Early OP Work (diazinon, ethoprop, tribufos, and phosmet) • In March 2023, the Agency released updated occupational and non-occupational spray drift exposure (ORE) risk assessments for diazinon, ethoprop, tribufos and phosmet. • The Agency identified the following potential risks for each pesticide: o For diazinon, ethoprop, phosmet, and tribufos: potential risks to workers who mix, load, and apply the pesticides, and to bystanders (including farmworkers) who could be exposed to spray drift o For phosmet and tribufos: potential risks to workers conducting certain post-application activities (e.g., weeding, hand harvesting, or workers re-entering treated areas). • Registration review for these pesticides is not scheduled to be completed until 2025-2026; ecological risks will also be considered at that time. • EPA has taken accelerated action to address the potential risks identified in the four updated ORE assessments by working with the technical registrants to implement mitigation measures early to protect farmworkers and other people that work with and may be exposed to these pesticides from potential risks. • The technical registrants for diazinon, Adama US and Drexel Chemical Company, have agreed to mitigation measures including: o The cancellation of aerial applications, wettable powderformulations, and backpackand mechanically-pressurized handgun applications (aside from liquid, broadcast foliar use for ornamentals, as it is an APHIS use), and o Spray drift reduction measures, including buffer restrictions near residential and institutional sites to reduce exposure to bystanders. • The technical registrant for ethoprop, AMVAC, has agreed to mitigation measures including: o Reducingthe maximum application rate for all liquid products (exception allowed when nematode pressure is high for treatment of potato, sweet potato, and Easter Lily crops using banded applications only, due to the lack of other effective nematicides for these crops); o Requiring coarser droplet size anda maximum release heightto reduce the potentialfor pesticide spray drift; and o Including buffers between application sites and residential areas. • The technical registrant for phosmet, Gowan, has agreed to mitigation measures including: o Voluntarily canceling the registration of three products that contain phosmet; o Prohibiting the use of mechanically pressurized handgun for the riskiest use; o Prohibiting aerial and chemigation application on certain crops; o Requiring longer waiting periods between application and certain post-application activities for stone and pome fruits, and grapes; o Requiring coarser droplet size to reduce the potential for pesticide spray to drift and expose people nearby; o Including buffers between application sites and residential areas; o Reducing the application rate for some uses; and o Requiring use of increased personal protective equipment (PPE) (including gloves, respirators, etc.) ------- • The technical registrants for tribufos, AMVAC and RedEagle, have agreed to mitigation measures including: o Reducing the maximum application rate; o Limiting the pesticide amount handled for aerial applications; o Requiring coarser droplet size to reduce the potential for pesticide spray to drift and expose people nearby; o Implementing no-spray buffers between application sites and residential areas; o Prohibiting certain post-application activities for a longer duration after application for higher application rates; and o Requiring closed loading systems for ground applications (already required for aerial applications) to reduce exposure to people mixing and loading the pesticide into the application equipment. • Implementation o EPA has requested that registrants send their revised labels within 45 days, which has already occurred for diazinon, and is expected in early July for the other 3 chemicals, o EPA will prioritize reviewing and stamping these labels as they come in and intends to have all labels stamped/approved by the end of the year, sooner if possible, o Once labels are approved, products must include the new label within 12 months of the stamped approval date. ------- |