Synthetic Pest Management Chemicals: Issues and Strategies

C. Devakumarcdevakumar@gmail.com

Increasing complexity between science, companies and the public

MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Predominant use of older and obsolete pesticides Pest resistance & Spurious pesticides Toxicity to natural enemies and other non-target

organisms Public health and environmental concerns Unlicensed dealers and shopkeepers Problem of retail marketing

Implementing the European Commission Approach to Progressive Pest Management

PMFAI Production Data of Pesticides for 2002-03

Pesticides Actual

number

Production in 2002-03 (metric tonnes)

Capacity utilization

(%)

Insecticides 25 49,626 48.02 Fungicides 4 12,266 87.09 Herbicides 9 3,795 21.33

Rodenticides 2 2,226 70.44 Fumigant 1 56 18.67 Total 41 67,969 49.01

SKEWED PESTICIDE USAGE SCENARIO (2000-01)

CategoryStates Annual

consumption (MT, tech grade)

I Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh > 5,000

II Southern States, Gujarat, MP., Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Orissa

1000- 5000

III Assam, Bihar and HP 100- 1000

IV J. & K., NE region*, Delhi and Pondicherry

10-100

V Goa, *Meghalaya, Sikkim and Andman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadar & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep

< 10

(37th Report of Standing Committee on Petroleum and Chemicals, 2002)

Consumption of Pesticides in India

18.57% of Gross Cultivated area gets pesticides @ 2283 gram per ha

The industry is very fragmented with about 30-40 large manufacturers and about 400 formulators doing business with about 49 000 MT worth about Rs 4000 crores.

No wonder, about Rs 1200 crores is spurious stuff.

Strategy for Pesticide Use Reduction• Minimize the hazards and risks to health and

environment from pesticides

• Improve controls on the use and distribution of pesticides

• Reduce the levels of harmful pesticide active ingredients, in particular by replacing the most dangerous by safer alternatives (including non-chemical)

• Encourage low-input or pesticide-free crop production

• Establish a transparent system for reporting and monitoring progress including the development of appropriate indicators ● adopt mandatory use reporting systems co-coordinated centrally.

 

No. of weeds resistant to herbicides -

No. of plant pathogens resistant to fungicides -

No. of Insect pests resistant to insecticides -

Consequences of injudicious use of chemical pesticides

48 to 270

100 to 150

> 700

ADVERSE EFFECT ON BENEFICIAL INSECTSCroft (1990) summarized data on the impact of 400 pesticide active ingredients on over 600 species of beneficial arthropods.

His basic finding was that insecticides have greater impacts than either herbicides or fungicides.

However, calculation of selectivity ratio (the ratio of LD50 for target species to LD50 for nontarget species) suggested toxicity to non-target arthropods, partly because of the toxicity of synthetic pyrethroids.

FQPA OF EPA- A MODEL ACTIn addition to toxicity, human risks, cumulative effects, aggregate

exposure, and variabilities among subgroups, FQPA requires that EPA consider endocrine effects for re-registration and re-evaluation of tolerances and assessment of risks.

Software tools using sophisticated probabilistic models are being generated to address the aggregate- and cumulative-exposure assessments required by FQPA of EPA.

Information relative to the temporal, spatial, and demographic exposure of various subpopulations to pesticides creates a demand for high quality current data that should be available to government officials in time to make regulatory decisions.

For a pesticide to be considered of reduced risk, it must have at least one or more of the following characteristics (EPA 1997):

• It must have a reduced impact on human health and very low mammalian toxicity.• It must have toxicity lower than alternatives (0.01–0.1 as much).• It displaces chemicals that pose potential human health concerns or reduces exposures to mixers, loaders, applicators, and re-entry workers.• It reduces effects on non-target organism (such as birds, honey bees, and fish).• It exhibits a lower potential for contaminating groundwater.• It lowers use or entails fewer applications than alternatives.• It has lower pest-resistance potential (that is, it has a new mode of action).• It has a high compatibility with integrated pest management (IPM).• It has increased efficacy.

BETTER MANAGEMENT OF PESTICIDES

Would involve use of less toxic or less persistent chemicals; Better crop husbandry introduction of modern pesticide formulation and application

technology which is safer, more accurate and can reduce the quantities of pesticides used including, for example, nontoxic solvents in formulations

use of natural enemies of pests which do not affect non-target organisms;

introduction of management strategies which can reduce pest problems including restriction of pesticide use only to specific situations

Consultation with and participation of women and men farmers to assess priorities and entry points;

changing perceptions of farmers and extension staff from preventative, calendar applications of pesticides.

