Re-evaluation Decision RVD2018-30, Chloropicrin and Its Associated End-use Products

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
28 September 2018
ISSN: 1925-0886 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-9/2018-30E-PDF (PDF version)

Table of Contents

• Re-evaluation Decision
• Regulatory Decision for Chloropicrin
• Risk Mitigation Measures
• Next Steps
• Other Information
• Appendix I - Registered Chloropicrin Products in Canada
• Appendix II - Label Amendments for Commercial and Restricted Class End-Use Products Containing Chloropicrin

Re-evaluation Decision

Under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, all registered pesticides must be regularly re-evaluated by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to ensure that they continue to meet current health and environmental safety standards and continue to have value. The re-evaluation considers internationally accepted risk assessment methods as well as current risk management approaches and policies.

Chloropicrin is a non-selective pre-plant soil fumigant used to control pathogens including insects, nematodes, bacteria, fungi and weeds in soil. In addition, chloropicrin is used as a remedial wood preservative to treat structural timber (such as poles). Currently registered products containing chloropicrin are listed in Appendix I.

This document presents the final regulatory decision^Footnote 1 for the re-evaluation of chloropicrin. All pest control products containing chloropicrin that are registered in Canada are subject to this re-evaluation decision. Prior to finalizing this decision, Health Canada published the Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2017-01, Chloropicrin, for 90-day consultation.^Footnote 2

One comment supporting the proposed decision was received during the consultation period. Therefore, this decision is consistent with the proposed re-evaluation decision stated in PRVD2017-01. In addition, to meet the current labelling standards, Health Canada included further clarification related to the nature of restriction for end-use products used for soil fumigation (Appendix II).

A reference list of all data used as the basis for the re-evaluation decision is included in PRVD2017-01.

Regulatory Decision for Chloropicrin

Health Canada has completed the re-evaluation for chloropicrin. Under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada has determined that continued registration of products containing chloropicrin is acceptable. Following a scientific review of the available information, Health Canada has determined that the health and environmental risks and the value of chloropicrin continue to be acceptable provided that the required mitigation measures are implemented. Label amendments, as summarized below and listed in Appendix II, are required. No additional data are required at this time.

Risk Mitigation Measures

Registered pesticide product labels include specific directions for use. Directions must be followed by law and include risk mitigation measures to protect human health and the environment. The following label amendments are included as part of the re-evaluation:

Human Health

• Updated restricted use statements to meet current labelling standards

Environment

• Environmental precautions label statement
• Updated directions for use and storage statements to meet current labelling standards

Next Steps

To comply with this decision, the required mitigation measures must be implemented on all product labels sold by registrants no later than 24 months after the publication date of this decision document. Appendix I lists the products containing chloropicrin that are registered under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act.

Other Information

Any person may file a notice of objection^Footnote 3 regarding this decision on chloropicrin within 60 days from the date of publication of this Re-evaluation Decision. For more information regarding the basis for objecting (which must be based on scientific grounds), please refer to the Pesticides section of Canada.ca (Request a Reconsideration of Decision) or contact the PMRA's Pest Management Information Service.

Appendix I - Registered Chloropicrin Products in Canada

Table 1 - Registered Chloropicrin Products in Canada (as of 8 August 2018)

Appendix II - Label Amendments for Commercial and Restricted Class End-Use Products Containing Chloropicrin

The label amendments presented below do not include all label requirements for individual end-use products, such as first aid statements, disposal statements, precautionary statements and supplementary protective equipment. Information on labels of currently registered products should not be removed unless it contradicts the label statements provided below.

The following label statements are required:

• I) For end-use products registered for soil fumigation (Reg. No. 25863 and 28715), on the primary display panel of the label, the following statement must be removed:

  "Only to be used by individuals holding an appropriate pesticide applicator certificate or license recognized by the provincial/territorial pesticide regulatory agency where the pesticide application occurs."

  Replace with:

  "Only to be sold to and used by individuals holding an appropriate pesticide applicator certificate or license recognized by the provincial/territorial pesticide regulatory agency where the pesticide application occurs."

• II) For end-use product registered for soil fumigation (Reg. No. 13477), on the primary display panel of the label, the following statements must be included:

  "Only to be sold to and used by individuals holding an appropriate pesticide applicator certificate or license recognized by the provincial/territorial pesticide regulatory agency where the pesticide application occurs."

• III) For all end-use products registered for soil fumigation (Reg. No. 13477, 25863, and 28715), in the NATURE OF RESTRICTION section of the label on the secondary panel, the following statement must be removed:

  "This product is only to be used by individuals holding an appropriate pesticide applicator certificate or license recognized by the provincial/territorial pesticide regulatory agency where the pesticide application is to occur. This restriction applies to all fumigant handlers, as defined in the DIRECTIONS FOR USE, Handler Restrictions section of this label."

  Replace with:

  "This product is only to be sold to and used by individuals holding an appropriate pesticide applicator certificate or licence recognized by the provincial/territorial pesticide regulatory agency where the pesticide application is to occur. This restriction applies to all fumigant handlers, as defined in the DIRECTIONS FOR USE, Handler Restrictions section of this label."

• IV) For all end-use products, the following statement must be included in a section entitled Environmental Precautions:

  "Toxic to aquatic organisms, birds and wild mammals."

• VI) For the end-use product registered for wood preservation (Reg. No. 14588), the following statement must be included in a section entitled DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

  "DO NOT contaminate irrigation or drinking water supplies or aquatic habitats by cleaning of equipment or disposal of wastes."

• VI) For all products, the following statements must be included in a section entitled STORAGE:

  "To prevent contamination store this product away from food or feed."