ot: EPA Takes Pest Killer inon Off the Shelves - Ortho, Spectracide, Real-Kill, perhaps etc

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EPA Takes Pest Killer inon Off the Shelves

By Marla Cone

LATimes Staff

January 1, 2005

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pest1jan01,1,2720677.story

Beginning today, consumers can no longer buy one of the most popular

lawn and garden insecticides of all time.

Retailers in the United States are prohibited from selling diazinon, a

highly effective killer of a variety of yard pests such as ants and grub

worms. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency phased out residential

use of the chemical, which can damage the nervous system, after

determining that it poses a human health risk, particularly to children.

The diazinon ban is part of an EPA program begun under the Clinton

administration to scale back the most toxic pesticides, the

organophosphates that have been popular for decades because they wipe

out a broad spectrum of insects. It is still legal to use diazinon on

some crops.

A powerful neurotoxin, diazinon is highly poisonous to fish, birds and

other wildlife — a single granule can kill a small bird — and it is one

of the most commonly found pesticides contaminating air, rain and water.

An ingredient in hundreds of home and garden products, about 13 million

pounds of diazinon have been used yearly in the United States, 80% for

residential uses.

Tens of thousands of households could still be storing diazinon products

in their garages. Old supplies remain legal for consumers to use as long

as the directions on the label are followed.

The EPA gave nurseries, hardware stores and other retail outlets four

years' notice for the ban, and manufacturers ceased production last

year. As a result, most stores have run out of diazinon.

" We think there are a few retailers with the product on the shelf, but

not much, " said Parsons, a team leader at EPA's Office of

Pesticide Programs in Washington.

On Thursday, an EBay seller in Florida was auctioning at least 20

8-ounce spray bottles at a beginning price of $3.50 each, but the

auctions stated that all sales would end Friday. A gallon of highly

concentrated diazinon sold for $132.50 in an EBay auction Wednesday.

Most nurseries and other stores haven't offered diazinon for months.

" We stopped selling it since the first of the year, " said Rudy Refuerzo,

assistant manager at an Armstrong Garden Center in Long Beach. " We tell

consumers it's been off the market because of the EPA directive. "

Multipurpose chemical pesticides such as diazinon are rare because the

EPA has phased out several organophosphates, which kill insects by

targeting their nervous systems.

The bans came after President Clinton signed a tougher pesticide law in

1996.

inon is still legal to use on about 40 crops, and California ranks

among the top three states that use substantial amounts for agriculture.

EPA officials said the risks from agricultural use are considered low

compared with residential use because the chemical is most dangerous

from inhalation and skin contact, not from consumption of foods. Small

amounts have been detected in some food and drinking water, but the

levels are below that which might pose a risk to people, according to an

EPA assessment.

Environmental groups, however, have criticized the EPA for not banning

all uses of a pesticide with known dangers.

Unlike the pesticide DDT, which was banned in the United States 30 years

ago, diazinon does not persist in the environment or build up in the

food chain. Instead, it is short-lived, breaking down within hours.

However, it moves through soil and readily flows into groundwater or

surface water. Residential use of diazinon in the 1990s accounted for

more bird kills than any other pesticide, the EPA said.

High doses can kill people or cause neurological problems such as

dizziness, headache, weakness, muscle paralysis and nausea, according to

the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. inon

was derived from the same family of chemicals as the sarin nerve gas

developed during World War II.

The insecticide was sold in liquid and granular form and was often

marketed as a lawn treatment or ant killer under brand names such as

Ortho, Spectracide and Real-Kill. Its chemical name is listed on the

label under active ingredients.

If consumers choose to use it, they should wear gloves, and pets and

people should be kept off the lawn or garden for several hours. Care

should be taken to prevent the insecticide from washing off yards into

waterways.

Consumers should not throw unwanted diazinon or other chemicals in the

trash or down the drain. Instead, they should contact their city or

county household hazardous waste program for free disposal. Los Angeles

County residents can call (800) 238-0173 or (888) CLEAN-LA for

collection locations. Orange County residents can call (714) 834-6752.

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

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