Mosquito Control OPMP hosted USDA and EPA staff on July 1 for a briefing by Dr. James Dukes on his research into mosquitocide applications and technology. Dr. Dukes is the mosquito adulticide research leader of the Public Health Entomology Research and Education Center at the John A. Mulrennan Sr. He provided some of the first available information on deposition patterns of aerial mosquitocide applications, which was used by the EPA to confirm residential exposure risk derived from the agricultural spray drift model. Dr. Dukes also presented his preliminary findings on using different nozzles to reduce aerial mosquitocide use up to 50 percent while maintaining equivalent efficacy. The new proposals are expected to appear in the Federal Register in September, along with a schedule for public meetings.
Industry is encouraged to attend and present information about new crop protection technology.
The EPA Office of Pesticide Programs recently added a page on Pesticide Safety Programs to its web site. A draft report and proposals on the future of the programs is posted at the site for public review. Other features of the site include links regarding the Worker Protection Standard and National Strategies for Health Care Providers.