: (1) the level at which the contaminant is toxicologically significant; or (2) 1,000 ppm if the contaminant is labeled for all of the labeled uses of the registered pesticide containing the contaminant; or (3) 500 ppm, if (2) does not apply."
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemical New, July 27, 1994

GENETIC ENGINEERING TOUTED AS PESTICIDE ALTERNATIVE

Genetic engineering holds the key to reducing chemical pesticide use and reaching the Clinton administration's goal of having 75% of U.S. cropland under IPM by the year 2000.

Beachy, head of plant biology at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla said that biotechnology will contribute to "earth health."

The development of herbicide-resistant crops through biotechnology will also allow farmers to use fewer herbicides and more specific ones, according to Steven Will, president of the Center for Science Information.

Both Beachy and Witt portrayed biotechnology as a major tool for increasing crop yields and therefore decreasing world hunger.

Beachy added that the same kind of genetic techniques that allowed Calgene to develop the Flavr Savr tomato -- which ripens on the vine but stays firm enough to ship afterwards -- could help farmers in developing countries extend yields for crops like mangoes and bananas and therefore use less crop land.

One drawback of bioengineered crops is that improved plant strains will not work across different climates, Witt said.
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemcial New, June 15, 1994

EFFECT OF THE DELANEY CLAUSE

The Environmental Protection Agency has published an updated list of the pesticides that have residue tolerances potentially affected by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. This ruling is for the enforcement of the Delaney Clause for materials in processed foods that have been shown to cause cancer. These materials will most likely have certain of their tolerances revoked. This would result in the cancellation of the registered uses which create these residues.

The list is as follows:

Pesticide         Affected Crops
acephate          cotton, soybean, food handling establishments
alachlor          peanuts, soybeans,sunflower
asulam            sugarcane
atrazine          sugarcane
benomyl           apples, citrus, raisin grapes, prunes,tomatoes
captan            apples, raisin grapes, prunes, tomatoes
chlorothalonil    potatoes, soybeans
dichlorvos        food handling establishments, packaged nonperishable food
dicofol           apples, citrus, dried tea, raisin grapes, prunes
diflubenzuron     soybeans
dimethipin        cotton
dimethoate        apples, citrus
ethylene oxide    whole ground spice
hexazinone        alfalfa, pineapple, sugarcane
lindane           tomatoes
linuron           potatoes, soybeans
mancozeb          apples, barley, raisin grapes, oats, rye, sugar
                  beets, wheat
maneb             apples, raisin grapes, sugar beets
methidathion      citrus
methomyl          wheat
metiram           apples, sugar beets
metolachlor       peanuts
norflurazon       citrus, raisin grapes
oxyfluorfen       apples, cotton, peppermint, spearmint, soybeans
PCNB              potatoes, tomatoes
permethrin        tomatoes
phosmet           citrus, cotton
propargite        apples, citrus, figs, raisin grapes, prunes, dried tea
propylene oxide   coca, glace fruit, edible gums, processed nutmeat except peanuts, prunes, processed spices, starch 
simazine          sugarcane, potable water
tetrachlorvinphos feed items
triadimefon       apples, barley, raisin grapes, pineapple, wheat
trifluralin       peppermint, potatoes, spearmint

FIRMS ASK COURT TO BLOCK FOOD ADDITIVE REVOCATIONS

The DuPont Company and DowElanco petitioned a federal appeals court to block EPA's revocation of food additive tolerances for benomyl and trifluralin.

In the action filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the chemical companies contended that EPA's dismissal of their objections and its denial of a hearing on the revocations were contrary to the requirements of Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

The revocation of tolerances for benomyl (on raisins and tomato products) and trifluralin (spearmint and peppermint oils) was ordered by EPA effective June 30 as an outgrowth of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding literal application of the Delaney clause.

Tolerances were revoked for mancozeb on bran of wheat and phosmet on cottonseed oil under the same order, but these two pesticides are not involved in the DuPont/DowElanco petition.

In its June 30 order, EPA said most objections to the revocations "were based on the issue of whether the pesticides `induce cancer' within the meaning of the Delaney clause." EPA had issued a finding to that effect in April 1990, the agency said. Since the petitioners did not object to the "induce cancer" finding at that time, "the issue is closed for further consideration," EPA declared.

