. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/181
24 August 1999
(99-3519)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Environmental Protection Agency - EPA
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, whereapplicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Methyl Parathion
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Organophosphate Pesticide:
Methyl Parathion; Availability of Revised Risk Assessments and Public Participation on
Risk Management (2 pages plus related documents).
5. Description of content: This notice announces the availability of the revised risk
assessments and related documents for one organophosphate pesticide, methyl parathion.  In
addition, this notice starts a 60-day public participation period during which the public is
encouraged to submit risk management ideas.  These actions are in response to a jointinitiative between EPA and the Department of Agriculture to increase transparency in the
tolerance reassessment process for organophosphate pesticides. Although methyl parathion
is beginning the 60-day public participation process, to address dietary risk from food, the
Agency has accepted voluntary cancellation of uses on crops that contributed most to
children’s diet.  These cancelled uses represent 90 per cent of the dietary risk to children.
Removal of these crops brings the acute dietary risk for food to below levels of concern
(78 per cent of the population adjusted dose).  The agreement was signed and becameeffective 2 August 1999, with the basic producers of methyl parathion.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [   ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,
[    ] protect territory from other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  The United States is cancelling a number of
uses which will continue to have CXLs under Codex Alimentarius.  Those uses are: apple,
apricot, olives, peaches, artichoke, broccoli, carrot, celery, cherries, clover, garden peas,gooseberry, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, young lima beans, mustard greens, plums, raspberries,
spinach, turnips and turnip greens.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  64 FR 44219,
13 August 1999;  Available in English.G/SPS/N/USA/181
Page 2
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Agreement on voluntary cancellation of certain uses signed on
2 August 1999.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  The cancellation of uses will take effect prior to the
next growing season.  Methyl parathion application for the cancelled uses will be prohibited
for the 2000 growing season.
11. Final date for comments:  12 October 1999.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:  Environmental Protection Agency.  Detailed instruction on
where and how to send comments is in the body of the full text - which will be sent upon
request to the address in paragraph 12.
12. Texts available from: [   ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
ATTN: Carolyn F. WilsonRoom 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone (202) 720-2239
Fax (202) 690-0677
E-mail Address: ofsts@fas.usda.gov