Pest Management Regulatory Agency Research Articles

Time to improve transparency at Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

Time to improve transparency at Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

Monitoring of imidacloprid residues in fresh fruits and vegetables from the central parts of Jordan

Imidacloprid pesticide is widely utilized in agriculture due to its effectiveness in controlling a broad spectrum of insect pests. However, its usage has raised concerns about potential environmental impacts, and requires careful monitoring and responsible application to ensure sustainable agricultural practices. Thus, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized to analyze imidacloprid in 300 vegetable and fruit samples obtained from 15 major wholesalers in four regions of Amman, Jordan's capital city. Among the examined samples, 39.7 % were found to be contaminated with imidacloprid residues. Imidacloprid levels in different edible fruits and vegetables ranged from less than the Limit of Quantification (LOQ) to 0.40 mg kg−1. Significantly, eggplant and apples exhibited the highest average values (0.40 and 0.25 mg kg−1, respectively). Lower levels were detected in bananas (0.04 mg kg−1), potatoes (0.05 mg kg−1), grapes (0.07 mg kg−1), and cabbage (0.07 mg kg−1). Imidacloprid was below the method detection limit (BD) in samples of okra, peaches, apricots, and carrots. Overall, 25 samples (8.3 %) exceeded the Codex maximum residue limit (MRL) for imidacloprid. Moreover, 8 out of the 300 samples (2.7 %) exceeded the MRL established by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). Notably, the fruits of eggplant and apple contained the highest residual levels (1.30 and 0.83 mg kg−1, respectively), markedly exceeding the CODEX and PMRA MRLs. Additionally, the maximum detected imidacloprid residue concentration in bananas (0.25 mg kg−1) was 500 % higher than the CODEX MRLs. The estimated average daily intake (EDI) of the Amman population varied from 0.00 to 0.144 μg kg−1 body weight day−1 across various products. The hazard index (HI) for imidacloprid ranged from 0.00 to 0.24, all of which were below unity in all samples (<1). In conclusion, this investigation reveals low HI levels of imidacloprid residues in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables. However, the significant presence of imidacloprid residues in some samples highlights the urgent need for comprehensive measures to limit potential health hazards to consumers.

Qualitative analysis of the most locally relevant runoff and erosion parameters for constructing Brazilian scenarios.

Estimating exposure is one of the most important steps in an environmental risk analysis of crop-protection products to nontarget organisms. Regulatory agencies such as the USEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(USEPA), PestManagementRegulatoryAgency(PMRA), and EuropeanFoodSafetyAuthority(EFSA) all use mathematical exposure models in their regulatory assessment process. Brazil has been discussing the adoption of the Pesticide in Water Calculator (PWC) to be applied in aquatic pesticide risk assessment. Therefore, a qualitative sensitivity analysis (Morris OAT method) was performed to understand which are the most important local parameters in the PWC to estimate environmental concentrations in surface water (EECSW ). In addition, an exercise made up of two corn scenarios in two Brazilian regions was developed (Uberlândia [UDI] and Arapoti [ARA]). Two herbicides with different soil-binding properties and modes of action were selected to estimate the EECSW . The results demonstrated that the parameters of importance were different for each site, probably the result of different soil characteristics and meteorological patterns. This outcome suggests that regulatory agencies should consider developing more than one scenario to account for different agricultural regions. For Herbicide 1, the EECSW for UDI were similar to US scenarios, whereas for ARA they were lower. For Herbicide 2, the EECSW for the UDI site was higher than most of the US scenarios, whereas at the ARA site, EECs were similar to four US scenarios and lower than the other six. Local data were used as a refinement, resulting in the decrease in the EECSW for both herbicides in the UDI site. For the ARA site, Herbicide 1 displayed a similar EECSW value, whereas for Herbicide 2, it was lower after the refinement. Overall, these results demonstrated the importance of developing local scenarios to provide more realism to estimate pesticide exposure from its agricultural use and may help regulators to determine and recommend mitigations regarding the use of crop-protection products. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:1374-1384. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Poisoning Regulation, Research, Health, and the Environment: The Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Case in Canada.