The petition to the appeals court contends, however, that Section 409 of the FFDCA gives the companies a "mandatory right" to a hearing on "the material issues of fact raised by petitioners." Dupont and DowElanco asked the court to set aside the revocation of the benomyl and trifluralin tolerance and to order EPA "to hold a hearing and reach a decision upon the factual issues ... as required by the statute."
-Pestiicde & Toxic Chemical News, July 20, 1994

GENERAL MILLS IS LANDFILLING CHLORPYRIFOS-OAT CEREALS

About 55 million packages of General Mills' cereals made from oats treated illegally with chlorpyrifos-ethyl (Dursban) are being disposed of by landfilling and incineration, FDA was told by the company.

The company planned to file a feed additive petition for a time-limited tolerance for animal feed use of about 16 million bushels of raw oats containing violative residues of chlorpyrifos-ethyl.

Bruce Atwater, board chairman and CEO, General Mills, Inc. (GMI), also told FDA that the company has about 25 million pounds of oat flour, oat hulls and other in-process products contaminated with chlorpyrifos-ethyl which will be landspread, incinerated or landfilled.
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemical New, August 10, 1994

END CARBOFURAN USES OR FACE COURT ACTION, GROUPS WARN EPA

End all uses of granular carbofuran or defend against challenges in court under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other statutes, EPA has been advised by four environmental groups.

The agency has been requested to allow continued use of the pesticide on sorghum in at least five states: Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The National Grain Sorghum Producers (NGSP) told EPA that no bird kills have been linked to use of granular carbofuran in sorghum.

The four environmental groups, quoting EPA, noted at least one bird kill incident linked to sorghum use.

The groups' overall position was that all uses of the pesticide should be ended.

NGSP said it did not question the avian toxicity of carbofuran but that it should be determined whether "birds are dying as a result of granular carbofuran applied to sorghum at planting. The issue to be determined by an in-field study should not be whether dead birds will be found, but whether they occur with enough frequency to warrant removing the product from the market. The issue is reasonable risk, not zero risk."

Comments from the four groups, prepared by the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, Inc., noted Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) findings of over 150 documented bird die-off incidents caused by granular and liquid carbofuran between EPA's 1991 decision and March 1994. "FWS has taken the position that only a complete elimination of all carbofuran uses will ensure appropriate protection of avian life," the groups told EPA.
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, July 27, 1994

PESTICIDES IMPORTANT TO SUCCESS OF IPM, ASSOCIATIONS MAINTAIN

Pesticides are important to the success of many IPM programs, and excluding pesticides for the programs "by definition will reduce the acceptability of IPM as an effective agronomic tool,"three associations maintained in an IPM white paper.

"At the heart of the current debate on IPM is whether or not IPM programs can legitimately include the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Agricultural researchers and practitioners never intended IPM to be synonymous with organic farming .... "The are many reasons why IPM programs are designed to decrease reliance on any one pest management practice or technique, including the use of pesticides. One objective of IPM is to minimize or eliminate pest resistance through the judicious use of pesticides in combination with other pest management techniques. As a result, specific chemistries remain effective and available for a much longer period of time, particularly on pests that have many life cycles in a growing season. This is important to growers and suppliers alike as the cost to develop and bring to market replacement products becomes increasingly expensive."

The paper said, "The challenge facing regulators is to recognize and reward minimal pesticides with quicker movement to registration and commercial use."

IPM adoption would be curbed by use of a "nationwide `formula' for what constitutes adoption of IPM," the paper said.

The paper's list of actions which would impede IPM adoption and success included:

1) viewing IPM as a mechanism to simply reduce pesticide use or equating IPM with organic farming,

2) discounting the significant contribution that advances in technology will continue to make to IPM, including the advent of narrow range, and minimal risk pesticides; and

3) failing to recognize that acceptance of IPM by growers is driven by economics.
-USDA Reorganization News, May 27, 1994 (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, August 13, 1994)

STARCH: A RENEWABLE TREATMENT FOR PESTICIDE CLOTHING

Researchers have found that ordinary laundry starch on regular cotton clothing protects pesticide applicators from harmful chemicals. Starch binds with chemical pesticides and keeps them away from the skin until the clothing can be washed. It is biodegradable, inexpensive, and familiar to most consumers.

Cotton and cotton-polyester garments that have been starched provide a durable finish that traps pesticides and prevents their transfer to the skin, and allows moisture vapor to be transported away from the skin. The starch-bound chemicals are rinsed away in the wash.

