Proposed Maximum Residue Limit PMRL2022-16, Fenazaquin

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
29 August 2022
ISSN: 1925-0843 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-24/2022-16E-PDF (PDF version - 205K)

Purpose of consultation

Maximum residue limits (MRLs)^{Footnote 1} are being proposed for the pesticide fenazaquin as part of the following applications for Canadian use under submission numbers 2019-0613, 2019-0614 and 2019-0615; and submission number 2019-0612 for imported commodities.

Under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is proposing acceptability of the uses requested under the above-noted applications to register the technical grade fenazaquin and the end-use products Magister SC Miticide/Fungicide and Magus Miticide for new uses on various commodities in Canada, to control or suppress various insects and fungal diseases (please refer to Table 1).

The evaluation of these fenazaquin applications indicated that the end-use products have value, and the human health and environmental risks associated with their proposed uses are acceptable. Details regarding these applications can be found in Proposed Registration Decision PRD2022-11, Fenazaquin, Magister SC Miticide/Fungicide, and Magus SC Miticide, posted to the Health Canada website on 29 August 2022. Dietary risks from the consumption of foods listed in Table 1 were shown to be acceptable when fenazaquin is used according to the supported label directions. Therefore, foods containing residues resulting from this use are safe to eat, and MRLs are being proposed as a result of this assessment.

In addition, Health Canada is proposing acceptability of the request to specify MRLs for fenazaquin on imported citrus commodities to control or supress various insects and fungal diseases, in order to permit the import and sale of food that could contain such residues. Health Canada has determined the quantity of residues that may remain in or on the imported commodities when fenazaquin is used according to the label directions of the exporting country, and that such residues will not be a concern to human health. Details regarding the proposed MRLs on imported commodities can also be found in PRD2022-11, Section 3.7.

Dietary health assessment

In assessing the risk of a pesticide, Health Canada combines information on pesticide toxicity with information on the degree and duration of dietary exposure to the pesticide residue from food. The risk assessment process involves four distinct steps:

1. Identifying the toxicology hazards posed by the pesticide;
2. Determining the “acceptable dietary level” for Canadians (including all vulnerable populations), which is protective of adverse health effects;
3. Estimating human dietary exposure to the pesticide from all applicable sources (domestic and imported commodities); and
4. Characterizing health risk by comparing the estimated human dietary exposure to the acceptable dietary level.

Before registering a pesticide for food use in Canada, Health Canada must determine the quantity of residues that could remain in or on the food when the pesticide is used according to label directions and that such residues will not be a concern to human health (Steps 3 and 4 above). If estimated human exposure is less than or equal to the acceptable level (developed in Step 2 above), Health Canada concludes that consuming residues resulting from use according to approved label directions is not a health concern. The proposed MRL is then subject to consultation to legally specify it as an MRL. An MRL applies to the identified raw agricultural food commodity, as well as to any processed food product that contains it, except for certain instances where different MRLs are specified for the raw agricultural commodity and its processed product(s).

Consultation on the proposed MRLs for fenazaquin is being conducted via this document and PRD2022-11. Health Canada invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for fenazaquin in accordance with the process outlined in the Next steps section of this document, and with the process outlined in PRD2022-11.

To comply with Canada’s international trade obligations, consultation on the proposed MRLs is also being conducted internationally by notifying the World Trade Organization, as coordinated by Canada’s Notification Authority and Enquiry Point.

Proposed MRLs

The proposed MRLs for fenazaquin are summarized in Table 1.

The commodities included in the listed crop groups/subgroups can be found on the Residue Chemistry Crop Groups webpage in the Pesticides section of Canada.ca.

MRLs established in Canada may be found using the Maximum Residue Limit Database on the Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides webpage. The database allows users to search for established MRLs, regulated under the Pest Control Products Act, both for pesticides or for food commodities.

International situation and trade implications

MRLs may vary from one country to another for a number of reasons, including differences in pesticide use patterns and the locations of the crop field trials used to generate residue chemistry data.

Table 2 compares the MRLs proposed for fenazaquin in Canada with corresponding American tolerances and Codex MRLs.^{Footnote 2} American tolerances are listed in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 180, by pesticide. A listing of established Codex MRLs is available on the Codex Alimentarius Pesticide Index webpage, by pesticide or commodity.

Next steps

Health Canada invites the public to submit written comments on the proposed MRLs for fenazaquin up to 75 days from the date of publication of this document. Please forward your comments to Publications. Health Canada will consider all comments received and a science-based approach will be applied in making a final decision on the proposed MRLs. Comments received will be addressed in a separate document linked to this PMRL. The established MRLs will be legally in effect as of the date that they are entered into the Maximum Residue Limit Database.