Despite discourse advocating pesticide reduction, there has been an exponential increase in pesticide use worldwide in the agricultural sector over the last 30 years. Glyphosate-Based Herbicides (GBHs) are the most widely used pesticides on the planet as well as in Canada, where a total of almost 470 million kilograms of declared "active" ingredient glyphosate was sold between 2007 and 2018. GBHs accounted for 58% of pesticides used in the agriculture sector in Canada in 2017. While the independent scientific literature on the harmful health and environmental impacts of pesticides such as GBHs is overwhelming, Canada has only banned 32 "active" pesticide ingredients out of 531 banned in 168 countries, and reapproved GBHs in 2017 until 2032. This article, based on interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, will analyze how as a result of the scientific and regulatory captures of relevant Canadian agencies by the pesticide industry, the Canadian regulation and scientific assessment of pesticides are deficient and lagging behind other countries, using the GBH case as a basis for analysis. It will show how, by embracing industry narratives and biased evidence, by being receptive to industry demands, and by opaque decision making and lack of transparency, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) promotes commercial interests over the imperatives of public health and environmental protection.

Conservation Letter: Raptors and Anticoagulant Rodenticides

Conservation Letter: Raptors and Anticoagulant Rodenticides

Canadian Regulatory Perspective on Next Generation Risk Assessments for Pest Control Products and Industrial Chemicals.

In 2012, the Council of Canadian Academies published the expert panel on integrated testing of pesticide’s report titled: Integrating emerging technologies into chemical safety assessment. This report was prepared for the Government of Canada in response to a request from the Minister of Health and on behalf of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. It examined the scientific status of the use of integrated testing strategies for the regulatory health risk assessment of pesticides while noting the data-rich/poor dichotomy that exists when comparing pesticide formulations to most industrial chemicals. It also noted that the adoption of integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATA) strategies may refine and streamline testing of chemicals, as well as improve results in the future. Moreover, the experts expected to see an increase in the use of integrated testing strategies over the next decade, resulting in improved evidence-based decision-making. Subsequent to this report, there has been great advancements in IATA strategies, which includes the incorporation of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) and new approach methodologies (NAMs). This perspective provides the first Canadian regulatory update on how Health Canada is also advancing the incorporation of alternative, non-animal strategies, using a weight of evidence approach, for the evaluation of pest control products and industrial chemicals. It will include specific initiatives and describe how this work is leading to the creation of next generation risk assessments. It also reflects Health Canada’s commitment towards implementing the 3Rs of animal testing: reduce, refine and replace the need for animal studies, whenever possible.

Carcinogenic evaluation of the herbicide glyphosate

Glyphosate, an herbicidal derivative of the amino acid glycine, was introduced to agriculture in the 1970s. Glyphosate is widely considered by regulatory authorities and scientific bodies to have no carcinogenic potential. These have been also reviewed by numerous regulatory agencies including the US Environmental Protection Agency, the European Commission, and the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency; however, The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a monograph in 2015 concluding that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans”. In this review, we evaluated the carcinogenicity of the herbicide glyphosate, based on analyses of case control or cohort epidemiology studies that determinate the association between glyphosate and cancer. There are fourteen case-control studies; the assessment found that the data do not support a causal relationship between glyphosate exposure and cancer. As a result, the Panels concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans. Despite this results, future studies could be improved by more careful attention to validating exposure to glyphosate, thus we need for research on the health effects of glyphosate-based herbicides.

A linuron-free weed management strategy for carrots

AbstractThe development of a linuron-free weed management strategy for carrot production is essential as a result of the herbicide reevaluation programs launched by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency in Canada for herbicides registered before 1995 and the discovery of linuron-resistant pigweed species in Ontario. Field trials were conducted in one of Ontario’s main carrot-growing regions on high organic soils in 2016 and 2017. Pigweed species seedlings were effectively controlled with PRE treatments of prometryn, pendimethalin, S-metolachlor, or glufosinate. POST treatments of pyroxasulfone and metribuzin followed by predetermined biologically effective dose (≥90% control of pigweed seedlings) of acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, fluthiacet-methyl, and fomesafen achieved excellent crop selectivity and commercially acceptable pigweed species seedling control under field conditions. Carfentrazone-ethyl or fomesafen applied PRE severely reduced seedling emergence and yield in the wet growing season of 2017. This study demonstrated clearly that an alternative linuron-free strategy can be developed for carrots. The strategy of exploring the potential to use the biologically effective dose of selected herbicides to achieve crop selectivity and control of pigweed species seedlings was verified.

Phoma macrostoma : as a broad spectrum bioherbicide for turf grass and agricultural applications.

