All News Releases By Date

EPA Seeks Answers from Manufacturers about Mosquito Pesticides Samples from New York City, Long Island and New Jersey; Show Deviations from Formulas, but No Additional Risks Posed

Release Date: 06/13/2001
Contact Information:

(#01069) New York, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has informed manufacturers of three pesticides used to combat mosquitoes in the New York metropolitan area and in New Jersey that some samples of their products showed that they were not in compliance with the formulations agreed to by the agency. There is no evidence to suggest that the deviations from the set formulas of these products posed an additional risk to human health or rendered the products less effective. However, the federal law that regulates pesticides requires that all such products be formulated strictly according to standards set at the time they were registered with EPA. Cheminova, Inc., Clarke Mosquito Control Products, Inc., and Aventis Environmental Science USA LP, the manufacturers respectively of "Fyfanon ULV," (a Malathion product), "Anvil" and "Scourge," have received Notices to Show Cause from EPA, which state the formulation problems identified and require the companies to respond and demonstrate that they have taken actions to correct the problems by June 23, 2001. EPA discovered the formula inconsistencies after analyzing pesticide samples taken during inspections of facilities at which mosquito control pesticides are stored in Suffolk County on Long Island, in Middlesex and Monmouth counties in New Jersey and at New York City's pesticide staging area in the Bronx. Samples of Scourge taken from Suffolk, Middlesex and Monmouth counties and of Anvil taken from the Bronx and Suffolk County, showed that the products were slightly "under-formulated." This means that the pesticides contained slightly less of the chemical that actually affects the intended pest than is stated on the label and than was agreed to by EPA when the products were registered with the agency. The small amount of under-formulation, however, would probably result in no discernable impact on the effectiveness of the products. In the case of Fyfanon ULV, laboratory analyses of samples taken from Suffolk, Middlesex and Monmouth counties revealed that they contained low, but higher than specified, amounts of the impurity "isomalathion" - a chemical that can be formed during the manufacturing process or when Malathion is improperly stored at temperatures that are too high. EPA has determined that although the amounts of isomalathion found were above approved formulation limits, the low levels do not pose any additional risk concern from use typical in mosquito control applications. "The counties and cities that used these pesticides did so to protect the public against the threat of the West Nile virus," said William J. Muszynski, EPA Acting Regional Administrator. "That some of the pesticides may not have contained enough active ingredient means that some local governments did not get what they paid for. And although the impurities found in samples of Fyfanon did not pose an increased risk to people, we are still troubled that the samples were not found to be in strict accordance with the pesticide's chemical limits. To ensure that this does not happen again this year, EPA inspectors will be out taking random samples of these products in New York and New Jersey throughout the spraying season." All pesticides sold or manufactured in the United States must first go through EPA=s rigorous registration process. EPA reviews health and environmental data about the product, and if it decides to register the product, works with the manufacturer on specific label instructions that detail how the pesticide should be used, under what conditions and in what amounts. The label also contains important information for the consumer about the product=s ingredients and the percentages of Aactive ingredient@ (the chemical that acts against the intended pest) and inert ingredients. All pesticide products registered with EPA must conform to the specifications agreed to during the registration process and appearing on the label. Failure to do so is a violation of the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the law that regulates pesticides.