Newsroom
All News Releases By Date
PA EPA ESTABLISHES A ONE YEAR TOLERANCE ON COTTON COMMODITIES FOR THE PESTICIDE BROMOXYNIL
Release Date: 06/13/97
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 1997
EPA ESTABLISHES A ONE YEAR TOLERANCE ON COTTON
COMMODITIES FOR THE PESTICIDE BROMOXYNIL
COMMODITIES FOR THE PESTICIDE BROMOXYNIL
EPA has established a one year tolerance (allowable residue level) for the weed-control pesticide bromoxynil and its metabolite, 3,5-dibromo-4-dydroxybenzonitrile, on or in cotton commodities including undelinted cottonseed, cotton gin by-products and cotton hulls. The Agency’s action follows a public comment period on the proposed action which ended on May 22. The time-limited tolerance granted in 1995 for bromoxynil on BXN cotton seed expired on April 1. BXN varieties of cottonseeds are genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide bromoxynil when applied after the plant is growing to control broadleaf weeds without killing the cotton plant. EPA is also amending the registration of bromoxynil to limit its use to 400,000 acres, about three percent of the cotton acreage. Because cotton commodities are used on some animal feeds, the Agency is also establishing tolerances for residues of bromoxynil on milk and poultry commodities (meat, meat byproducts, fat and eggs), and revising previous tolerances for bromoxynil on other meat commodities (meat, meat byproducts and fat). Under provisions of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), EPA is required to consider aggregate dietary risk of all registered uses of bromoxynil which includes about a dozen food and animal feed crops. The new health-based safety standard of FQPA requires EPA to determine that there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate exposure to the pesticide including occupational and dietary (drinking water included). EPA examined various laboratory studies required as part of standard registration requirements and concluded that bromoxynil causes cancer and birth defects in laboratory animals. However, EPA believes that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to humans, wildlife and fish given the exposure levels expected with the prescribed rates of application. Rhone-Poulenc Ag. Co., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., is the registrant and petitioner for the tolerance. EPA expects to publish the bromoxynil tolerances for cotton in the June 18 issue of the Federal Register.
R-90 # # #
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.
