EPA Pesticide Program Updates: January 16, 2001

How to Submit Comments About Diazinon (Deadline February 9, 2001)

As you probably already know, the registrants, Syngenta (formerly Novartis) and Makhteshim-Agan North American, announced at the diazinon technical briefing (12/5/00) their plans to drop indoor uses, phase out outdoor uses and cancel certain agricultural uses. The agreement and other documents from the technical briefing can be found at EPA's website.

The EPA plans to release the revised risk assessment documents for diazinon by 1/24/01. This will be followed by a 60-day comment period.

The EPA also announced at the technical briefing their intent to publish a 6f notice (Receipt of Requests for Amendments and Cancellations) to formally cancel the uses. EPA released this 6f notice on 1/10/01 in the Federal Register. The notice is attached and is also on the web.

Agricultural uses to be canceled include: Alfalfa, bananas, Bermuda grass, dried beans, celery, red chicory (radicchio), citrus, clover, coffee, cotton, cowpeas, cucumbers, dandelions, kiwi, lespedeza, parsley, parsnips, pastures, peppers, Irish potatoes, sheep, sorghum, spinach, squash (winter and summer), sweet potatoes, rangeland, strawberries, swiss chard, tobacco, tomatoes, turnips.

The 30-day comment period for the 6f notice ends by 2/9/01. Since there are no dietary concerns with diazinon, we understand that if there is a clear need for continued diazinon use in these crops, the EPA will re-consider maintaining these registrations. Additionally, the registrant has stated their willingness to support registration for critical diazinon uses.

If this use is important to you, please submit your comments including whether there is an economically viable, efficacious alternative available for your commodity, formulation used, application rates and pests controlled. EPA will consider the rationale for maintaining the use if it is clear that there are no alternatives available or if available alternatives would place financial hardship on the grower.

The USDA plans to submit formal comments to EPA in response to the 6f notice. We would like to assure your commodity's need for diazinon is captured in the USDA comments. If there is any information you would like to share with us, please do so by 1/25/01. Additionally, to ensure this critical information is considered as part of the public comments in the EPA docket for diazinon, please submit your comments directly to EPA.

EPA Notice: You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or electronically. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket control number OPP-34225B in the subject line on the first page of your response. By mail. Submit your comments to: Public Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information Resources and Services Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. In person or by courier. Deliver your comments to: Public Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information Resources and Services Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA. The PIRIB is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The PIRIB telephone number is (703) 305-5805. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically opp-docket@epa.gov. or you can submit a computer disk as described above. Do not submit any information electronically that you consider to be CBI. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Electronic submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect 6.1/ 8.0 or ASCII file format. All comments in electronic form must be identified by docket control number OPP-34225B. Electronic comments may also be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.

The Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), together with National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS), is currently working with EPA to provide information for refining the occupational risk assessment for diazinon. The current version of the occupational assessment will be available on the EPA website by 1/24/01. It is this version of the assessment that we are working to refine. We will keep you informed of our progress.

Do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

Rick Melnicoe, Director
Western Region Pest Management Center
Department of Environmental Toxicology
4138 Meyer Hall (Delivery Address for FEDEX)
One Shields Avenue
University of California
Davis, California 95616-8588
Telephone: (530) 754-8378
FAX: (530) 754-8379
E-Mail: rsmelnicoe@ucdavis.edu
Web: http://www.wrpmc.ucdavis.edu