Officials of Dow AgroSciences of Indianapolis, the major manufacturer of Dursban, dispute the federal view, pointing to numerous studies they say indicate the chemical is safe, and charging the EPA study contains numerous errors and omissions of fact and is premised on fundamental errors of science and law. However, the company has announced it will stop marketing its product for homeowners outdoor landscapes and public areas by this December. Along with Dursban, the EPA is banning Diazinon over the next few years, eliminating its use indoors next March and stopping use for lawns and gardens in 2003. Diazinon is lethal to both bees and birds. Both chemicals are the main tools for protecting Northwest lawns and commercial landscaping against crane fly infestations.
Crane flies eat the root and the crown of the grass plant, and can devastate a lawn.
The EPA review was triggered by the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, which requires pesticides be safe for the most vulnerable elements of the population, particularly children. Several years ago, the city of Seattle and King County began expressing concerns about the use of outdoor pesticides. Contamination concerns have been fueled by U.S. Geological Survey water samples showing traces of a variety of pesticides in Puget Sound area streams. Listing of Northwest salmon under the Endangered Species Act has heightened concerns about the impact of chemicals on aquatic life, a concern that prompted King County and the city of Seattle in 1999 to adopt an Integrated Pest Management policy that allows pesticides only as a last resort in pest control. Instead of chemicals, IPM stresses preventing pest problems through design and maintenance practices, and uses a range of pest management techniques, including biological, cultural and mechanical.