Remember, however, that it is important to always wear the appropriate protective clothing when applying pesticides.

Also, always wash pesticide protective clothing separately from all other clothing. -via Kansas Pesticide Newsletter, June 18, 1994 (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, August 3, 1994)

PESTICIDE USAGE - 8.8 POUNDS PER CAPITA

Pesticide use in the U.S. equaled about 8.8 lbs. per capita, relatively stable at about 2.2 billion lbs. of pesticide active ingredients, according to an EPA pesticide industry sales and usage report scheduled to be released recently.

The report said usage of what is considered "conventional pesticides" remained at about 1.1 billion pounds of active ingredient, but adding wood preservatives and disinfectants (non-conventional) pushes total U.S. pesticides use again to about 2.2 billion pounds of active ingredient.

The use of pesticides occurs on more than 900,000 U.S. farms and in 69 million households, the report said, while herbicides atrazine and metolachlor are the two most widely used pesticides in the country at 70 million-75 million lbs. and 60 million-65 million lbs., respectively.
-via Kansas Pesticide Newsletter, July 8, 1994 (Georgia Pesticide Digest, August 1994)

WPS ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD OPENS

An electronic bulletin, WPS Forum, has opened to dispense information about the Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides (WPS). This EPA regulation covers four million people who work in U.S. fields, forests, nurseries and greenhouses. Anyone who is concerned with WPS and who has access to the Internet, Bitnet or a compatible electronic mail system is welcome to join the network of participants.

The bulletin board will be maintained as a free public service at the College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley. For more information about WPS-Forum, call (510) 642-7103 or (510) 642-5583.
-Agrichemical and Environmental News, Washington State University, July, 1994 (Georgia Pesticide Digest, August 1994)

AGRICULTURAL CHEMCIAL NEWS JULY 15, 1994 VOLUME 178

INSECTICIDES
PIRATE (pyrroles) --American Cyanamid-- Registration for this new insecticide/acaricide is expected sometime in 1995 on cotton. It will also be sold as Stalker on vegetables and as Alert on citrus.

HERBICIDES

CONFRONT (triclopyr/clopyralid) --DowElanco-- Added to their label the usage on warm season turf grasses such as bahiagrass, bermudagrass, centipede grass and tall fescue.

KARMEX DF (diuron) --DuPont-- Due to the high cost of re-registration the company plans to delete oats and bermudagrass from their label.

SCYTHE (pelargonic acid) --Mycogen-- A new contact herbicide that is non selective and controls upon contact for usage in non crop areas, landscape maintenance ornamental areas, golf courses, nursery container stock, greenhouse weed control, turf prior to planting and other non crop sites.

STAPLE (pyrithiobac) --DuPont-- EPA granted an experimental permit to use this broadleaf herbicide on 2750 acres of cotton as an early postemergence treatment to control morningglory, cocklebur, nightshade and other weeds. Registration is expected by 1997.

AMERICAN CYANAMID -- The company plans to discontinue the marketing of its products in non returnable plastic jugs within the next two years. It plans to market its entire line as either dry flowable formulations or in bulk on mini bulk returnable containers.

EPA MAY SEEK PRIVATE FUNDING TO IMPROVE USDA's DIETARY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

EPA wants the USDA's dietary consumption survey to ask more questions about children's dietary patterns in order for EPA to fine-tune its pesticide tolerances.

Goldman stressed a new EPA emphasis on flexibility in enforcing pollution laws, and said states should play an "important role" in setting the environmental agenda.

Goldman cited several ways EPA wants to be tougher on industry. One was a need for higher penalties under FIFRA and to see an expansion of information publicly available under TSCA. She noted that old newspaper articles, for example, have been branded confidential business information.

Another reform the administration is proposing is a ban on exports of pesticides that have been banned in the U.S. for health reasons, and preventing exports of pesticides that have been banned for environmental reasons without "prior informed consent" of the destination country's government, the EPA official said.

EPA PESTICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT CHANGES MADE PER NAS REPORT

Implementation of the risk assessment recommendations in the report on pesticide residues in the diets of infants and children by the committee of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was detailed June 9 by Penny Fenner-Crisp, incoming acting director of EPA's OPP, to EPA Headquarters Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). OOP is implementing the recommendation to do dietary exposure assessments with the combination of exposure from multiple chemicals and common mechanisms of action. Authority for this is found in Section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which states in part "that appropriate consideration is to be given to `other ways in which a consumer might be affected by the same pesticide chemical or by related substances that are poisonous or deleterious . . . .'

