INDIANAPOLIS - Following Dow AgroSciences' agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to voluntarily withdraw Dursban (chlorpyrifos) from most uses in and around residences, the company has changed its Dursban Pro insecticide label to reflect product changes and uses for golf course superintendents. Those professionals using Dursban Pro, which is used to control chinch bugs, fire ants and adult billbugs, can continue to do so now that the product label has changed.
Unfortunately for lawn and landscape contractors, all outdoor residential uses, except for fire ant mounds and mosquito control are in the process of being eliminated, as well as all outdoor, non-residential uses except for golf courses and roadside medians. Applications of chlorpyrifos to these outdoor areas cannot exceed a maximum of one pound of active ingredient per acre. By the end of 2001, no distribution or sale of chlorpyrifos will take place, according to statements made by Mike Shaw, Dow AgroSciences' global policy leader for chlorpyrifos, in June 2000.
The label and use changes for Dursban products occurred as a result of the EPA's implementation and enforcement of the Food Quality Protection Act, which requires the EPA to review the safety of many currently registered pesticides. While Dow AgroSciences, the makers of chlorpyrifos (Dursban), and the EPA agreed in June to limit most outdoor residential and non-residential uses, Dursban Pro is still available for golf course use. However, beginning Dec. 1, 2000, product with labels reflecting a reduced application rate will enter the market. The new label reduces application rates from four pounds of active ingredient per acre to one pound or two quarts per acre - enough to effectively control more than 25 turf pests, according to the company. The new rate is not a maximum that can be applied per season, rather it is the maximum that can used during any single application.
"Dursban Pro is still available for our golf course customers. They can continue to rely on this time-tested product for their insect control needs for many years to come," said Tony Brown, marketing manager for Dow AgroSciences. "In addition, superintendents with supplies of Dursban Pro should read and follow label instructions on their existing stock."
Dursban with a revised label will also be available in other liquid and granular formulations. An electronic copy of the revised label is available online at http://dowagro.com/label_system/label_files/us/speclbl/2434.pdf.
Customers with questions can contact a Dow AgroSciences field representative or the Customer Information Center via e-mail at info@dowagro.com or by phone at 800/263-1196.