For additional information, consult our homepage at http://ipmwww.ncsu.edu/opmppiap/. Direct questions and comments to: your State Liaison Representative (see web page) for the Pesticide Impact Assessment Program; or Kent Smith at ksmith@ars.usda.gov or 202-720-3186, fax 202-720-3191. To receive the RNN, send an email message to Majordomo@ars-grin.gov, leave the subject line blank, and type "subscribe rnn" in the body.

The "May in Review" section below spotlights recent meetings that included presentations by OPMP staffers. In addition, OPMP staff continue extensive interaction with EPA personnel, growers and others. Four new preliminary risk assessments of organophosphate pesticides have been received from EPA: Naled, Fenamiphos, Tribufos and Ethoprop. OPMP is coordinating the USDA/land-grant university review of these assessments, as it has for 10 prior assessments. Six of those reviews are complete and summaries have been forwarded to EPA.

Considerable USDA/land-grant input also is going into preparation for EPA public meetings on risk mitigation for the fumigants aluminum and magnesium phosphide. The meetings, likely to occur in the fall, will be announced by a Federal Register notice. The notice will outline a new set of proposed risk mitigation measures(RMMs), which OPMP staff will work on with EPA through this summer.

To help reduce residues and reliance on organophosphate pesticides, the OPMP is seeking ways to support development of transition strategies on a commodity-by-commodity basis, with particular aim toward the foods most eaten by children. Upcoming activities include meetings with food processors to explore means for their involvement, as well as a work session to develop a transition proposal for a pilot crop region.

Azinphos-Methyl: From Risk Assessment to Risk Mitigation
With its May 19 technical briefing on a revised risk assessment for this chemical, the EPA kicked off a public comment period through July 19 to take suggestions for risk management. Such comments could address how to manage dietary, occupational or ecological risks on specific azinphos-methyl use sites across the United States or in particular geographic regions.

At the technical briefing, EPA's Steve Johnson, acting deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said, "We do believe it is now time to move seriously into the next phase for this chemical, and look at ways to reduce exposure in an orderly, common sense way.

"Let me also say ... our unequivocal advice is that consumers should continue to eat a healthy and balanced diet, which includes the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. We do not believe, based on our pilot process, that it is necessary to take immediate action to address any of the risks from this chemical." To obtain the revised risk assessment and related documents, go to http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/azm.htm. Contact: Karen Angulo at 703-308-8004 or angulo.karen@epa.gov.

A First for Mosquito Control Officials
Representatives of mosquito control districts, registrants, state agencies, universities, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control met during the first Annual American Mosquito Control Association Day in Washington D.C., May 12-13. OPMP's Teung Chin gave an overview of USDA's experience with the pilot process for review of organophosphate risk assessments.

To date, USDA feedback to EPA has included two OPs of significant public health importance: fenthion and temephos. Reviewers came from the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit of USDA's Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Florida, and Florida A&M's Public Health Entomology Research and Education Center in Panama City. Texas A&M's Center for Urban and Structural Entomology has joined the review for Naled, which is now underway. EPA technical briefings for these three chemicals are projected to take place between late June and mid-July, possibly leading to the risk mitigation phase by the end of FY99.

Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA), co-sponsor of H.R. 1592, was the keynote speaker. Entitled the Regulatory Fairness and Openness Act, H.R. 1592 seeks to: modify aspects of FQPA implementation; designate a National Center for Environmental Health at CDC to implement public health pesticide data collection; and permanently install a Pesticide Advisory Committee to replace the outgoing Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee.

U.S.-Canada Pesticide Conference
On May 6, USDA Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger and his Canadian counterpart, Deputy Minister Frank Claydon, chaired a meeting in Washington D.C. to address pesticide trade issues. The meeting included representatives from EPA, Canada's Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), state and provincial governments, pesticide companies, and U.S. and Canadian growers of wheat, barley, canola, fruit and vegetables. There was an information exchange on all the pesticides registered for use on wheat, barley and canola in both countries. Participants agreed to continue working together in several areas, such as improving coordination of the review and approval process for pesticides, exploring alternative approaches to pest management, and helping farmers manage the transition as EPA and PMRA re-evaluate the regulatory status of currently registered pesticides. Canada will host a second pesticide conference later this year.

Subsequently, USDA has talked to a number of commodity representatives about the importance of setting priorities for registration actions. USDA will organize a follow-up meeting, probably in September, for growers and commodity groups to discuss registration needs and priorities.

Workshop on Bt Crop Resistance Management.
USDA and EPA will hold a joint public workshop in Chicago on managing the emergence of insect populations resistant to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) plant-pesticides. Features include panel and open discussions on refuge design, grower education, monitoring and compliance issues.

When and where: Friday, June 18, from 8 am - 5:30 pm, at the Holiday Inn O'Hare International (888-642-7344). The agenda, registration form, draft questions for panelists and an EPA/USDA position paper are posted online at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/btworkshop618.htm. Register with Teresa Bullock by e-mail or fax at tbullock@niu.edu or 815-753-9348. Comments on the position paper will be accepted through July 23.

Crop Profiles Posted in May
Now numbering 108, these profiles summarize crop production and pest management practices and problems at the state level. Newest on the web at ipmwww.ncsu.edu/opmppiap/proindex.htm are:
American Samoa: banana
California: apple, leaf lettuce, nectarines, olive, rice
Indiana: processing tomatoes
Maryland: sweet corn
Michigan: blueberry
New York: lettuce, onions, squash, pumpkin, cucumber, peppers, tomato, potato, cabbage, sweet corn, dry beans, peas
North Carolina: grapes, peaches, tomato

Use of Pesticide Data Program in Acute Dietary Risk Assessment
July 26 comment deadline . . . on a draft policy paper entitiled, Use of the Pesticide Data Program in Acute Dietary Assessment. This notice is the eighth in a series concerning science policy documents related to the Food Quality Protection Act. The EPA has identified a statistical method for applying existing information from the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP) to risk assessments of the acute exposure to pesticide residues in food.

Access: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/ for a copy of the notice, draft science paper and related documents. Search under EPA-PEST, May 26, 1999, and select the title, Pesticides; Policy Issues Related to the Food Quality Protection Act. Contact: Kathleen Martin at 703-305-5147 or martin.kathleen@epa.gov.

Preliminary Risk Assessment: Phostebupirim (Tebupirimfos)
July 26 comment deadline: EPA's preliminary human health risk assessment for this organophosphate is now available for comment. Comments may provide additional data to further refine the assessment, such as percent crop treated or residue data from food processing studies. Comments also may address the risk assessment methodologies and assumptions as applied to this specific chemical. For a copy of this preliminary assessment and related documents, go to http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/phostebupirim.htm. Contact: Karen Angulo at 703-308-8004 or angulo.karen@epa.gov.

Tolerance Revocation: Monocrotophos
July 20 objections deadline: EPA has revoked food use tolerances for this organophosphate insecticide on tomatoes, cottonseed, potatoes, sugarcane, peanuts and concentrated tomato products. Monocrotophos has not been registered for use in the U.S. since 1991, but import tolerances are legal. To allow use of existing stocks of the pesticide, these tolerance revocations will not become effective until December 31, 2000, after which no tolerances will remain for monocrotophos. For a copy of this notice, go to http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/ and click on EPA-Pest and the date, April 21, 1999. Contact: Jamil Mixon at 703-308-8032 or mixon.jamil@epa.gov.

Proposed Tolerance Revocation: Formaldehyde
July 23 comment deadline: EPA proposes to revoke a tolerance exemption for residues of formaldehyde or a mixture of methylene bispropionate and oxy(bismethylene) bispropionate in or on grains of barley, corn, oats, sorghum and wheat; as well as the forages of alfalfa, Bermuda grass, bluegrass, brome grass, clover, cowpea hay, fescue, lespedeza, lupines, orchard grass, peanut hay, peavine hay, rye grass, soybean hay, sudan grass, timothy and vetch from post-harvest application as a fungicide to treat animal feeds. There are currently no registered uses for formaldehyde on these commodities. This action was published in the Federal Register on May 22, on pages 27943-27947. Contact: Phil Budig at 703-308-8029 or budig.phil@epa.gov.

Proposed Tolerance Revocation: Carbaryl, Diazinon, Disulfoton, Ethoprop and Parathion
July 23 comment deadline . . . on proposed revocations of the tolerances associated with some canceled pesticide uses and regulatory rearrangements. Interested parties may wish to support retention of a tolerance so treated commodities may be legally imported. Agricultural sites affected:
Carbaryl - avocados and maple sap (result of voluntary cancellations);
Diazinon - birdsfoot trefoil and its hay, grass and its hay, olives, peanuts and its forage and hay, pecans, soybeans and its forage, and sugarcane (result of voluntary cancellations); beans hay and forage, guar beans forage, and pineapple forage (not considered significant animal feed items); boysenberries and dewberries (covered by tolerance for blackberries);
Disulfoton - foliage of pineapples (not considered significant animal feed item);
Ethoprop - forage of lima and snap beans, fodder and forage of pineapple, and forage of sugarcane (not considered significant animal feed items);
Parathion - boysenberries and youngberries (covered by tolerance for blackberries).

The revocations on disulfoton, ethoprop and parathion are regulatory adjustments and apparently will not affect the continued use of registered uses on affected crops. This proposal was published May 24 in the Federal Register on pages 27947-27951. Contact: Amy Caicedo at 703-308-9399 or caicedo.amy@epa.gov.

Voluntary Cancellation: Isofenphos (Oftanol)
EPA canceled all registrations of isofenphos, following a voluntary cancellation request by the Bayer Corporation. The effective cancellation date of the last isofenphos end-use product, Oftanol 2 (EPA Reg. No. 3125-342), is September 30, 1999. This insecticide/miticide was registered for use on ornamental flowering plants, woody shrubs, turf and trees. Notice was given here and in the Federal Register (64 FR 2642) of the initial request by Bayer for voluntary cancellation. Existing stocks of Oftanol 2 may be sold or distributed by registrants until September 30, 2000, and sold, distributed or used by others after that date. Contact: Philip Poli at 703-308-8038 or poli.philip@epa.gov.

EthylBloc Registered as Reduced-Risk Pesticide
EPA approved registration of EthylBloc as a new reduced-risk biological pesticide. EthylBloc is a plant growth regulator designed for commercial use in confined areas to extend the life of fresh cut flowers and potted flowering, bedding, nursery and foliage plants. Plants can be treated in enclosed areas such as rooms, coolers, greenhouses, truck trailers and shipping containers. Contact: Brian Steinwand at 703-308-7973.

The Reregistration Notification Network is a cooperative effort of OPMP-PIAP, Interregional Project No. 4 (IR-4), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the American Crop Protection Association (ACPA).
Last Modified June 7, 1999