Agricultural-environmental biotechnology modifications, 1987-1998

POLICY FRAMEWORK

Make research investments and policy changes that emphasize development of pesticides and application technologies that pose reduced health risks and are compatible with ecologically based pest management.

Increase the ability and motivation of agricultural workers to lessen their exposure to potentially harmful chemicals and refine worker-protection regulations and enforce compliance with them.

Reduce adverse off-target effects by judicious choice of chemical agents, implementation of precision application technology and determination of economic- and environmental-impact thresholds for pesticide use in more agricultural systems.

Reduce the overall environmental impact of the agricultural enterprise.

Research topics that should be targeted by the public sector must include• Fruits, vegetables and nuts.• Pest biology and ecology.• Integration of several pest-management tools in managed and natural ecosystems.• Targeted applications of pesticides.• Risk perception and risk assessment of pesticides and their alternatives.• Economic and social impacts of pesticide use.Impacts due to Global WarmingIncreased Ultraviolet-B RadiationIncreased Frequency of Biological InvasionsLoss of Biodiversity

SCOPE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

oGlobal companies focus on high-end specialty products and dominate the market for patented new molecules. oThe Indian companies will need to spend under R&D to meet competition from MNCs. oIndian companies can be competitive in the area of Contract Research and Manufacturing Services (CRAMS) by collaboration with lead centres.

The incorporation of odors into pesticide formulations is feasible and effective.

The use of dyes in formulations has received little attention but could work well.

One of the major advantages of dyes and odorants is that workers are provided direct information on exposures.

Assessing the best approaches and compounds for specific situations will require detailed research that could, at least in part, be conducted in the public sector.

Four pesticides have previously been implicated in the etiology of Parkinson disease: dieldrin, maneb, paraquat, and rotenone.

Associations of all four with prevalent PD and of maneb/mancozeb and paraquat with incident PD in the subset of applicators who completed the supplemental Applicator Questionnaire at enrollment.

However, only an association of paraquat with prevalent PD was seen in the complete cohort.

The Agricultural Health Study is being conducted cooperatively by the National Cancer Institute, EPA, the National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Probable Possible

Endocrine disruptors

Atrazine, Lindane, Mancozeb, Maneb

Alachlor, Metribuzin

Ovarian effects

Atrazine, Carbaryl, Lindane Alachlor, Captan, Carbofuran, Petroleum oil, Trichlorfon

Estrous cycle disruptors

Atrazine, Lindane, Mancozeb, Maneb

Carbaryl , Carbofuran , Cyanazine, Petroleum oil

Carcinogens

Chlorpyrifos (Lee et al. 2004), Diazinon, Malathion, Permethrin

Aldicarb, Alachor

SUSPECT PESTICIDES

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated that 32,800 agricultural-related injuries occurred to children or adolescents under the age of 20 who lived on, worked on, or visited a farm operation in 1998. Many of these included exposures to pesticides (NASS 1999).

A three-pronged strategy to reduce health impacts must include

(i) a community based process of education and provision of personal protective equipment to reduce exposure;

(ii) educating farmers to enhance agro-ecosystem understanding and to reduce pesticide use; and

(iii) policy intervention to restructure incentives and reduce availability of highly toxic insecticides

CHIRALITY WITH RESPECT TO BIOACTIVITY AND SAFETY CONSIDERATION: Fenvalerate

Detailed studies on the biological activities of fenvalerate demonstrated granuloma formation in mice after long-term administration of a high dose of this pyrethroid as its stereoisomeric mixture.

It was subsequently shown that the granuloma formation was caused by only one isomer (Ba: 2R, aS ) which has essentially no insecticidal activity. One of its metabolites, a cholesteryl ester, is the cause of the granuloma.

Subsequently the most insecticidally active enantiopure isomer Aa (2S, aS) was purified and marketed as "esfenvalerate" a product completely devoid of granuloma induction.

It is a pure optical isomer and as it is solely responsible for the biological activity.

The physico-chemical properties make for a good all round balance for providing high bioavailability to pathogens together with respect for the environment

Fenamidone, a new (imidazolinone) family of fungicide

The unique mode of action, coupled with a high degree of activity on targeted pests, low toxicity to non-target organisms (including many beneficial arthropods), and resistance management properties make it an excellent new tool for integrated pest management.

The research screening platform

Strategy of identifying new targets

Model organisms for target identification

The virtual discovery cycle

Unique research platform – Network of complementary technologies to meet the challenges in compound discovery

A "life cycle" approach to pesticides management

The progressive stages of the life cycle of pesticide products:

manufacture, registration, import and export, transport, packaging, labeling, advertising, use, storage and disposal.

