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U.S. EPA fines Yorba Linda company for selling unregistered pesticide

Release Date: 8/25/2004
Contact Information: Laura Gentile ([email protected]) - 415/947-4227 (desk) or 415/760-9161 (cell)

SAN FRANCISCO -- On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Bally's Brother Company, Inc., located in Yorba Linda, Calif., $3,168 for the alleged sale and distribution of an unregistered pesticide, in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

The EPA cited the company for allegedly selling and distributing naphthalene -- in the form of mothballs -- without registering it with the EPA. The company sold and distributed the mothballs to Lion Food Center, an Asian supermarket in Fremont, Calif. In addition to not registering the pesticide, the label on the product was not written in English.

"Companies must register their pesticides with the EPA," said Enrique Manzanilla, director of the EPA's cross media division. "Labels on pesticides must be written in English and provide consumers with the information they need to use the products safely."

The EPA will not register a pesticide until it has been tested to show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the directions. Pesticides that have been registered with the agency will have an EPA registration number on the label.

The enforcement action was based on information provided to the EPA by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

For more information on unregistered pesticides, please visit EPA's web page at: www.epa.gov/pesticides/