EPA and CDC Host Conference on IPM and Tick-Borne Disease March 5-6, 2013

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control will co-host the Tick-Borne Disease Integrated Pest Management (TBD-IPM) Conference on March 5-6, 2013, at the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs in Arlington, VA (2777 South Crystal Drive Arlington, VA 22202).

• March 5: Federal Partners Only (Room S4370/4380)
• March 6: Researchers, Partners, Stakeholders and the Public (1st Floor Conference Center)

The main objective of the conference is to identify IPM research initiatives for the prevention of tick-borne diseases. Over 40 federal agency representatives and researchers will present the results of research on TBD-IPM. The keynote speaker is Dr. David Walker from the University of Texas Medical Branch and National Academy of Sciences. Invited guests include Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, NIH Emeritus, world renowned for discovery of Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.

This conference builds upon the 2011 Promoting Community IPM for Preventing Tick-Borne Diseases conference. The 2011 conference captured the research and information surrounding prevention of tick-borne diseases from the perspective of government and non-government stakeholders.

Conference agenda highlights include:

• Identify research strategies to support community IPM programs
• Facilitate collaboration among federal partners to support research initiatives
• Provide information on current tick IPM research, i.e., targeted management of ticks, tools for predicting and communicating potential risk, mapping and risk-based modeling for decision support for IPM and measuring the success of Tick IPM

Conference seating is on a first-come basis. For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.epa.gov/pestwise/events/2013_tick_meeting.html

The EPA has posted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's final Biological Opinion for Kaput-D Prairie Dog Bait on its Endangered Species Protection Program website at www.epa.gov/espp as well as in the public docket at www.regulations.gov under docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0739. In its Biological Opinion, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that Kaput-D Prairie Dog Bait is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered species when used with appropriate conservation measures.   

The conservation measures for Kaput-D, which include prohibition of use in certain areas, restrictions on the timing of application in other areas, and requirements for enhanced searches to remove poisoned prairie dogs, are identical to those specified by FWS in the April 9, 2012, “no jeopardy” Biological Opinion for Rozol Prairie Dog Bait (a similar anticoagulant rodenticide prairie dog bait containing chlorphacinone) at http://epa.gov/espp/2012/borozol-final.pdf. These conservation measures for Kaput-D became effective when the one-year time limited registration was granted by the EPA on October 25, 2012. 

This final Biological Opinion is a result of  the EPA’s formal request to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to consult on the one-year registration of Kaput-D Prairie Dog Bait. This end-use product contains the active ingredient diphacinone and is expected to be of interest to ranchers and applicators in western states. 

D-CON kills rats and mice, the label reads. And, according to state and federal officials, it can kill hawks, owls, eagles, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions and other non-targeted wildlife too.

So can competing brands. Pesticide manufacturers have been selling a new generation of more potent anticoagulants because mice and rats have built up some resistance to the old standby warfarin.

These super-toxic rat poisons have a longer half-life before they break down, meaning they are more effective at working their way up the food chain -- not only killing rodents but their natural predators.

The California Department of Fish and Game has confirmed 240 cases of non-targeted wildlife being exposed to the anticoagulants that work by causing animals to bleed to death.

The EPA is seeking public comment on a draft Pesticide Registration Notice (PRN) that proposes guidance to applicants and registrants concerning product performance (efficacy) and labeling for “mold-related” antimicrobial pesticide products. Mold-related pesticides are antimicrobial pesticides that bear a label claim to inhibit or destroy mold or mildew growth on hard, nonporous and porous surfaces in indoor environments.

Certain molds can cause a variety of adverse health effects, and the EPA wants to ensure that consumers have better product information with which to make an informed choice when selecting mold-related products that best suit their needs.  For example, after a hurricane, consumers and first responders should be able to better understand which mold-related products are right for the job. Once implemented, this guidance should  improve protection of public health through proper labeling of mold-related pesticides and by ensuring label claims are supported by valid efficacy data.

The agency registers a wide variety of mold-related pesticides products used for mold remediation and mold prevention, and products used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems. The draft notice explains when the agency would expect to require applicants or registrants to submit efficacy data in support of the label claims of certain mold-related pesticides. The draft notice also describes labeling of mold-related pesticides so that products intended only for aesthetic purposes would be clearly distinguishable from products intended for public health purposes.

The EPA is requesting comments on the draft Pesticide Registration Notice. Comments can be submitted at www.regulations.gov in Docket ID # EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0539 until February 11, 2013.

The draft Pesticide Registration Notice is located at www.regulations.gov at
Document ID # EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0539-0081.

The Federal Register Notice of this action published on December 12, 2012, and is available at www.regulations.gov at Document ID # EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0539-0001. 

Focus Meetings Offer New Early Opportunities for Stakeholder Involvement in Pesticide Registration Review
In an ongoing effort to enhance transparency and involvement, the EPA has instituted Focus Meetings as a new step for certain pesticides going through registration review, the agency's periodic reevaluation of all pesticides to make sure that as the ability to assess risks to human health and the environment evolves and as policies and practices change, all pesticide products in the marketplace can still be used safely. Focus Meetings provide an additional opportunity for stakeholder engagement early in the registration review process. This early involvement can help ensure that the EPA has important information prior to developing risk assessments for registration review.
The meetings, which typically involve registrants and others, are intended to address areas of uncertainty such as unclear labels or missing studies that could affect the EPA's pesticide risk assessment and risk management decisions. By obtaining better information early in the process, the EPA can narrow the scope of pesticide reevaluations to areas that pose real concerns, based on current data and use patterns. Better understanding of use patterns, for example, could reduce or eliminate the need for additional studies, or eliminate overly conservative assumptions that would lead to rework later in the process. Designed to improve efficiency, Focus Meetings will help ensure that the EPA has the best available data and information early in the process for making informed registration review decisions.
To ensure transparency, materials associated with Focus Meetings will be available in the pesticide-specific registration review dockets. For cases where a Focus Meeting is held prior to the opening of a chemical-specific docket, OPP has opened a special Focus Meetings docket, EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0778, at www.regulations.gov.
Further information about Focus Meetings is available on the EPA's registration review Web page, http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/focus-meetings.html.