The Advisory Committee on Pesticides provides independent advice to Ministers on matters relating to the regulation and use of pesticides, including applications for approval of new products and reviews of existing approvals. It usually meets in closed session (because of intellectual property and commercial secrecy considerations) approximately eight times a year in York.
Those present:
Chairman: Professor D Coggon
Members: Professor A Boobis, Professor G Matthews, Dr D N Bateman, Dr P McElhatton, Mrs E Brown, Mr J Orson, Professor P Calow, Mrs S Owen, Professor G Edwards Jones, Professor R Smith, Dr C Elcombe, Mr C Stopes,
Apologies were received from the following Members: Dr I Grieve, Dr V K Tohani
Representatives from the following Departments and other organisations were present: The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), The Food and Environment Research Agency(FERA), Environment Agency (EA), Food Standards Agency (FSA), Department of Health (DH), Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Rothamsted Research (IARC), Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA).
At its meeting on 28th November 2002, the Committee discussed the following issues:
1. Agenda Item 1:
1.1 a) 295th Meeting: Minutes [ACP 1 (296/2002)]
1.1.1 Agreed as amended
1.2 b) 295th Meeting: Detailed record of discussion [ACP 2 (296/2002)]
1.2.1 Agreed as amended
2. Agenda Item 2: Secretary’s Report [ACP 3 (296/2002)]
2.1 The Secretary to the Committee reported on the recommendations made at the meeting held on 17 October 2002.
3. Agenda Item 3: Matters Arising
3.1 a) Detailed record of July for disclosure [ACP 14 (296/2002)]
3.1.1 At the October meeting members had been asked to consider the draft detailed record of the July ACP, prior to publication on the PSD website. The Chairman now asked if they were content for it to be published. Members had no objections.
3.1.2 The Chairman told members that publication could not take place immediately because advice on the matter had not yet been received from Ministers.
3.1.3 It was agreed that members who were leaving the Committee would be given the opportunity to comment on the minutes and detailed records of meetings they had attended, prior to publication on the website.
3.2 b) FSA Policies on Pesticide Residues in Food [ACP 12 (296/2002)]
3.2.1 The Chairman asked members for their comments on his revised draft of the ACP response to the FSA policy document.
3.2.2 There was further discussion of the purpose and reasoning behind both the FSA document and the ACP response.
3.2.3 The Chairman then said that he would forward the ACP response to the FSA, asking that the ACP be kept informed of progress on the development of the policy. It was agreed that the document would also be put on the ACP website.
3.3 c) Update on discussion paper on a contingency strategy for use of pesticides in combating West Nile Fever
3.3.1 DH gave members an oral update on progress made since the last ACP meeting.
3.3.2 HSE confirmed that they were making progress in addressing the points raised at the last meeting.
3.3.3 Members suggested names of several UK specialists who might be able to provide assistance with epidemiological and modelling issues, and there was further discussion on the need to ensure that the anticipated benefit from any use of pesticides in this context outweighed the adverse effects that might arise from such use.
3.3.4 HSE said that they would be seeking further advice from departments and committee members as the strategy developed and other areas of concern were identified.
3.4 d) Suggestions for human effects monitoring [ACP 22 (296/2002)]
3.4.1 The Chairman explained that he had written to the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) following discussion at the open meeting, and that the letter now before members was their response. Members were also referred to a tabled paper from DH.
3.4.2 The Chairman proposed that the matter should be discussed further by the committee’s Medical and Toxicology Panel and invited members to submit their written comments in time for its next meeting in April.
3.5 e) Carbosulfan [ACP 6 (296/2002)]
3.5.1 The ACP had first considered a human health review of carbosulfan at its 289th meeting and then again at the 294th meeting in September when additional data had been presented. At the September meeting, members had requested further analysis of residue monitoring data for home grown and imported produce, relating potential dietary intakes to the acute reference dose (ARfD).
