Dursban to Be Phased Out

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on June 8 an agreement to phase out chlorpyrifos, commonly sold under the trade names Dursban® and Lorsban®. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate that affects the nervous system and can cause a variety of neurological problems, is the most widely used household pesticide in the United States. It is used in a broad range of lawn and home insecticides, in pesticides used on 40 agricultural crops, and in termiticides. More than 20 million pounds of chlorpyrifos are applied annually in the U.S. in some 825 registered products.

Under the agreement, made with manufacturer Dow AgroSciences of Indianapolis, Indiana (a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical), manufacture and sale of chlorpyrifos will be phased out as follows: