In November 2007, the EPA updated the human health and ecological effects risk assessment for Endosulfan.
Below, I’ve paraphrased some of the main points in EPA’s new risk assessment (sorry for the technical jargon):
According to new studies, many of the occupational handler scenarios exceed the Agency’s level of concern even with maximum Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and engineering controls. In addition, for many of the occupational postapplication scenarios, the restricted-entry interval (REI) would be several to multiple days longer than the REIs required previously.
In general, although preliminary, the new information suggests that endosulfan poses greater environmental risks than previously estimated. The breakdown product of Endosulfan is persistent and may enter aquatic and terrestrial food chains. The compound bioconcentrates in aquatic organisms to a significant extent, and has has a significant potential to biomagnify in certain terrestrial food webs. In addition, EPA continues to be concerned about endosulfan’s volatility and its ability to migrate to sites distant from use areas, such as the Arctic, where it may move up the food chain and threaten human health.
The EPA solicited comments on their new risk assesment through February, and will be using these comments to help draft possible changes to the regulation of Endosulfan.
To see the EPA’s notice of Endosulfan’s Updated Risk Assessment, follow this link: http://www.epa.gov/EPA-PEST/2007/November/Day-16/p22385.htm
To see EPA’s old risk assessment, follow this link:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/REDs/factsheets/endosulfan_fs.htm
To see the public comments from industry (including the National Apple Growers Association), academics, and human and environmental health advocates, search the postings from 2007 and 2008 at the following page:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=EPA-HQ-OPP-2002-0262
To read a summary for lay people of a journal article that points to a possible link between endosulfan and autism, follow this link:
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/115-10/ss.html#auti