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Pesticide News Story: Agency Announces Proposed Decision on Rodenticides—Invites Public Comment
For Release: January 19, 2007
EPA is proposing measures to reduce risks associated with nine household-use rodenticides. Rodenticides are an important tool for public health pest control, including controlling mice and rats around the home, but current marketing and use practices have been associated with accidental exposures to thousands of children each year. Children in low-income families are particularly at risk. Rodenticide products also pose significant risks to non-target wildlife. These factors highlight the need for effective rodent control using the safest methods that can be provided. The Agency’s proposed decision would, through use of tamper-resistant bait stations, significantly reduce the likelihood of exposure to children, including those who may be disproportionately at risk for exposure. Other proposed restrictions would also minimize risks to birds and non-target mammals. With the proposed risk mitigation measures in place, we believe rodenticide products would remain affordable for all consumers.
As part of the Agency’s program to ensure that all pesticides meet current health and safety standards, EPA is evaluating the following nine rodenticides concurrently to ensure that human health and ecological risk assessment and risk management approaches are consistent.
- brodifacoum
- bromadiolone
- bromethalin
- chlorophacinone
- cholecalciferol
- difethialone
- diphacinone
- warfarin
- zinc phosphide
EPA is proposing the following risk mitigation measures.
- To minimize children’s exposure to rodenticide products used in homes, EPA would require that all rodenticide bait products available for sale to consumers be marketed only in tamper-resistant bait stations with solid bait blocks (as opposed to small pellets, for example). In addition to rodenticide baits, other affordable rodent control products such as spring traps and glue boards would remain available.
- To mitigate ecological risks, EPA would classify all bait products containing the active ingredients brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and difethialone as restricted use pesticides, available for purchase and use only by trained, certified pesticide applicators or persons under their direct supervision. These three rodenticides pose particularly significant risks to wildlife.
- To mitigate the risks associated with bait products containing any of these nine rodenticides, EPA would require that labels provide clearer directions to consumers on how to use rodenticide products while minimizing potential exposure to children, wildlife, and pets.
EPA is seeking public comment on the proposed decision until March 19, 2007. The Agency’s Federal Register notice announcing the proposed decision is available at . The Agency’s January 17, 2007, Proposed Risk Mitigation Decision for Nine Rodenticides is available at regulations.gov in docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0955, and on the Rodenticides web page. See also the fact sheet on EPA’s proposed rodenticides decision.