Tag Archive for: pests

EPA Proposes Updates to List of Pests of Significant Health Importance

This original announcement was published by the EPA on November 4, 2020. Click here for more information.

 

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released an updated list of pests of significant health importance for public review and comment.

Federal law requires EPA, in coordination with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to identify pests of significant public health importance and in coordination with the Public Health Service, to develop and implement programs to improve and facilitate the safe and necessary use of chemical, biological, and other methods to combat and control such pests of public health importance. The list serves as a useful tool for private and public organizations including local or state governments, departments of public health, pesticide registrants, and non-governmental organizations when making decisions and plans about future public health actions.

Since this list’s original publication in 2002, new vector-borne diseases have been identified and pests that had been previously thought of as benign or nuisance pests have been found to adversely impact public health. EPA, CDC and USDA collaborated to update the list to incorporate significant changes regarding vector-borne diseases and related research, and eliminate gaps or ambiguities in the current pests list.

The draft Pesticide Registration Notice more precisely describes both the pests and expected public health impacts and adds several new pests (ex. brown dog tick) and public health impacts (ex. Zika fever and coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2). Other pests have been renamed or grouped with similar species or removed altogether (ex. hobo spider).

The list does not affect the regulatory status of any registration or application for registration of any pesticide product.

EPA will take public comment on the draft Pesticide Registration Notice during a 60-day public comment period ending on January 3, 2021 via www.regulations.gov (Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0260).

EPA Proposes Registration of New Active Ingredient to Control Corn Rootworm and Other Pests

This original announcement was published by the EPA on October 30, 2020. Click here for more information.

 

EPA is proposing to register pesticide products containing the new active ingredient broflanilide.

Broflanilide is an insecticide designed to control soil-dwelling insects (ex. corn rootworm larvae, seedcorn maggot, white grubs, and wireworms) on corn and tuberous and corm vegetables. It can also be used as seed treatment to control wireworms on cereal grains.

EPA is also proposing to use bloflanilide for control of flies, ants, bedbugs, cockroaches, termites and other insects in industrial, commercial and residential areas.

EPA has not identified any risks of concern for human health.

EPA is proposing specific mitigations to address potential ecological risks to bees. These include advisory language to reduce exposure to pollinators from spray drift by using ultra coarse spray nozzles, directions for use for treated seed to reduce exposure to birds and mammals, and the use of a vegetative buffer strip within 15 feet of waterbodies to address risks to aquatic invertebrates.

To read more about the proposed registration of broflanilide and to comment, see docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0053 at www.regulations.gov. The public comment period will be open for 30 days, closing on November 29, 2020.