News from the EPA

• Proposed voluntary cancellation of Sulfotepp
  

• Grower goes to jail for misuse of pesticides

[ Pesticide Poisoning and Kids ] * [ Symptoms of Pesticide Poisoning ]
[ MEMORIAL TO VICTIMS ]

Subject:   More of your "registered" POISONS in the news------
Date:        Tue, 08 Feb 2000 10:34:31 -0500
From:        Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)

To:     Lyndon Hawkins <hawkins@empm.cdpr.ca.gov>
          State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
          Integrated Pest Management

Lyndon, I thought you might like to read some news from the EPA:

1)    EPA PROPOSES VOLUNTARY CANCELLATION OF SULFOTEPP

On December 22, 1999, EPA published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of the Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) document for the organophosphate pesticide sulfotepp. The RED represents EPA's formal regulatory assessment of the health and environmental data on this chemical. Based on the limited data available for this chemical, risk assessment results showed high estimated risks to workers and bystanders. The companies that hold the pesticide registrations for sulfotepp were unable to provide data needed to refine the risk assessments and agreed to changes to their labels to reduce risk. They also have asked EPA to cancel their registrations with an effective date of September 30, 2002. This notice also announces receipt of these requests for voluntary cancellation. EPA intends to accept these requests. However, EPA will not proceed with this cancellation if the registrants are able to develop and submit acceptable data showing risks to workers and bystanders that do not exceed the Agency's level of concern.

Comments on the RED or the proposed voluntary cancellation must be received by

February 22, 2000, identified by docket control number OPP-34146B. The Federal

Register notice (Vol. 64, No. 245, Pages 71754-71757) is available on EPA's web site:-

(http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/). The RED also is available on the web at:-

http://www.epa.gov/REDs/. For more information, contact Robbi Farrell,

703-308-8065 or via email at:- farrell.roberta@epa.gov.

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2)    HAWAIIAN ILLEGALLY ORDERED WORKER USE OF PESTICIDE

(Press Advisory (2/3/00)

Kap Dong Kim, owner of a ginger root farm in Hilo, Hawaii, was sentenced to four months in prison and a $5,000 fine and was ordered to pay $6,113 in restitution on Jan. 24, in U.S. District Court in Honolulu. Kim previously pleaded guilty to illegally using the restricted use the pesticide nemacur on his ginger root crop in violation of the Federal Pesticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Kim directed workers to apply it on the crop without following required standards for worker protection. One worker was poisoned and had to be hospitalized. Kim then deliberately failed to disclose the pesticide application when questioned by a government official. Civil charges against Kim are also pending. This case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture with the assistance of EPA's National Enforcement Investigations Center, and was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Well Lyndon, wouldn't it be simpler to "legally" allow the use of safe and far more effective alternatives to your dangerous "registered" POISONS?

Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten