Subject: PANUPS: Mevinphos Withdrawn in US..
From: [email-masked] (PANNA InfoPubs)
Date: 4 Aug 1994 02:23:25 -0000
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

>From: PANNA InfoPubs <paninfopubs>

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  PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK NORTH AMERICA UPDATES SERVICE
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Mevinphos Withdrawn in U.S. But Will Still Be Exported

August 3, 1994

In June 1994, in response to the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of California's planned 
actions to remove the pesticide mevinphos from the U.S. 
market, the Amvac Chemical Corporation of Los Angeles 
formally requested an immediate cancellation of all 
registrations of the pesticide. However, despite its extreme 
toxicity and history of worker poisonings, Amvac intends to 
continue production of mevinphos (Phosdrin) for use overseas.  
According to current U.S. law, pesticides that are banned in 
the U.S. may still be produced in the U.S. for export to 
other countries; beyond a notification requirement, there are 
no export restrictions on pesticides voluntarily withdrawn.  

As part of the mevinphos cancellation agreement, Amvac must 
stop production of mevinphos for sale and distribution in the 
U.S. effective June 30, 1994; existing stocks can be sold and 
distributed through December 1994; and farmers will be able 
to use existing stocks through February 1995.  Approximately 
200,000-300,000 pounds of mevinphos, a broad-spectrum 
organophosphate pesticide, are used annually in the U.S. on 
22 specialty/minor use crops such as strawberries, lemons, 
broccoli, spinach and lettuce. 

Mevinphos is one of the most acutely toxic pesticides 
available on the U.S. market today.  It is classified by the 
EPA as a Toxicity Category 1, or very highly hazardous 
pesticide, its highest toxicity calssification.  The United 
Nations World Health Organization (WHO) classifies mevinphos 
as Class 1A or "extremely hazardous."  According to the EPA, 
less than one teaspoon of mevinphos spilled on the skin could 
be lethal to an adult.  Mevinphos is even more toxic if taken 
orally -- ten drops or less could be fatal if swallowed.  

Based on mevinphos' extreme toxicity and the large number of 
poisoning incidents associated with it, the EPA determined 
that worker protection standards do not adequately mitigate 
the risks of this pesticide.  Recent EPA reviews of poisoning 
incidents in the U.S. have shown that a high number of human 
poisonings from mevinphos have occurred even when workers 
followed label restrictions.  The EPA stated, "Use of 
mevinphos poses an imminent hazard to the health of 
agricultural workers and others who may be exposed."

California incident data on over 1,000 organophosphate 
poisonings of agricultural workers showed that over 40% of 
the cases were associated with mevinphos.  The EPA states 
that over 600 mevinphos-related poisoning incidents were 
reported during the past decade.  In August 1993, 17 apple 
orchard workers in Washington state were poisoned by 
mevinphos; several required hospitalization.  In 1989, more 
than 75 field workers in Florida were poisoned when they were 
sent back into fields too soon after mevinphos was applied

Although mitigation measures had been discussed with Amvac, 
EPA decided that they were "insufficient to mitigate the 
unacceptable hazard posed by the use of mevinphos." Rather 
than face the stigma of having their product 'banned,' Amvac 
moved to "voluntarily withdraw" the registration of Phosdrin.  
(Interestingly, the lawyer Amvac hired to try to keep the 
product on the market or negotiate the best deal is Steve 
Shatzow, the head of EPA's pesticide program under President 
Reagan and currently with the Washington DC-based law firm of 
Morgan, Lewis and Bockius.)

The Clinton Administration has included provisions in its 
pesticide policy reform package which would prohibit the 
export of any pesticide which has been banned in the U.S. for 
health reasons.  At this point, however, it does not seem 
likely that the Administration proposals or any other 
"Cirlcle of Poison" legislation will become law in 1994.

Sources:  EPA Press Release and Questions & Answers: 
Voluntary Cancellation of Mevinphos, June 30, 1994; CalEPA 
Press Release, June 1994; Agrow, July 8, 1994; PANUPS, 
September 16, 1994; Marion Moses, Harvest of Sorrow, Part 2, 
1992.

Contact: Sandra Marquardt, Greenpeace USA, 1436 U Street NW, 
Washington DC 20009; phone (202) 319-2472; fax (202) 462-
4507; email [email-masked]. org; Erika Rosenthal, PANNA.

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The Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS) is a 
pesticide-related news service posted weekly by the 
Pesticide Action Network North America Regional Center 
(PANNA). PANNA is located at 116 New Montgomery Street, 
#810, San Francisco, CA 94105. Tel: (415) 541-9140. Fax: 
(415) 541-9253. To receive a standard information packet 
about the Pesticide Action Network send a short e-mail 
message to [email-masked].
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