IN THIS EPA UPDATE
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IN THIS EPA UPDATE
Date:
Thu, 5 Dec 2002 07:13:47 -0500
From:
Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide
Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
IN THIS EPA UPDATE:
1) ENDOSULFAN REREGISTRATION ELIGIBILITY DECISION ISSUED FOR COMMENT
2) EPA ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR RESEARCH (Press Advisory 11/14/02)
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1) ENDOSULFAN REREGISTRATION ELIGIBILITY DECISION ISSUED FOR COMMENT
On November 6, 2002, EPA published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of the Endosulfan Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) and inviting public comment until January 6, 2003. The RED document represents EPA's formal regulatory assessment of the health and environmental data base for endosulfan, and presents the Agency's determination regarding which uses of this pesticide are eligible for reregistration.
An organochlorine insecticide and acaricide, endosulfan is used on a variety of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and cotton, and on ornamental plants in commercial agricultural settings. The Agency has determined that dietary, occupational, and ecological risks exceed levels of concern, and has identified mitigation measures to reduce these risks, including:
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canceling use on succulent beans, succulent peas, grapes, pecans, and spinach;
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reducing maximum application rates and numbers of applications allowed per season;
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establishing a 100-foot setback for ground applications and a 30-foot vegetative buffer between treated areas and water bodies;
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requiring water soluble bags for all wettable powder (WP) formulations;
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deleting some uses from WP product labels; deleting aerial application to some crops from WP product labels;
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requiring closed mixing/loading systems for aerial applications of the emulsifiable concentrate formulation for some uses;
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requiring closed cabs for all airblast applications except to ornamental trees/shrubs.
Additional mitigation measures may be warranted following the completion of a stakeholder process, which will be conducted to further address ecological risks, especially risks to aquatic organisms in vulnerable areas.
Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is conducting an accelerated reregistration program to reevaluate existing pesticides, making sure they meet current scientific and regulatory standards, and mitigate any risks of concern. EPA also is reassessing existing tolerances, or limits on pesticide residues in foods, to make sure they meet the new safety standard brought about by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. Assuming that the risk mitigation measures summarized above are adopted by registrants, endosulfan will be eligible for reregistration. Tolerances for endosulfan food uses that will remain following mitigation identified in the RED have been found to meet the FQPA safety standard.
Comments identified by docket identification number OPP-2002-0262 must be received on or before January 6, 2002. If any comment significantly affects the RED, EPA will amend the RED by publishing the amendment in the Federal Register The Endosulfan RED and related documents are available on EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/endosulfan/ . The Federal Register notice is available at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2002/November/Day-06/.
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2) EPA ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR RESEARCH (Press Advisory 11/14/02) As part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, EPA is accepting applications to research new approaches that can lead to the development of high-throughput screening systems to help prioritize chemicals for further screening and testing of their potential as endocrine disruptors. High-throughput screening uses automated processes to quickly test large numbers of samples. There have been concerns that normal endocrine system functions in humans and wildlife might be adversely affected by exposure to various chemical contaminants in the environment. EPA has made screening for possible endocrine disruptors a priority. The Agency is also particularly interested in proposals that will reduce animal use in testing of these chemicals. The deadline for submitting proposals for these research grants is Jan. 29, 2003. For more information on this call for proposals, see: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/current/2003high_throughput.html.
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