For Immediate Release: October 17, 2000

Contact: , American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 207

One of world’s most toxic pesticides cancelled

After unprecedented public reaction, chemical manufacturer Cheminova decided Friday to voluntarily cancel all uses of its insecticide ethyl parathion (trade names: Parathion, Folidol). The announcement came after a concerted campaign led by American Bird Conservancy, in partnership with Defenders of Wildlife, Pesticide Action Network of North America and World Wildlife Fund, to pressure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Cheminova to end all U.S. uses of this highly toxic insecticide.

Ethyl parathion is generally considered to be one of the most toxic pesticides currently in use worldwide and has been documented as responsible for thousands of birds kills including ducks, geese, raptors, gulls, martins and songbirds as well as domestic mammals and even humans where applicators have mishandled the treatment. Its toxicity prompted the EPA in 1991 to restrict ethyl parathion usage to nine crops in the U.S. (alfalfa, barley, corn, cotton, canola, sorghum, soybean, sunflower, and wheat) but even this measure was insufficient. Much of the spraying still occurred in the Great Plains and Prairie Pothole regions of North and South Dakota and adjacent Minnesota, where 50% of North American waterfowl breeding takes place.

The campaign, centered around ABC’s April 2000 ‘Action Advisory’, resulted in over 1,000 letters of concern being sent to the EPA under its recently implemented Public Comment Period, and prompted EPA to respond directly to concerns voiced by ABC.

"This is a very important decision by Cheminova for wildlife," said Kelley Tucker, Director of ABC’s Pesticides and Birds Campaign. "The danger posed to birds made continued use of this pesticide simply untenable and we are delighted that the EPA was able to constructively act with the manufacturer to make the only right choice and withdraw ethyl parathion from the market."

The withdrawal, effective immediately, will still permit use of the chemical on eight of the nine crops until stocks are used up, because of the hazards of storing and disposal of large volumes of the chemical. However no new chemical will be manufactured and all U.S. application must cease by October 31 2003. The agreement also halts the use of ethyl parathion as a component in other pesticides, effective December 31 2000.

"Again, it has been demonstrated that a unified campaign in the public interest can have a significant impact," said ABC President, George Fenwick. "We would like to thank the US Fish and Wildlife Service and all those who responded to the ABC Action Advisory by sending in letters to the EPA, bringing about this landmark result."