Dear Lyndon, I thought you might like to read an article
entitled: Ban Dursban, dated OCTOBER 27, 1999 - Government Finds Excessive
Risks in Widely Used Insecticide -Majority of U.S. Population Exposed -
Children Found Especially Vulnerable - Environmental Group Renews Demand:
"Ban Dursban".
Washington, Oct. 28--A massive government review has
concluded that the most widely used insecticide in the United States poses
excessive safety risks to millions of Americans each year who are exposed when
they use the chemical to kill bugs in their homes or gardens, or consume food
contaminated with the compound.
The findings, posted by the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) on its web site (www.epa.gov/pesticides) late yesterday, are
especially significant because the pesticide, which kills pests and injures
humans by disrupting their nervous systems, has been registered and heavily
used in the United States since 1965. The government study says that the
majority of the U.S. population is exposed to the chemical each year.
According to the Federal Centers for Disease control, 82 percent of
Americans already have the insecticide (POISON) in their bodies.
According to the government, a recent Minnesota study
found the bug killer at detectable levels in over 90 percent of school
children examined.
"This government study firmly supports our research
and position," said EWG analyst Todd Hettenbach. "Dursban must be
banned."
Federal officials are expected to make an announcement
today on their findings.
The insecticide, chlorpyrifos, is manufactured by Dow
Chemical and marketed for over 800 uses, many under the trade name Dursban.
The chemical is used in homes, schools, hospitals and daycare centers to kill
a wide range of insects. Dursban is also the top insecticide used on crop
fields. Residues of the chemical are found on dozens of crops, including
vegetables and grains.
The government review was triggered by a food safety law
passed in 1996 that required regulators to reexamine hundreds of pesticides to
make sure they are safe for children.
There are several safer alternatives to Dursban widely
available. Some of these are also manufactured by Dow Chemical. Consumers are
advised to return any unopened Dursban products or others containing
chlorpyriphos, to the store where they were purchased. Opened products should
be taken to your local community hazardous waste collection facility.
According to EPA's new review, nearly all of the common
home uses of Dursban are unsafe for the home applicator.
|
Percent of EPA's
Safe Dose
|
Method of Application |
| 10,000 |
Hand spreader of granules |
| 1,765 |
Hand application of granules |
| 1,304 |
Sprayer attached to hose (residential) |
| 811 |
Application with hand sprayer (inside) |
| 435 |
Application with hand sprayer (outside) |
| 273 |
Push spreader application of granules |
| 214 |
Home application of termiticide with paint brush |
| 150 |
Indoor Crack and Crevice Spray |
| 130 |
Sprayer attached to hose (bushes and shrubs) |
| 120 |
Insecticide dust |
| 51 |
Low concentration ant dust |
Dursban home and lawn use is unsafe for children.
|
Percent of EPA's Safe Dose |
Exposure Route |
| 4,000 |
Lawn Application (liquid) |
| 3,750 |
Dog Collars |
| 968 |
Cat Collars |
| 411 |
Lawn Application (granules) |
| 319 |
Residues left in carpets after extermination |
| 231 |
Roach Spray in Kitchen |
| 13 |
Aerial and Ground-based Mosquito Fogger |
Environmental Working Group • 1718 Connecticut Ave.,
N.W., Suite 600 • Washington, DC 20009 • info@ewg.org
Well Lyndon, as you well know the above research only
looked at the active ingredient's risk and simply ignored all of the inherent
dangers caused by all of the "inerts", contaminants, metabolites,
transformation products, synergistic effects, etc. I find it amazing that you can say with a straight face that
you are protecting the public by demanding that only your
"registered" POISONS be used in California!
History will certainly prove "no one" cared to use the
precautionary principle before they "registered" many POISONS! It is
a terrible shame that it took 35 years to find out this POISON presented any
unacceptable health risk.
Respectfully, Stephen
L. Tvedten
