Government Studying Pesticide Risks

06:42 PM ET 10/28/99
By H. JOSEF HEBERT=
Associated Press Writer

       WASHINGTON (AP) _ A pesticide used on everything from lawns to pet collars is so pervasive that a majority of Americans, including children, face potential health risks, a preliminary risk assessment by the government suggested Thursday.

       An environmental group pressed for the chemical's removal from the market. But its producer argued that the preliminary finding by the Environmental Protection Agency contained ``numerous errors and omissions'' that exaggerated the risk.

       By next summer, EPA officials will decide whether to take additional steps to protect the public or whether to ban the insecticide chlorpyrifos.

       The assessment ``indicated that risks from the use of chlorpyrifos in residential settings, as well as its risk to applicators, are of concern,'' an agency statement said.

       ``This is a preliminary risk assessment,'' EPA spokesperson Kim Ruby said. ``We're putting it out now for expert and public comment and it will go through a rigorous review process.''

       Chlorpyrifos is one of 40 organophosphate pesticides under scrutiny as the EPA seeks to determine the health risks they pose, especially to children. The assessment stopped short of saying there was a clear public danger, although it said there was some evidence the chemical could affect the nervous system in humans.

       The chemical, produced by Dow Chemical Co., is sold under the trade name Dursban and Lorsban, which are marketed for use in more than 800 products, from pet collars to insecticides applied to food crops, lawns and gardens, the EPA review said. The chemical also is used indoors as a bug killer in hospitals, homes and daycare centers.

       The EPA estimated between 20 million and 24 million pounds of the chemical are applied annually.

       The products are so ``widely used by both homeowners and pest control operators and laws care operators'' that ``the majority of the U.S. population is exposed to chlorpyrifos,'' the EPA review found.

       A study of 993 adults found eight in 10 had ``measurable concentrations'' of the chemical in their urine. A study of 89 children found nine of every 10 with measurable concentrations, the review said.

       At a news conference, the Environmental Working Group displayed a variety of everyday insect control products, bought at hardware stores, that contained the chemical.

       ``It's clear that they can't leave this pesticide on the market the way it is,'' said Todd Hettenbach, a pesticide analyst for the advocacy group.

       Using data from the EPA assessment, Hettenbach said that people applying the insecticide on a variety of residential uses are exposed from two to 17 times the standard considered safe by the government.

       A statement by Dow AgroScience, the Dow Chemical subsidiary that has manufactured the insecticide since 1965, said chlorpyrifos products ``have wide margins of safety'' if used according to label instructions.

       ``Unless these products are seriously misused their margins of safety are wide enough to protect both adults and children,'' the company said.

       The company said that the EPA's preliminary assessment contained ``numerous errors, and omissions of critical data which skew the assessment's findings and artificially inflate its estimates of risk.''