Wildlife Hazards from Furadan 3G Applications to Rice in Texas

Abstract

Mortality of birds, fish, frogs, crayfish, earthworms, and nontarget insects occurred in rice fields after treatments of Furadan 3G granules in 3 Texas counties in 1970 and 1973-75. Three western sandpipers (Ereunetes mauri), 1 pectoral sandpiper (Erolia melanotos), and 2 red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were found dead or moribund between 17 and 24 hours after treatment. Cricket frogs (Acris crepitans blanchardi) were intoxicated 15 minutes post-treatment, and mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) showed effects 1 hour post-treatment. Mortality of mosquito fish, Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus), Atlantic croaker (Micropogon undulatus), and European carp (Cyprinus carpio) usually occurred between 24 and 28 hours after treatment. Mortality of frogs, crayfish, and nontarget insects generally occurred in rice field water between 1 and 45 hours after treatment. Mortality of earthworms in soil persisted for 52 hours. As a replacement for aldrin in Texas rice fields, Furadan 3G appeared to cause less mortality of birds than aldrin, but Furadan 3G was toxic to birds, fish, and invertebrates. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 44(1):190-197 When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suspended aldrin treatment of rice seed in 1974, aldrin was replaced with the systemic carbamate Furadan for control of rice-water-weevil larvae (Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus) in Texas. In rice fields, aldrin caused mortality of fulvous whistling ducks (Dendrocygna bicolor) and 31 other avian species (Flickinger and King 1972). Furadan is the registered trade name for insecticidal formulations of carbofuran (2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl7-benzofuranyl methylcarbamate). The name Furadan is used predominately in the field, whereas carbofuran (the common name) accepted by the American Standards Association has become the accepted name in laboratories. The names Furadan and carbofuran have been used interchangeably (Niagara Chemical Division, FMC Corporation, unpubl.). Furadan, a systemic insecticide, can be applied to the soil and absorbed and translocated by the rice plant. Furadan 3G granular (3% carbofuran in sand core granules) and Furadan 2G granular (2% arbofuran) were tested in rice fields in Louisiana by the manufacturer in 1969. Furadan 3G granular treatments for ricewater-weevil control began in 1970 and eventually replaced aldrin in Texas. Fulvous whistling ducks feed and nest in rice fields and have been listed as endangered since 1972 by the Texas Organization for Endangered Species. In acute oral tests, 98.8% pure Furadan was highly toxic to fulvous whistling ducks (LD5s 0.238) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) (LD5o 0.397). One part per million of 98.8% pure Furadan in drinking water was toxic to fulvous whistling ducks in 7-day exposure tests (Tucker and Crabtree 1970). Formulations stronger than Furadan 3G were highly toxic to several species of waterfowl when applied to field crops in the United States and Canada. Furadan 10G granular (10% carbofuran) applied to vegetables reportedly killed about 1,400 ducks, largely green-winged 190 J. Wildl. Manage. 44(1):1980 1 On leave from the University of Illinois. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.102 on Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:12:01 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms WILDLIFE HAZARDS FROM FURADAN 3G ? Flickinger et al. 191 teal (Anas carolinensis), mallards, pintails (A. acuta), and American wigeon (A. americana) in British Columbia from 1973 to 1975 (P. Whitehead, Canadian Wildlife Service, pers. comm.). Stickel (1975) reported that carbofuran (Furadan 4F flowable--40.65% carbofuran) foliar application to alfalfa killed 2,450 wigeon at 1 California locality in 1974. Furadan 4F flowable applied to alfalfa caused the death of 500 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in southern Oklahoma in February 1976 (E. Jamison, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pers. comm.), 1,000 American wigeon in Kansas in spring 1976 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, unpubl.), and over 1,063 wigeon in California in 1976 and 1977 (A. Bishoff, California Department of Fish and Game, pers. comm.). Our purpose is to present the comparative hazards of applications of Furadan 3G and aldrin (which Furadan 3G replaced) to wildlife that feed in and near treated rice fields along the Texas Gulf Coast. We thank A. Anderson of Wharton County, T. Pirtle and H. Rawlings of Brazoria County, and T. Thomas and J. Kasmierski of Colorado County, Texas, for permitting us to conduct the study in rice crops on land that they managed. We thank E. Hill and D. White, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for review of the manu-