The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing the interim decision (ID) for the pesticide paraquat dichloride (paraquat) finalizing new, stronger safety measures to reduce exposure. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires the agency to periodically re-evaluate pesticides through registration review to ensure that risk assessments and pesticide decisions reflect the best available science. The ID is part of the legally required registration review process to identify risks as well as actions that can mitigate risks.

Paraquat is an herbicide applied annually to control invasive weeds and grasses in crops. No direct one-to-one alternatives to paraquat are available. All paraquat products are Restricted Use Products and may only be used by certified pesticide applicators.

The agency has taken proactive steps to ensure paraquat is used in a manner that will not cause unreasonable adverse effects to human health or the environment and is consistent with the label directions. EPA’s 2016 Paraquat Human Health Mitigation Decision included a safety awareness campaign, targeted training for paraquat applicators, and changes to labels and product packaging to help prevent illness, injury, or death resulting from improper use.

The ID builds upon previous work and includes the following enforceable mitigation measures that specify parameters for application and institute restrictions to further protect individuals from exposure. EPA has determined that these mitigation measures are necessary to address the risks identified from paraquat exposure while allowing for the continued use of this important agricultural tool.

• Limiting aerial applications and requiring residential buffers.

• Prohibiting pressurized handgun and backpack sprayer applications.

• Requiring enclosed cabs or respirators for ground boom applications.

• Increasing the Restricted Entry Interval (REI) for several crops.

Information for this article came from the U.S. EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. The complete article is located at https://npsec.us/epa-finalizes-new-stronger-safety-measures-for-pesticide-paraquat

Montana State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.