UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

OFFICE OF PREVENTION, PESTICIDES
AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES

MEMORANDUM

Date/Time: January 6, 2016 / 10 :00 a .m.

– 11 :00 a .m.

Subject: Paraquat Dichloride Meeting Minutes . OPP Meets with Technical Registrants of Paraquat Dichloride to Propose Mitigation Measures to

A ddress I ncidents A ssociated with P araquat Dichloride

.

From: Marianne A. Mannix, Chemical Review Manager

Re

- evaluation Ma nagement and Implementation Branch III

Pesticide Re

- evaluation Division (7508P)

Participants: Kelly Sherman (EPA), Tracy Perry (EPA), Marianne Mannix (EPA), Nancy Fitz (EPA), Jonathan Becker (EPA), Bill Chism (EPA)

, Elizabeth Evans (EPA), Monty Dixon (Sy ngenta), Jerry Wells (Syngenta), K.C. Lin (Sinon), John Abbott (Syngenta), Todd Denofreo (ADAMA) , Jan Stechmann (Helm Agro), Bert Volger (Helm Agro), Robert Hawk (Source Dynamics), Cheryl Wagner (Sharda and Willowood), Larry Miller (Sinon and US Raymat )

M eeting Minutes:

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) met with the technical registrants of paraquat dichloride to discuss research and analysis the EPA has conducted on paraquat incidents since the December 17, 20 14 EPA

- Registrant meeting and to revisit the mitigation discussion

. Technical registrants of paraquat dichloride include: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, Celcius Property B.V., Amsterdam (NL), Helm Agro US Inc., Sharda Cropchem Limited, Sinon Corporation, So urce Dynamics, US Raymat, and Willowood Paraquat LLC. Monty Dixon (Syngenta), Jerry

Wells (Syngenta), and K.C. Lin (Sinon) attended the meeting in person, and representatives for the other technical registrants participated in the meeting through a

confere nce line. Technical difficulties prevented Cheryl Wagner and Larry M iller from participating on the call, but the information was disseminated to them by EPA via telephone immediately after.

In previous mitigation discussions between EPA and the technic al registrants, the focus has been on mitigating ingestion incidents, however, EPA’s most recent review of paraquat incident reports revealed a high number of occupational incidents of concern, shifting the Agency’s approach to address all paraquat dichlor ide human incidents. During the 1/6/16 meeting, EPA reviewed its recent research/analysis of paraquat

incidents and presented results of a Health Effects Division incident rate analysissummarized in the memo entitled Paraquat & Herbicide Alternatives: Inc ident Rate Analysis

. According to the incident rate analysis, the likelihood of an incident associated

with paraquat use occurring is significantly and substantially higher than that of two potential herbicide alternatives, glufosinate (7 times higher) and glyphosate (13 times higher). The likelihood of an incident of moderate or high severity (typically an incident necessitating a doctor or hospital visit) occurring is 10 times higher with paraquat than glufosinate and 23 times higher with paraquat than gl yphosate. E PA proposed a number of mitigation measures to include some previously agreed upon measures (label amendments to highlight ingestion risk and toxicity, supplemental warning materials, packaging changes for non

- bulk containers, and the developmen t of stewardship/training materials) as well as a closed system requirement, the prohibition of hand applications, In the meeting, Syngenta agreed to coordinate with the other technical registrants to discuss whether they will agree to voluntarily impleme nt these measures. EPA and the technical registrants will meet again in two weeks.