SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A23

LENGTH: 466 words

HEADLINE: Manufacturer to Pull Common Pesticide, Dursban, Off Market

BYLINE: Guy Gugliotta , Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:




The makers of Dursban, the most widely used pesticide in the nation, yesterday announced they had agreed to stop making the substance for household use.

The announcement came as the Environmental Protection Agency officially announced that it had determined that the substance, also known as chlorpyrifos, may pose a greater risk to human health than previously believed.

Under an agreement reached with Dow AgroSciences, of Indianapolis, and five other makers of chlorpyrifos, manufacture of the chemical for household use will cease by the end of the year, and retail sales will end Dec. 31, 2001. Pest control companies will be able to use chlorpyrifos for termites in existing houses and buildings until Dec. 31, 2002, and in new construction until the end of 2005, unless new research shows that it poses no threat to health. Use for agricultural crops will continue, except for apples, grapes and tomatoes, which retain chlorpyrifos residue after they are picked.

"This action is good news for the protection of our country's public health," said EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner. "It is good news for the environment. And it is particularly good news for children, who are among the most vulnerable to . . . pesticides."

The agreement arose after the EPA concluded that allowable exposures to chlorpyrifos, sold for more than 30 years, posed an unacceptable risk to children, based mostly on Dow research that showed brain damage to fetal rats whose mothers were given the chemical. The Washington Post reported the EPA had reached that conclusion last week.

Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., markets chlorpyrifos under the trade name Dursban, and is the only U.S. manufacturer. Chlorpyrifos is sold nationwide in some 825 products, including such consumer favorites as Ortho Lawn Insect Spray and Real Kill Wasp & Hornet Killer II.

In all, Americans spend about $ 500 million each year for 19 million pounds of chlorpyrifos, with agriculture accounting for 11 million pounds, and homes and gardens another 3 million pounds. The rest is used in commerce, industry and government.

Dow AgroSciences voluntarily agreed to the ban, but, in a statement accompanying the announcement, blamed the stringent standards of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) for changing a regulatory regime that had been in place for years:

"Because of the FQPA, the rules have changed," said Dow AgroSciences executive Elin Miller. "We ultimately felt we had to reach an agreement with EPA for the use of these products . . ., but this does not change our conviction in the safety of chlorpyrifos for all labeled uses."

Environmentalists praised the agreement, but called for retailers to stop selling chlorpyrifos products as soon as possible.



LOAD-DATE: June 09, 2000