Consultation on Thiophanate-Methyl and Its Associated End-use Products, Proposed Re evaluation Decision PRVD2019-07

Health Canada is consulting Canadians on its proposed re-evaluation decision for thiophanate-methyl. Thiophanate-methyl is a fungicide that controls a broad spectrum of diseases on a wide variety of crops and use sites in Canada, including greenhouse non-food crops, terrestrial food crops, mushrooms, outdoor ornamentals, turf, and seed treatment. A list of thiophanate-methyl products can be found in Appendix I of the consultation document, or through the online Pesticide Label Search at Canada.ca.

Based on the outcome of the risk assessment, Health Canada proposes continued registration for many uses of thiophanate-methyl with mitigation measures including:

• additional personal protective equipment, engineering controls, and limits on amount of product handled per day by workers
• new or revised restricted-entry intervals, limits on the number of applications per season, and limiting greenhouse cut flower applications to soil drench only
• spray buffer zones to protect aquatic habitats
• additional label statements that:
  • inform users that thiophanate-methyl is toxic to bees, earthworms, birds, small- and medium-sized mammals, and aquatic organisms
  • advise avoiding application during periods of bloom for crops that are attractive to pollinators
  • inform not to discharge thiophanate-methyl-contaminated effluent from greenhouses and mushroom houses into aquatic environments
  • inform users how to reduce the potential for runoff.

However, Health Canada is proposing to cancel the following uses of thiophanate-methyl, as risks to human health have not shown to be acceptable:

• Aerial application using wettable powder products
• Wettable powder products on all turf uses, white bean, sugarbeet, aspen and poplar
• All turf uses except on golf courses and sod farms for the liquid and water-soluble packaging products
• Greenhouse tobacco seedlings (foliar spray and foliar drench applications)
• Greenhouse cut flowers (foliar application)
• Outdoor cut flowers
• Apples and pears at the high application rate
• Peach, nectarine, plum, prune, cherry
• Commercial seed treatment of bean seeds using wettable powder products
• On-farm dry application to bean seeds using wettable powder products
• Potato seed piece treatment for all product formulations.

For more information on the proposed decision open the “Proposed Re-evaluation Decision”.

How to Get Involved

This consultation is open for comment from 28 June 2019 to 26 September 2019 (90 calendar days).

To comment on PRVD2019-07:

• Step 1: Request the full consultation document to read the Science Evaluation that is the basis of this proposed regulatory decision.
• Step 2: Submit comments to the PMRA Publications Section.

If you would like to comment, see the Pest Management Regulatory Agency Publications Section page for contact information. Please be sure to include the title of the consultation document on which you are commenting.

Reporting to Canadians

Health Canada will make the results of this consultation available on this website. Once the decision is finalized, the PMRA will post a Re-evaluation Decision on the Pesticides and Pest Management Reports and Publications portion of Canada.ca.

If you have any questions, contact the Pest Management Information Service.

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