Corrected URLs

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Subject:  Corrected URLs
 Date:     Sat, 20 Apr 2002 16:02:17 -0400
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

Dear Steve,

The federal statute you mentioned in your email is an important one for people to cite in their correspondence with government and/or private agencies in their activism efforts. Please post the location where they can read all of the laws relating to the marketing/labeling of pesticidal products. The text version can be read in the Code of Federal Regulations. Go to that website database located at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-retrieve.html

and type into the appropriate blocks, title 40, CRF part 156 section 10 for the text of the regulations.

Of particular interest are the following portions of the law: A product is declared "misbranded" if it utilizes

"...(v) Any statement directly or indirectly implying that the pesticide or device is recommended or endorsed by any agency of the Federal Government"

Personal note: This is important since users generally misuse the term "approval" for EPA registered products, to imply endorsement. This is a very popular ploy among government officials involved in municipal spray programs.

"... (ix) Claims as to the safety of the pesticide or its ingredients, including statements such as ``safe,创 ``nonpoisonous,创 ``noninjurious,创 ``harmless创 or ``nontoxic to humans and pets创 with or without such a qualifying phrase as ``when used as directed创; and  (x) Non-numerical and/or comparative statements on the safety of the product, including but not limited to:  (A) ``Contains all natural ingredients创;  (B) ``Among the least toxic chemicals known创  (C) ``Pollution approved创

Personal note: We are constantly bombarded with false claims of safety for these products - get the perpetrators of such verbal fraud to put THAT in writing.

"...(g) Ingredient statement--(1) General. The label of each pesticide product must bear a statement which contains the name and percentage by weight of each active ingredient, the total percentage by weight of all inert ingredients; and if the pesticide contains arsenic in any form, a statement of the percentages of total and water-soluble arsenic calculated as elemental arsenic. The active ingredients must be designated by the term ``active ingredients创 and the inert ingredients by the term ``inert ingredients,创 or the singular forms of these terms when appropriate."

Personal note: Inert ingredients do not have to be identified by name, only by percentage of inclusion in the product. However, another section states that the EPA administrator can require the name of an inert ingredient to be listed on a label if he/she deems the ingredient to be hazardous. This is a good opportunity to petition the EPA for inclusion by name of many highly toxic inerts currently allowed to go unnamed.

"(6) Deterioration. Pesticides which change in chemical composition significantly must meet the following labeling requirements: [[Page 57]]  (i) In cases where it is determined that a pesticide formulation changes chemical composition significantly, the product must bear the following statement in a prominent position on the label: ``Not for sale or use after [date].创

Personal note: Again, the degradation of these chemicals must be well documented in toxicological data and it is likely that this is a little enforced part of the labeling laws. Lastly, all products are supposed to say "keep out of the reach of children". Now if we could just modify it to read, keep out of the lungs, mouths, brains...

Regards,  Barbara Rubin Raisyl@webtv.net


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