3.5.2 Members discussed the additional analysis now presented and concluded that it would be helpful Summary of 289th ACP to incorporate any additional information that might be available on residues detected at levels below reporting limits. PSD agreed to investigate if such data were available
3.6 g) Other matters arising from the minutes
3.6.1 Members were updated on progress with various other actions identified at the previous meeting.
3.6.2 The Chairman informed the committee that Professor Edwards Jones had kindly agreed to chair the new subcommittee on alternative approaches to pest control and that the date of its first meeting would be set in the new year.
3.6.3 The labelling of Ethephon discussed at the last meeting remained under consideration.
3.6.4 The Secretary reported that it was planned to send a revised transcript of the 2002 Open Meeting to members and invited speakers within the next week.
3.6.5 Members had been informed by HSE at the September 2002 meeting that action would be taken under the Marketing and Use Directive on amateur uses of creosote. This action has now been finalised. HSE gave members details of the Marketing and Use Directive and the revocation action being taken against creosote/coal tar creosote.
4. e) IDS Report of Meeting on 5th November 2002 [ACP 4 (296/2002)]
4.1 The Chairman of the Inter-Departmental Secretariat explained that the 5th November meeting had been cancelled. He reported on the issues covered in a postal consultation of departments in November.
5. Advice from COM and COC on malathion [ACP 5 (296/2002)]
5.1 As part of a UK human health review of malathion earlier this year, the Committees on Mutagenicity (COM) and Carcinogenicity (COC) had been asked by the ACP to consider the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of malathion. This paper presented a draft COC/COM statement that had been forwarded to data holders.
5.2 Members discussed whether on the basis of this draft statement further studies should be requested, and could see no regulatory value in doing so. Their advice to Ministers would be finalised once the COM/COC paper was in its final form.
6. Review of Chlorpyrifos (Agricultural Uses) [ACP 13 (296/2002)]
6.1 Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide used on a range of crops. The ACP had considered a human health review of chlorpyrifos on a number of occasions since July 2000 and two further toxicology papers were now presented. The committee was asked to consider whether these papers had implications for the previous risk assessment. They were also asked to consider new data that had been provided by the approval holder on the environmental fate and ecotoxicology of chlorpyrifos. (An environmental review of chlorpyrifos had been considered previously by the ACP in May 2002 and also by the Environmental Panel.)
6.2 Members concluded that the toxicology papers did not affect the previous risk assessment. Members discussed the key areas of concern raised by the environmental review, taking into account the new data presented, previous discussions, work being done in the EC and the potential implications of regulatory restrictions for the agricultural and horticultural industries.
6.3 It was decided to seek the views of the Environmental Panel on what should be regarded as an environmentally acceptable concentration (EAC) in surface water. The Panel would report its conclusions at the February meeting of the ACP. Once this EAC had been determined, the committee would consider the scope for demonstrating an acceptable risk to aquatic wildlife through the generation of environmental monitoring data.
6.4 In addressing the potential environmental impact of chlorpyrifos, Members were mindful of its importance to some sections of agriculture and horticulture. While there was currently insufficient reassurance that contamination of water courses next to sprayed crops was at an acceptable level, it was by no means certain that significant environmental benefits would accrue from restrictions on use. If acceptable risk could not be demonstrated through the generation of additional monitoring data, there would be a need to assess the potential benefits and adverse consequences of possible regulatory changes, so that Ministers could make an informed decision on the best way forward.
7. Review of Anticholinesterase Compounds - Partial Review of Chlorpyrifos (Non-Agricultural Uses) [ACP 8 (296/2002)]
7.1 Chlorpyrifos is also approved for use as an insecticide in non-agricultural settings. This paper presented a review of the non-agricultural uses of chlorpyrifos, and also considered an application for approval of a new product, which contained a higher level of chlorpyrifos in the concentrate than had been approved previously for non-agricultural uses.
7.2 Members considered that, subject to data requirements, provisional approval should be allowed to continue for non-agricultural chlorpyrifos based products. Members concluded that the risk assessment for the new product was acceptable and recommended that provisional approval be granted. Members considered that a label claim for activity against fleas should be removed from chlorpyrifos based products when they were applied only by crack and crevice, spot or band treatments.
