NAAA Submits Comments to EPA Opposing Bans for Two Pesticides—Acephate and Thiram

On Monday NAAA submitted comments to EPA on two pesticides – acephate and thiram. EPA previously published a proposed interim decision (PID) for acephate that banned all uses except for tree injections. For thriam, EPA published an amended PID that banned all conventional and seed treatment uses except for farm seed treatments with liquid formulations. For both pesticides, the risks of concern driving the proposed bans were related to human health, including exposure from spray drift to bystanders and inhalation or dermal exposure to mixers and loaders.

While none of the risks of concern or the bans were specifically related to aerial application, NAAA still commented against both PIDs. Acephate is an important insecticide on cotton and soybeans in the southern part of the U.S. and is frequently applied by aerial application. While thiram is not commonly used on many crops or commonly applied by air, NAAA nevertheless commented against the ban, as the reasons EPA proposed banning it were similar to those for acephate. NAAA’s comments on both PIDs focused on the use of the inaccurate Tier 1 AgDRIFT model and mitigation options for mixers and loader. You can read NAAA’s full comments on acephate and thiram.