Case studies are being developed in the course of assessment of these chemicals in the reregistration, registration or special review process rather than as a special project. EPA is implementing the recommendation that "all exposures to a pesticide - dietary and non-dietary - need to be considered when evaluating the risks to infants and children." In fiscal year 1994, the recommendation will be phased in using selected case studies.

"It should be emphasized that substantial discussion, research and generation of empirical data will be needed to define and reach agreement, both on the meaning of `common mechanism of action' and the appropriate matrices for exposure to identified subpopulations from multiple routes ..."

The recommendation to consider both food and water intake is being implemented. "Existing food consumption data have been deficient in clarifying the exposure profile for water." Consumption surveys will add water.

"The benchmark dose concept has been developed as an alternative methodology for deriving quantitative estimates of hazard. This approach can be used both for cancer and non-cancer endpoints of toxicity," Fenner-Crisp said.

Discussing the in utero testing recommendation, Fenner-Crisp stated that preliminary conclusions of an analysis of the possible addition of that testing to long-term studies were that "little information is gained when an in utero phase is added to the conventional study design. An additional recommendation stated that measurements of thyroid function should be routinely added to the rodent long-term study. While this is relatively easy to do, it is not completely clear what additional value this would have, except in a relatively small number of cases. NTP (National Toxicology Program) is adding these parameters to a number of 90-day studies in a pilot program in an attempt to answer this question."

She advised WISE members and their children to eat fruits and vegetables, "even when treated with pesticides." There exist no reports in the U.S. of adverse health effects arising from eating food treated legally with pesticides, although poisonings have been reported following misuse.
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, June 15, 1994

EPA REPORT ON WATER POLLUTION

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report identifying runoff from agriculture and urban areas and municipal point sources as the leading sources of water pollution in the United States. The report was released by EPA Administrator Carol Browner on April 20, 1994. The EPA report (described by EPA officials as a "snapshot" of water quality for 1992) showed that: 40% of the lakes, rivers, and streams assessed remained too polluted to support fishing, swimming, boating, or other designated uses; agricultural runoff affected 72% of polluted rivers and 56% of polluted lakes; urban runoff accounted for 43% of polluted estuary square miles and 24% of impaired lake acres; municipal point sources, such as sewage treatment plants, impacted 53% of polluted estuaries.

Reports were submitted by 54 states, territories, tribes, and other entities on 18% of rivers and streams in the United States. The data revealed that 56% of the rivers and streams assessed fully supported their designated uses and 4% were threatened. According to the report, the leading sources of river pollution are agriculture, municipal point sources, urban runoff and storm sewers, resource extraction, and industrial point sources.

PESTICIDE NEWS AND VIEWS: WPS TRAINING MATERIALS CATALOG

The EPA has very recently put together a list of materials related to WPS. The title is "Worker Protection Standard: Materials Developed by EPA, States and Other Organizations." The item is available from:
Ms. Alllie Fields, US EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs (7506C), 401 M. Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460, Telephone: (703) 305-7666.

PESTICIDE USE REDUCTION UNCOVERED, PRESSED BY SENATOR

Pesticide use reduction by over 40,000 farmers in 32 states, discovered in a survey, was pressed by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) at a June 29 Senate hearing where he also urged USDA to do advance work on alternatives to pesticides about to be removed from the market voluntarily or by EPA.

Also, at the pesticide legislation hearing before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, there were a few signs among some members of interest in working toward a compromise pesticide form bill. Specifically, Sen. David Pryor (D-Ark.) engaged FDA Commissioner David Kessler in a discussion of the similarities and differences between his five essential elements for pesticide reform, embodied in the administration bill, and provisions of S 1478, the Pryor reform bill.

The use reduction survey, "Pesticide Use Reduction Assessment," was done by committee staff member Michael Fernandez, who collected information from USDA state national Extension Service integrated pest management coordinators and public sources.

The survey summary said, "It is clear from the data ... that alternative pest management strategies have had a profound impact on farm profitability, through reduction in pest control costs and improved yields. Both environmental and economic considerations have influenced the management practices of these farmers."

