Chemical reaction

Home Channel News, July 17, 2000 by Brae Canlen

Dealers scramble after suppliers agree to stop manufacturing the house and garden pesticide Dursban in the United States

NATIONAL REPORT -- Officially speaking, retailers have until the end of 2001 to stop selling Dursban, a widely used house and garden pesticide, to the public. But that hasn't stopped consumer activists and politicians from demanding that retailers clear their shelves of the latest environmental bogeyman. While everyone is resigned to the demise of Dursban, another popular bug killer being reviewed -- Diazanon -- may not go so quietly.

Both chemicals are organo-phosphates, an older class of pesticides that damages the nervous system of insects. Worried that the chemicals might do the same to children, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to eliminate all over-the-counter sales of Dursban, a component in more than 800 bug sprays, pet collars and other products for home and garden use. The EPA's announcement, made on June 8, came after years of pressure by environmental groups and months of negotiations with chemical manufacturers that have reluctantly agreed to stop making the pesticide.

The EPA's ruling on Dursban (also sold under the trade name Lorsban) contains phase-out periods for its various uses, which include agricultural applications and termite prevention in new home construction. Dursban production, at least for the domestic market, will be halted by December 2000. (Manufacturers can continue marketing the product overseas, however.) Retailers have until the end of next year to sell out their existing stock.

Opponents of the pesticide, who worry that it will interfere with brain and nerve development in children, don't want to wait that long. The Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based research organization, is urging Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart to yank Dursban from their shelves. The Attorney General of New York, Eliot Spitzer, is applying the same pressure to retailers in his state: On June 8, Spitzer sent letters to Lowe's, Home Depot, Pergament, Ace Hardware, Agway, Kmart and WalMart.

Among the bigger retail chains, Wal-Mart has taken the lead by announcing its intention to stop selling Dursban by October, which is 14 months ahead of the EPA schedule. But most other retailers plan to deplete their inventory.

"We are following the guidelines issued by the EPA, which allows us to continue to sell the products containing Dursban," said Carol Schumacher, vp-public relations for Home Depot. "We will replace it with new alternative products when the supply is gone." She added that the company offers alternatives to products with Dursban in its stores, and will point customers to them with additional signage. A "statement" posted in the pesticide section of a Home Deport in San Diego claimed that Dursban products are safe to use 'when the directions on the packages are followed."

"We're taking a more proactive approach with signage," said Suzanne McCoy, a spokeswoman for Lowe's Cos. In addition to posting possible alternatives to Dursban, sales associates in Lowe's lawn and garden sections have been provided with lists of substitutions for inquiring consumers.

Kmart has taken a similar approach. "After [Dursban] sells off the shelves, the stores will not be able to replenish it," said spokeswoman Mary Lorencz, noting that Kmart's warehouses are already empty of Dursban.

Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company that supplies chlorpyrifos (the active ingredient in Dursban) to most of the industry, has always maintained that the product is safe when used properly. But the EPA, prompted by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, is systematically reviewing various classes of pesticides. Some, like Dursban and Diazinon have multiple uses that can result in aggregate exposure.

The EPA is currently doing a risk assessment of Diazinon; a ruling was expected by the middle of this month. Ironically, many consumers have turned to Diazinon as a substitute for Dursban. But with so many chemical similarities, Diazinon may not get a clean bill of health. And chemical makers may not be so willing to voluntarily withdraw it from the market.

Still selling

Pesticide manufacturers that rely on these chemicals have been left holding the empty bottles after previous EPA showdowns. Kerry Bierman, vp-corporate communications for The Scotts Company, said his firm has sent "a lot of correspondence" to retailers, assuring them that Dursban containing products can still be sold. Under the Ortho label, Scotts makes at least a half-dozen products affected by the restrictions. Ortho chemists have already reformulated many of the bug killers with a substitute pesticide and Bierman expects consumers to make the switch easily, albeit with some trepidation.

"It's somewhat confusing when [the EPA sends] out a statement that says a certain product is banned but there's no real danger," he said, referring to the absence of an immediate recall on Dursban.

While some consumers may be worried about the many bags of Dursban they've already used, others have gone in the opposite direction. "Sometimes, when the EPA does these things, it produces a faster sell-through," said the spokesperson for Kmart. "People know that they won't be able to get it next year."