MANUFACTURE CHECKLIST

A pesticide law should:• establish rules applicable to manufacture of pesticides, including• permissible locations, construction and operation requirements,• occupational health conditions (following the ILO conventions),• safety guidelines, anti-pollution devices, quality control and• provisions for poisoning cases;• establish a licensing scheme for pesticide manufacturers, including• criteria for the grant or denial of the licence, conditions for the grant• and provisions for suspension or revocation;• • establish quality standards for manufactured pesticides, ideally

using JMPS specifications;• • possibly ban manufacture if necessary controls are not feasible in

the national context; and• • ensure that lists of banned pesticides for manufacture are in• harmony with the country's international obligations.

STORAGE CHECKLIST

A pesticide law should:• specify how and where pesticide products may be

stored;• • differentiate between private, end-user or home

storage and bulk or commercial storage;• • impose record-keeping requirements on those

storing pesticides;• • prohibit the reuse of a pesticide container for any

non-pesticide storage reason unless authorized;• • indicate the type of containers required;• • set out rules for the construction of storage

buildings; and• establish special requirements for storage of

obsolete pesticide stocks.

SALE CHECKLIST

A pesticide law should:• set requirements so that only those with

competency and training• may be licensed to sell pesticides; and• include among the decision-making criteria

for the grant of a licence• issues such as storage, display, training,

knowledge, record-keeping,• safety equipment and emergency plans.

COMMERCIAL OPERATORS CHECKLIST

A pesticide law should:• set requirements so that only those with

competency and training may be licensed to apply pesticides;

• require pesticide contracts to specify the use of the pesticides to be applied; and

• include among the decision-making criteria for the grant of a licence

• the existence of training, supervision, adequate equipment with a maintenance programme, protective clothing, an occupational health

• programme and satisfactory record-keeping.

PACKAGING AND RE-PACKAGING CHECKLIST

A pesticide law should:• specify the technical requirements for packaging and re-packaging;• incorporate a packaging requirement into the registration process;• follow international guidelines in developing packaging rules;• require packaging that is safe, will not degrade under normal

conditions, does not resemble common packaging of consumable goods, has a child safety mechanism, prominently displays the approved label and is difficult or unattractive for reuse;

• specify the products to which the packaging requirements apply;• require that packaging or re-packaging only take place on licensed

premises where staff are adequately protected;• prohibit the re-packaging or decanting of pesticide into food or• drink containers; and• • consider banning re-packaging if effective controls are not possible• in the national context.

LABELLING AND SAFETY DATA SHEETS CHECKLISTS

Pesticide labelling provisions should:• apply equally to manufactured and imported pesticides;• specify the information that must be contained, including,e.g.

contents, formulation, proposed use, hazard classification, warnings, instructions, equipment and care, disposal, registrant,manufacturer, date of formulation, expiry date;

• follow international guidelines;• require that labels be in the language(s) of the country and includepictorial representations adequate to the national literacy level;• outline physical requirements for the label and rules for affixing• labels on packages;• require that labels be subject to pre-approval by the registration• authority during the registration process; and• to comply with the Rotterdam Convention, require that labels• include the appropriate WCO customs code.

PESTICIDE USE CHECKLIST

Governments should:• enact specific provisions to prevent harm to the environment or

otherwise ensure that pesticide use is covered under existing environmental legislation;

• prohibit the use of pesticides in an unsafe manner that poses a threat to human health or the environment;

• prohibit the use of pesticides in ways not prescribed by the label or contrary to conditions attached to the registration;

• prohibit employers from obliging employees to use pesticides in• improper ways;• require employers to provide necessary training and equipment to• employees who handle pesticides;• require employers to carry out periodic health evaluations to assess• and treat any pesticide-related injury;• set standards for pesticide application equipment and pesticide

protective equipment;• ensure that all workers, including those in agriculture, are protected• under the legal framework; and create programmes to safeguard

health, including through• collecting data, monitoring worker health, training the health sector

and establishing an information centre.

TRANSPORT CHECKLIST

A pesticide law should:• follow international standards for the transport of

dangerous goods;• cover the transport of pesticides;• set out requirements for vehicles and containers;• prohibit the transport of pesticides in the same

vehicle as passengers, animals, food and animal feed;

• require physical separation in cases where joint transport is unavoidable; and

• follow Basel requirements for the transport of hazardous pesticide wastes.

HARMOIZATION OF LAWS & ACTS: EXIM ACTS