During the hearing, Richard Rominger, USDA deputy secretary, said that the department's IPM research return on investment was over 300%.

Sen. Leahy recommended that when EPA finds problems with a pesticide, USDA should immediately begin research on "safe affordable alternatives." For example, the senator said, it was known for 10 years that carbofuran would be taken off the market, "and now we don't know what to do." He asked about progress by EPA, FDA, and USDA on a memorandum of understanding assuring that farmers "can count on having safer tools." Rominger answered that the MOU would be signed July 15.

He said that the Agriculture Department "can't guarantee that it will find an alternative in every case, but can begin to look for them." On methyl bromide, he said, the department is looking for alternatives to have before the 2000 phaseout of the pesticide.

Kessler's five basic, essential elements or principles of any pesticide reform legislation: (1) use of a health-based standard, used now as the food additive standard; (2) tolerance review on a timetable "that has real teeth"; (3) tools for EPA to use to address new safety problems; (4) FDA enforcement tools - for example, authority to recall adulterated shipments, and (5) explicit assessment of risks to infants and children before acceptance of a tolerance.

On (1), the commissioner said, the administration proposal requires use of only health-based considerations in tolerances with one exception: significant disruption of the food supply. S 1478 provides for weighing risks and economic benefits, he said. "The administration's bill is focused on health-based considerations," Kessler emphasized.

It is easier to make decisions under the health-based standard than the benefit-risk standard, Kessler declared.

On (2), he said that the current system preserves the status quo, adding that what was needed was a "timetable with teeth ... if manufacturers don't come forward, they are off the market."

Pryor, referencing (3) and (4), said that enforcement tools were in both bills. Dr. Lynn Goldman, EPA's assistant administrator for OPPTS, agreed but noted that the administration bill has label call-in authority and the phasedown/phaseout provisions, while S 1478 does not.

The senator asked about the differences between the two bills on (5). Kessler answered that the administration bill requires an explicit finding before tolerances are set that the levels are safe for infants and children.

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) noted that S 1478 has 19 cosponsors in the Senate and 220 in the House and objected to the administration bill's "rigid safety standard" and the lack of pesticide benefits consideration.
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemical New, July 13, 1994

2,4-D LABEL CHANGES STRESS GOOD WORK PRACTICES

In order to keep the herbicide 2,4-D available to those who rely on it for agriculture, forestry, turf care and roadside and rights-of-way maintenance, the Industy Task Force II on 2,4-D Research Data has reached an agreement with the EPA to undertake an exposure reduction program while completing overdue scientific studies required by the agency. The Task Force is comprised of the registrants of technical grade 2,4-D.

Because the greatest potential for exposure to pesticides like 2,4-D occurs during mixing and application, the following measures are designed to reduce pesticide exposure by requiring protective clothing and equipment, and proper hygiene, as well as restricting the amount and frequency of application and access to treated areas. New directions specifying good work practices in the use of 2,4-D began appearing on product labels, as a result of an agreement reached between EPA and member companies of the 2,4-D Task Force.

Presently, reregistration requirements for 2,4-D include about 230 studies, 120 of which the Task Force has already submitted to EPA, with the remainder now being completed by 34 different consultants. Cost of these studies to Task Force member companies has been projected at $17 to $20 million. In addition, more than 100 separate studies are also underway through individual Task Force members to gather data on specialized or proprietary amine or ester formulations which are not being supported by the Task Force itself.
2,4-D, 4/94

IN-FLIGHT INSECT SPRAYS A NEEDLESS HAZARD, EPA REPORTS

Chances of adverse health effects to passengers boarding an aircraft that has been sprayed with sumithrin are "quite low," EPA reported to a House subcommittee last week.

But there have been reports of adverse reactions among crew members and passengers exposed to the pesticide because of in-flight use.

Christopher Hoff, deputy director of EPA's legislative analysis division, told Subcommittee Chairman James Oberstar (DFL-Minn.) that sumithrin, the only chemical registered by EPA for use in airplane cabins, poses a low risk of toxicity and dissipates rapidly after use.

EPA does have reports of six people suffering reactions in separate incidents of in-flight use of sumithrin sprays. EPA supports development of a passenger notification system so "chemically sensitive or highly allergic individuals" can make alternative travel plans if they wish to avoid in-flight spraying, Hoff said.
-Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, July 20, 1994