Pesticide update [2000 : summer-fall, v.18 : no.2]

North Carolina Dept, of Agriculture & Consumer Services 2 West Edenton St. • Ralecji, N. C. 27611 James A. Graham, Commissioner Phone: 919/733-3556 Fax: 919/733-9796 voi. xviii - No. 2 Pesticide Section / Food & Drug Protection Division Summer/Fail 2000 http://www.ncagr.com/fooddrug/pesticid/index.htm Student Winners Honored in Pesticide Container Recycling Poster Contest By Colleen Hudak, Special Programs M an ager gricultural Commissioner Jim Graham recently presented three FFA students with plaques and $500 U S. Savings Bonds for their winning entries in the 1999 Pesticide Container Recycling Poster Contest. For this contest, students were asked to create a poster theme that could be used to promote the state’s plastic pesticide container recycling program. Erica Boliek and Amber Coffey, both of West Alexander Junior High School in Taylorsville, submitted the winning design depicting a “walking pesticide container” with the slogan “Pick Plastic Pesticide Containers, They’re Recyclable!” Erica and Amber’s entry was chosen from more than 80 entries. Lisa Dawn Wood, of Southern Nash Senior High School in Bailey, designed the second-place poster. Lisa’s poster featured a “To Do Checklist” reminding applicators to rinse and recycle their pesticide containers. Copies of the winning posters have been mass-produced and distributed statewide. The student designs are also being incorporated into advertisements and a variety of promotional items (pencils, plastic bags, flyswatters, etc.) that will be given out at fairs and trade shows. Pesticide Environmental Trust Fund (PETF) money, raised through environmental assessment fees paid by companies when they register pesticides for sale in North Carolina, was used to purchase the savings bonds, plaques, and promotional items. Since 1995, this fund has also financed grants to county governments for establishing or enhancing pesticide container recycling programs. Currently, 76 counties have active pesticide container recycling programs. To determine whether or not your county is one of these, check the NCDA&CS-Pesticide Section’s web page (http://www.ncagr.com/fooddrug/pesticid/recycle.htm) or call 919-733-3556. Amber Coffey, Erica Boliek, lisa Wood, Mark Elliot with Commlsloner Graham EPA Eliminates Nearly All Household Uses of "Dursban" ByDrs. MikeWalch and Wayne Buhler, NCCES any of you may have heard the EPA announcement about changes in the use of insecticide products containing chlorpyrifos, the most widely used pesticide in U S. households. Although more than 800 pesticide products containing this active ingredient are currently registered by the EPA.it is most commonly sold by Dow AgroSciences under the trade name “Dursban”. This recent action is part of the reassessment of all organophosphate and carbamate pesticides conducted under the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996, which imposes a significantly greater margin of safety to ensure the protection of children’s health. Some of the reports coming through the media contain inaccuracies or are written without being clear as to what is actually happening. The EPA did not “ban” Dursban, which would have meant an immediate recall of the product front the shelves of retail stores. The EPA reached an agreement with the manu¬ facturers on a phased withdrawal of the product from the market. This action should substantially reduce the amount of the chemical being used in the United States. The major impact of this agreement is on residential use. The companies will cease producing products containing chlorpyrifos for the consumer market at the end of the year, but existing stocks of these products, e g., what you would find currently in retail stores, can continue to be sold and used. Consumers will be able to purchase chlorpyrifos containing products for use in/ around homes and on lawns and gardens until December 3 1 , 200 1 . Continued on page 3 EPA did not "ban" Dursban • N СРВ Actions • Pesticide Container Recycling Grants for 2000 Announced • Pesticide Storage • Farmer's Flu • Fire Ant Biological Control • Pesticide Section's N ew W eb Site!