8. Review of Anticholinesterase Compounds - Review of 3-Iodo-2-Propynyl-N-Butyl Carbamate [ACP 9 (296/2002)]
8.1 3-iodo-2-propynyl-N-butyl carbamate (IPBC) is a carbamate compound currently approved for use in various wood preservatives, wood treatments, surface biocides and biocidal paints. IPBC is one of the chemicals included in the current review of organophosphorus and carbamate compounds. The paper presented included a review of the physical chemistry, mammalian toxicity, environmental hazard and efficacy of IPBC. The paper included assessments of the risks to human health and the environment from the use of IPBC.
8.2 Members discussed the paper and asked for clarification on various issues relating to mammalian toxicology and environmental risks. Members concluded that they were unable to make a recommendation on IPBC without further information, and that the review paper should be reconsidered by the Committee at a future meeting.
9. Peroxyacetic Acid [ACP 7 (296/2002)]
9.1 Peroxyacetic acid (PAA) had been considered at the 294th meeting of the ACP for use as a commodity substance for the disinfection of hydroponic growth substrates, as a contact disinfectant for the control of plant pathogens on potato, and for foliar use on potato to protect against fungal infection. Additional information on the risks associated with the use of this substance that had been requested by the Committee at that meeting was now presented for consideration.
9.2 Issues relating to the three uses were discussed separately and the Committee agreed that Ministers be advised to grant approval for commodity substance use of 5% w/w peroxyacetic acid formulations as a dip on potato tubers, subject to additional requirements relating to the use of suitable personal protective equipment.
9.3 The committee considered that approval for foliar use against potato blight should be withheld as there were inadequate data to assess the risk to unprotected bystanders from inhalation of the vapour and insufficient efficacy data on the control of potato blight (Phytopthera infestans).
9.4 Members agreed that assumptions in the risk assessment for disinfection of hydroponic growth substrates were very conservative, but that, nevertheless, further information should be required to refine the estimates of dermal exposure and environmental impact.
9.5 Members agreed to advise Ministers to grant approval for use of peroxyacetic acid as a dip for seed potato tubers.
10. Application for Annex 1 Inclusion and UK Provisional Approval of 1-Methylcyclopropene for use as a Plant Growth Regulator in Food Storage Practice on Apples
Item withdrawn at the request of the company
11. Pesticides Incidents Report 1 April 2001 - 31 March 2002 [ACP 10 (296/2002)]
11.1 This report was produced by the Field Operations Directorate of the HSE and comments were invited from members of the ACP.
11.2 Members agreed that it was an interesting report, but that more detail would enable the assessments to be put in context and make the document more useful. They suggested that it would be helpful if more information were provided in next year's report on whether pesticide incidents that were classed as 'definite', 'probable' or 'likely' resulted from abuse, misuse or approved use of products.
12. Evaluation of Tank-Mixing in British Agriculture [ACP 20 (296/2002)]
12.1 One of the recommendations of the WIGRAMP report (302 pages) (http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/reportindexed.pdf) referred specifically to tank mixes. At its meeting on 13th November, the Medical and Toxicology Panel had considered this paper on the most common tank mixes used on arable, vegetable and orchard crops, as identified from Pesticide Usage Surveys.
12.2 The Chairman noted that the surveys had revealed the use in some cases of tank mixes containing more than one anticholinesterase product, which was in breach of the consent for use of these pesticides. He confirmed that this issue was being addressed by the regulatory authorities.
12.3 For each class of crop, the paper listed the ten most common tank mixes in terms of area treated. The committee agreed that enhanced toxicity was unlikely with the mixtures identified, but that for some crop groups it would be sensible to look at more than just the ten most common tank mixes.
12.4 The EA asked if the paper could also be considered by the Environmental Panel and this was agreed.
13. Key Discussion Points from the Medical and Toxicology Panel Meeting of 13 November 2002 [ACP 21 (296/2002)]
13.1 The chairman of the Medical and Toxicology Panel reported on the matters discussed at its meetings on 18 October and 13 November.
14. Date of Next Meeting:
14.1 The next meeting of the ACP will take place on Thursday 16 January 2003, at Foss House, York.
15. Any Other Business:
15.1 Several papers were circulated to Members for information only.
Professor David Coggon
December 2002
