SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1A

LENGTH: 413 words

HEADLINE: EPA to phase out popular insecticide diazinon Health risks to children cited

BYLINE: Peter Eisler

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:
WASHINGTON -- The government will announce a ban today on the
insecticide diazinon, the last widely used pest-control product
made from a class of chemicals linked to health risks for children.


The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a voluntary
agreement with diazinon's chief manufacturer, Syngenta, to phase
out all home and garden applications of the pesticide over the
next four years, according to sources familiar with the deal.


Used in everything from household ant and roach killers to grub-killing
lawn sprays, diazinon is marketed under such brands as Ortho,
Spectracide and Real-Kill.
The agreement is a major milestone in pesticide regulation, effectively
marking the end of organophosphates, or OPs, chemicals derived
from nerve gas agents developed during World War II.


Once among the nation's most widely used pesticides, OPs were
singled out for a regulatory crackdown six years ago amid studies
linking them to neurological disorders and other health problems
in children.


"All of these chemicals act through the same biochemical mechanism
in the brain . . . they all occupy the same chemical family
as sarin nerve gas," said Philip Landrigan of the Mount Sinai
School of Medicine, leader of a coalition of pediatricians seeking
to abolish the use of OP pesticides.


Under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, Congress ordered
sweeping safety reviews of all pesticides, starting with OPs.
But thousands of pesticide uses have yet to be evaluated. Chemical
and agriculture interests have fought the process, arguing that
the EPA is targeting safe pesticides needed to protect crops.


Diazinon manufacturers say the product poses no health threat
with normal application, and the EPA, which considers it less
risky than other banned OPs, will continue to allow some commercial
crop uses. But Syngenta officials say they can't justify paying
for new studies needed to prove diazinon's safety for consumer
use.


The EPA's agreement to a phase out "confirms the value and safety
of this product," Syngenta's Eileen Watson said.


Environmental and consumer groups urged retailers to halt diazinon
sales immediately.


"This is probably the best EPA could do for consumers in the
face of pressure from a pesticide industry that's exposed people
to unsafe products for decades," said Richard Wiles of the Environmental
Working Group. "Policy here is slowly catching up to science."





GRAPHIC: PHOTO, color; Pesticides

LOAD-DATE: December 05, 2000