Abstract Phoma macrostoma Montagne 94-44B is an effective bioherbicide for broadleaved weed reduction. In 2016, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act and Regulations, granted full registration for the sale and use of the bioherbicide P. macrostoma Montagne 94-44B to control a broad spectrum of broadleaf weeds in established turfgrass and new seeding of grasses as well as in field grown nursery plants, trees and container-grown ornamentals. P. macrostoma 94-44B colonizes susceptible and non-susceptible plant roots, however, only in susceptible plants, such as Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), do mycelium proliferate around the vascular trachea interfering with the function of neighbouring cells while not entering them. Macrocidins, secondary metabolites secreted by P. macrostoma 94-44B mycelia, inhibit multiple steps in carotenoid precursor formation including phytoene desaturase and steps associated with β carotene and lutein carotenoid biogenesis, Fe and Mg chelation and OJIP chlorophyll fluorescence, thus uncoupling the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II from the reaction centre. The combined actions of P. macrostoma 94-44B and macrocidins elicit photobleaching of the leaves and eventual weed death. Research is underway to exploit Phoma's bioherbicidal actions for weed management in agriculture. P. macrostoma 94-44B can be used to reduce broadleaved weeds in crops such as wheat, corn, potato, forage grasses and established alfalfa (2nd growth or older). Soil residue studies reveal that neither P. macrostoma 94-44B nor macrocidins are present after 1 year suggesting that farmers could plant Phoma -sensitive crops such as legumes, flax or canola in subsequent years.

Insect Repellants During Pregnancy in the Era of the Zika Virus.

Health care providers must be equipped to provide appropriate advice to reproductive-aged patients for protection against the potentially devastating consequences of prenatal Zika virus exposure. The goal of this commentary is to summarize what is known about the safety and toxicity of N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) as a topical insect repellant and the pyrethroid permethrin for treatment of fabric, endorsed in the fight against Zika virus. Reviews assessing the safety and toxicity of DEET conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency conclude that DEET has low acute toxicity and does not appear to pose a significant health concern to humans when used as directed. Some experimental animal and limited epidemiologic data suggest that prenatal pyrethroid exposure may adversely affect learning and behavior, but this level of evidence pales in comparison to the known risks of Zika virus to the fetal brain. The available evidence has led to the strong recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use of these products by pregnant women as personal protection against mosquito bites in the fight against Zika virus infection. This message has been affirmed by our obstetrics and gynecology professional organizations. Because Zika virus is unlikely to be the last disease requiring vector control, those with environmental health expertise must continue to join with infectious disease specialists to communicate the potential vulnerability of our youngest (fetuses, infants, and young children) to vector-borne disease, both to the disease itself and to the strategies employed to mitigate the spread of such disease.

Neonicotinoid Can Harm Bees

The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid has negative effects on bees and other pollinators at residue levels above 25 ppb, according to preliminary assessments released last week by EPA and Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. These effects include reducing both honey production and the numbers of pollinators. EPA’s study finds that pollen and nectar of citrus and cotton flowers can harbor residues of imidacloprid above the safety threshold. Corn and leafy vegetables, however, have residue levels below the threshold, the agency notes. The assessment is the first of four that EPA plans to release this year evaluating the risks of neonicotinoid pesticides for bees attracted to various crops. EPA expects to release assessments on three more—clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran—in December. EPA is working closely with California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation to complete the assessments. Once finalized, they could trigger regulatory action to restrict use of the pesticides.

Honey bees, neonicotinoids and bee incident reports: the Canadian situation

Neonicotinoid insecticides have been the target of much scrutiny as possible causes of recent declines observed in pollinator populations. Although neonicotinoids have been implicated in honey bee pesticide incidents, there has been little examination of incident report data. Here we summarize honey bee incident report data obtained from the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). In Canada, there were very few honey bee incidents reported in 2007-2011 and data were not collected prior to 2007. In 2012, a significant number of incidents were reported in the province of Ontario, where exposure to neonicotinoid dust during planting of corn was suspected to have caused the incident in up to 70% of cases. Most of these incidents were classified as 'minor' by the PMRA, and only six cases were considered 'moderate' or 'major'. In that same year, there were over three times as many moderate or major incidents due to older non-neonicotinoid pesticides, involving numbers of hives or bees far greater than the number of moderate or major incidents suspected to be due to neonicotinoid poisoning. These data emphasize that, while exposure of honey bees to neonicotinoid-contaminated dust during corn planting needs to be mitigated, other pesticides also pose a risk.

