Changing a label does not make the chemical less deadly, nor probably less likely to be used. Consumers know the chemical will kill wildlife, but many, faced with more profit potential, will not use the poison responsively.
According to the National Pesticide Information Center, malathion is highly toxic to bluegills and largemouth bass. It also kills bees and other beneficial insects as well as larger animals including birds.
Our Wildlife Service is not doing their job by caving in to chemical companies.
Read the original article with photos here in Mississippi News.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Billings, Mont. – US wildlife officials have reversed their previous finding that a widely used and highly toxic insecticide could put dozens of plants and animals at risk of extinction, after receiving pledges from chemical manufacturers that they would use malathion will change the product label for this purpose so that it can be used more carefully by consumers.
Federal regulations for malathion are being reviewed in response to long-standing complaints that a pesticide used to control mosquitoes, grasshoppers and other insects also kills many protected plants and animals. The US Fish and Wildlife Service determined in a draft last April that malathion could endanger the existence of 78 threatened species and cause less harm to many more.
According to documents reviewed by The Associated Press before their public release, wildlife officials reversed their position on the 78 species in Biological Opinion on February 28 after talks between malathion manufacturers, Wildlife Service officials and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Wildlife Service officials now say malathion may cause limited harm to hundreds of species, but none of them are likely to be threatened with extinction unless the labels directing its use are changed. . Their conclusion is up to farmers, gardeners and other consumers to follow instructions on where and when to use pesticides.
But environmentalists who wanted more restrictions expressed doubts that the government’s collaboration with chemical companies would lead to meaningful changes. He also objected to the 18-month deadline for the EPA to approve the new malathion application guidelines, saying there was no reason for further delay.
“It’s a huge punt,” said Brett Hartl with the Center for Biological Diversity. “There is not a single endangered species that will change anything on the ground because of this biological opinion for at least 18 months, but probably never.”
Manufacturers agreed to use labels that provide comprehensive guidelines on when and where malathion should be used to avoid killing wildlife. For example, the label will say not to spray malathion to kill mosquitoes in the middle of the day, when bees and some other insects are more active and thus more likely to be killed unintentionally.
Gary Fraser, assistant director of the Wildlife Service, said, “The service worked with the EPA, the Malathion Registrar and the USDA to develop general and species-specific conservation measures that address the many impacts of malathion use on listed species and their critical habitats. significantly reduces it.” Ecological Services.
According to the Wildlife Service, the manufacturers were represented largely by Philadelphia-based agrochemical company FMC Corp.
FMC spokesman Lars Weiborg said the proposed label and other updates to malathion use guidelines would protect endangered species and their habitats. Webberg said they were designed in consultation with government officials “and developed using standard procedure common to any industry.”
Species found in danger last year included birds such as the Mississippi sandhill crane and various fish, insects, snails and other animals and plants.
According to the US Geological Survey, approximately one million pounds of malathion are used on crops in California, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Ohio and other states each year. According to 2018 government survey data, about 2 million pounds are used in home gardens each year for mosquito control and other uses. According to statistics, the amount used on agricultural land has declined by about two-thirds since its 1998 peak.
Malathion is considered highly toxic to insects, fish and crustaceans. International health officials have said the chemical is possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Malathion’s effects on wildlife were reviewed under a legal agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity. The environmental group first sued the EPA two decades ago for failing to consult with other federal agencies about the risks of pesticides on wildlife and plants, and for a 2013 settlement with the Fish and Wildlife Service. filed more lawsuits.
In 2017, the AP reported a push by Dow Chemical for the Trump administration to ignore government studies on a family of pesticides, including malathion. The lobbying came after EPA’s initial findings that pesticides had a negative impact on more than 1,000 endangered and threatened species.
Later that year the Trump administration called for a two-year delay in reviewing malathion and other pesticides.
A separate review of the effects of malathion is pending from the National Marine Fisheries Service. The agency said in its February 25 draft analysis that malathion could endanger 37 species. The draft did not include consideration of planned label changes by manufacturers, which Fishing Service officials said they would include in their final opinion.
