Pesticide News Story: Lindane Voluntary Cancellations Requested

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
August 28, 2006

EPA has received formal requests from the registrants to voluntarily cancel their products containing the pesticide lindane, and is requesting public comment on these requests until September 22, 2006. The Agency received these requests for voluntary cancellation of 12 lindane products in July 2006 from registrants Chemtura USA Corporation, followed by AGSCO Inc., Drexel Chemical Company, and JLM International, Inc. EPA intends to grant these requests pending outcome of the public comment period. This action will cancel the remaining lindane pesticide products registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) for use in the United States.

Lindane is a broad spectrum, organochlorine insecticide used to treat the seeds of barley, corn, oats, rye, sorghum, and wheat. EPA announced in early August 2006 that it has determined that the risks of continued lindane registration outweigh the benefits, and therefore the remaining uses of lindane are not eligible for reregistration. EPA expects the cancellation of these uses to result in no significant loss to U.S. agriculture due to the successful development and registration of safer alternative pesticides in recent years. Once the cancellation process is complete, EPA will propose to revoke the existing tolerances (or allowable residues of lindane) in animal fat.

Lindane is recognized internationally as a toxic, persistent, and bio-accumulative pesticide. The six seed treatment use cancellations are the last of many lindane voluntary cancellations that have taken place since the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) was enacted.

EPA's August 23, 2006 Federal Register1 notice announcing the lindane voluntary cancellation requests is available on the Web site. Information about lindane is available at regulations.gov2 in docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2002-0202, and on the Agency’s 3lindane Web page.