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EPA Administrator Carol Browner, in one of her first official acts at the agency, has released a list of some 35 pesticides whose future use could depend on pending court cases.
The statement said that as EPA "moves forward with the list of chemicals for comment on possible cancellation," the agency plans to "confer carefully with congressional leadership and other interested parties, including environmental and agricultural groups, on what course might be best for assuring safer pesticide laws."
Browner pointed out that minimal risk standards that would make Delaney consistent with other pesticide and environmental laws have been recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). But she stressed that all options for improving food safety remain under review. NOTE: The EPA has released a Federal Register notice (2/5/93) requesting comment on modifying pesticide tolerance notices.
The decision to release the lists was triggered, in part, by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling last July that EPA must strictly enforce the Delaney clause, which says that no substance known to be carcinogenic to humans or animals shall be added to processed foods. This zero risk application of the law covers even residues of carcinogenic substances that appear in small amounts.
An EPA news release that accompanied Browner's statement said that for several reasons the pesticide uses eventually affected by the court's ruling may be considerably smaller than the current released list. Conversely, the agency said the list should not be viewed as definitive or final because there may be additional pesticides that are affected, but are not included in the newly released list.
Another factor delaying implementation of the Ninth Circuit ruling is the petition by the National Agricultural Chemicals Association (NACA) to the Supreme Court to review the case. A decision as to whether it will hear the case is expected in March.
Following is the list of pesticides and their uses that EPA says may potentially be affected should the agency be held to a strict interpretation of the Delaney clause:
List I: The first list contains pesticides that have established Section 409 food additive tolerances. Those challenged in court are noted with an asterisk.
List I
REGISTERED PROCESSED FOOD/FEED PESTIClDE RAW CROP (408s) WITH 409 TOLERANCE(S) _________ _______________ _____________________ Acephate Cotton Seed Hulls (186.100) Meal (186.100) Soybeans Meal ( 186.100) Food handling establishments (185.100) *Benomyl Apples Pomace (Dried) (186.350) Citrus Pulp (dried) (186.350) *Grapes Pomace (dried) (186.350) *Raisins (185.350) Raisin Waste (186.350) Rice Hulls (186.350) *Tomatoes *Puree or Catsup (185.350) Captan Grapes Raisins (185.500) Corn Seed (detreated)(186.500) *Dichlorvos *Packaged goods (Proposed for revocation) (185.1900) *Dicofol *Tea (dried)(Processed for revocation)(185.410) Dimethipin Cotton Seed Hulls (186.2050) Dimethoate Citrus Pulp (dried)(186.2100) Ethylene Oxide Whole spices Ground Spices (185.2850) Copra, Black Walnut Meats *Mancozeb *Barley *Bran (185.6300) (revocation Proposed) Flour (185.6300) Milled Fractions (186.6300) *Grapes *Raisins (185.6300) *Oats *Bran (185.6300) revocation proposed) Milled fractions (186.6300) Flour (185.6300) Rye Flour (185.6300) *Bran (185.6300) Milled Fractions (186.6300) *Wheat *Bran (185.6300) Flour (185.6300) Milled Fractions (186.6300) Methomyl Dried hops (185.4100) Norflurazon Citrus Fruit Molasses (186.4450) Pulp (dried) (186.4450) Dried hops (185.4450) Oxyflurofen Cotton Seed Oil (185.4600) Peppermint Oil (185.4600) Spearmint Oil (185.4600) Soybean Oil (185.4600) *Phosmet *Cotton *Seed oil (Crude and Refined)(185.3950) Propargite Apples Dried pomace (186.5000) Grapes Raisins (185.5000),Dried pomace (186.5000) Figs Dried (185.5000) Citrus Pulp (186.5000) Hops Dried hops (185.5000) Tea Dried tea (185.5000) Simazine Sugarcane Molasses, byproducts (185.5350) Syrup, byproducts (185.5350) Potable water (185.5350) Thiophanate- Apples Pomace (dried)(186.5700) methyl Triadimefon Apples Pomace (186.800) (Bayleton) Barley Milled Fractions, excluding flour (185.800) Grapes Pomace (186.800) Raisin Waste (186.800) Wheat Milled Fractions excluding flour (185.800 *Trifluralin *Peppermint *Oil (185.5900) (Treflan) *Spearmint *Oil (185.5900)
The following list of pesticides do not have established section 409 food additive tolerances, but based upon data indicating concentration during processing, would require food additive tolerances under EPA's current policy.
REGISTERED CROP(S) WITH SECTION PROCESSED FOOD(S) WITH PESTICIDE 408 T0LERANCE(S) NO SECTION 409 TOLERANCE(S) __________ ____________________ __________________________ Acephate soybean Hulls Alachlor peanuts Meal sorghum Flour, Bran, and Germ soybeans Hulls, Meal sunflower seed Meal Asulum sugarcane Bagasse and Molasses Atrazine sugarcane Bagasse, Molasses Benomyl rice Bran Captan apples Dried Pomace grapes Raisin Waste, Juice and Dried Pomace plums Prunes tomatoes Dried Pomace Chlorothalonil soybeans Hulls potatoes Wet Peel Dicamba barley Hulls, Bran, Pearl Barley millet Hulls, Meal oats Hulls, Rolled Oats wheat Bran, Shorts, Middlings Dichlorvos Food handling establishments Dicofol apples Dried Pomace citrus Oil grapes Dried Pomace, Raisins, Raisin Waste Dried Hops Dimethoate apples Juice citrus Oil Hexazinone sugarcane Bagasse and Molasses Lindane tomatoes Dried Pomace Linuron potatoes Dry & Wet Peel,Dehydrated Granules, Chips Mancozeb apples Dried Pomace grapes Raisin Waste sugar beets Pulp wheat Middlings Maneb apples Dried Pomace sugar beets Pulp grapes Raisin Waste Methidathion citrus Oil Metiram apples Dried Pomace sugar beets Pulp Metolachlor peanuts Meal Methomyl wheat Bran Oxyflurofen apples Dried Pomace PCNB potatoes Wet and Dried Peel tomatoes Dried Pomace Permethrin tomatoes Dried Pomace (Restricted to fresh tomatoes) Phosmet citrus Oil Propargite citrus Oil plums Prunes grapes Raisin Waste Simazine sugarcane Bagasse Triadimefon pineapple Bran
Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 2/3/93