Document wrXXKkr8aMXYovO3EJEaDpKX4

^............ ......... Pesticide Trade Told to Expect Increased Tightening of the Laws Set to Govern Toxic Products Pesticides manufacturers have not seen the end of the tightening-up procedures for enforcement of the federal pesticide law by the Department of Agriculture that have been developing in the Agricultural Research Service for the past several months. Producers can expect some new label ing requirements from the department--just when is still uncertain--aimed at providing greater assurances that users of the pesticides understand more fully the hazards involved in the use of toxic materials. This Is the message that manufac turers got from a one-day hearing called last week by the Fountain gov ernment operations investigation sub committee of the House n USDA's administration of the federal Insecti cide, fungicide and rodenticlde act. Criticisms Called Justified Department officials called to explain their handling of the law's broad registra tion and labeling provisions, agreed that the serious criticisms leveled by the Gen eral Accounting Office last year (OPD, 9/16/68, pg. 3) were justified and re ported that corrective steps are being taken. Also, said Dr. Harry W. Hays, director of the pesticides regulations division of ARS, the department is concerned over the effectiveness of pesticide cautionary labeling and has commissioned the Uni^_ _ versity of lllinois>TO^make an *~SLUdy "Uf Lilt; "atlciiuacy of labeling as a prelude to strengthening requirements in this area. . Tlie department wants to know how the labels are interpreted--what they mean to various people. In addition, he continued, pesticide reg istrants, besides submitting toxicological data concerning the pesticide active In gredients and copies of the label when registering a product, are also being asked to submit information on the pack age or container since it has been found that some pesticides have been packaged Continued on Page 36 Pesticide Trade Told Continued from Page 3 In toy-like containers attractive to chil dren. Committee members and staff aides were sharply critical of what they term "inconsistency" in approved labels for some products. A case in point was prod ucts registered and sold for use in killing ants, rats and other household pests. The labeling carries the statement that the pesticide should be kept out of reach of children, it was pointed out, but it was asked how this can be done when the pesticide is to be used around the floor and other areas accessible to children. Another instance that drew much atten tion from the committee was the use of lindane vaporizers. This product was labeled with the cau tionary statement that care should be taken to prevent food contamination from use of the chemical, but at the same time, it was stated, it was being authorized for use in restaurants. Lindane Use Canceled The department acted last fortnight to cancel lindane products for use in vapor izing devices after tests at the Agricul tural Research Center, under simulated restaurant conditions, showed that within live days' exposure practically all foods, packaged and unpackaged, contained il legal residues of lindane. The lindane story included testimony that Food & Drug Administration and the Public Health Service had expressed con cern over the danger to public health In use of the chemical as well as over the failure of USDA, until recently, to do anything other than ask for documentary evidence of the dangers. This drew a com ment from committee members, Clarence M. Brown of Ohio that "inconsistency in government is overwhelming." Turnirig to Rep. Brown, chairman L. H. Fountain of North Carolina remarked: "The longer you are here the more you are going to be overwhelmed about how things operate in the government." Then to the USDA officials, he com mented: "I'm a great advocate of research, but what we need now is action. This Is in credible. You make the FDA look good." Mr. Fountain's committee recently com pleted another in a series of investigation of laxity in FDA's law enforcement ac- DSW 433806 STLCOPCB4086914