SURVEILLANCE OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO GOLF TURF PESTICIDES

Background and Aims: In Canada, golf courses are often permitted continued use of pesticides banned for cosmetic purposes, including those classified as “possible” carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). As part of a National Carcinogen Surveillance Project (CAREX Canada), we geographically estimate environmental exposure potential for “possibly” carcinogenic pesticides applied to golf turf in Canadian watersheds. Methods: Pesticide type, application frequency, and course size were obtained from Canadian Golf Superintendents’ Association surveys (2004, 2008). Estimated annual use (kilograms active ingredient) were calculated using product label application rates from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. A Canadian golf course database was compiled in a geographic information system (GIS) from national landuse, business directories and online sources. GoogleEarth was used to verify locations and rank courses by relative surrounding housing density (n): Low 0-2; Low-Medium 2-10; Medium-High 10-20; High &gt;20. A method to develop an average course perimeter polygon for estimating adjacent populations is being developed. Results: Data sources of course locations were frequently inadequate. Locations were corrected to more accurately assess adjacent housing density. We identified three IARC “possible” carcinogens being used: 2,4-D, MCPP and chlorothalonil. Average annual use was calculated for a typical course and multiplied by number of courses in each watershed. For example, an average course applies 158 kg chlorothalonil annually. We identify hotspot watersheds, such as that in Western Canada using up to 19,586 kg (lower Fraser Valley). Percentage of courses with highest surrounding housing density varies by province: 11.8% British Columbia, 8.6% Alberta, and 1.4% Saskatchewan. Exposure surveillance information is disseminated in map format for comparison within and across provinces. Conclusions: We geographically assess golf course pesticide use across Canada at the watershed level to identify areas with greatest potential for environmental exposures. Ongoing research will provide more detailed population estimates that account for residential proximity to golf courses.

Surveillance of occupational pesticide exposure on Canadian golf courses

ObjectivesAs part of a National Surveillance Project (CAREX Canada), we estimate potential exposure of pesticide applicators on golf courses to suspected carcinogenic pesticides. While studies have examined the ecological fate...

5. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Disputes

In 2010, an important case with environmental health elements was arbitrated under NAFTA Chapter 11. Other cases concerning environmental regulations are still pending and will be examined after their decision (for an early account, see NAFTA’s yearly report in last year’s volume). This review shall examine Chemtura Corporation v Canada and briefly mention other pending cases that have presented interesting developments in 2010. The Chemtura case concerned the question of whether the government of Canada should pay compensation to a United States agricultural pesticide manufacturer for its ban of an agro-chemical called lindane. Since Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) banned lindane on the basis of the chemical’s health and environmental effects, Chemtura—formerly known as Crompton—initiated arbitral proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), requesting by way of restitution, the reinstatement of all registrations relating to...

Social and economic drivers shaping the future of biological control: A Canadian perspective on the factors affecting the development and use of microbial biopesticides

Globally, the use of biopesticides is growing annually while the use of traditional pesticides is on the decline. North America uses the largest percentage of the biopesticide market share at 44%, followed by the EU and Oceania with 20% each, South and Latin American countries with 10%, about 6% in Asia and India. Although biopesticide growth is projected at 10% annually, it is highly variable among the regions constrained by factors such as regulatory hurdles, public and political attitudes, and limitations for market expansion. Microbial biopesticides have been registered in Canada for 35 years, but the number of registrations for commercial, restricted-industry and domestic uses has significantly increased over the past 10 years. The early Canadian biopesticides registered by pest control category were Bacillus thuringiensis in 1972 as the first bioinsecticide, Agrobacterium radiobacter in 1989 as the first biobacteriocide, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f.sp. malvae in 1992 as the first bioherbicide, and Streptomyces griseoviridis in 1999 as the first biofungicide. Between 1972 and 2008, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency approved registration of 24 microbially active substances with 83 formulations. The majority of the registrations (55/83) occurred since 2000 and at the beginning of 2008 there were 10 new products (a combination of new active substances, strains, formulations, and uses) under regulatory evaluation. This paper examines the evolution of microbial biopesticides in Canada illustrating how the actions of the government, the people, and the industry have led to changes in legislation, policy, and programming that spurred momentum for new microbial pest control products in recent years and created a model system for future microbial biopesticide discovery, development, and implementation that could be adopted throughout the world.

Report of the OECD Pesticide Risk Reduction Steering Group Workshop "Pesticide User Compliance"

This report presents a summary of the discussions at, and the outcomes from, the OECD workshop on Pesticide User Compliance Issues. The workshop was held in Ottawa, from 6-8 June 2006 and was hosted by Health Canada&apos;s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). The focus of the workshop was on issues and impediments to compliance associated with pesticide use. Such issues were addressed in the context of reducing risks to human health and the environment as well as risks to the integrity of the regulatory process.

Production, application, and field performance of Abietiv™, the balsam fir sawfly nucleopolyhedrovirus

Beginning in the early 1990s, the balsam fir sawfly (Neodiprion abietis) became a significant defoliating insect of precommercially thinned balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stands in western Newfoundland, Canada. In 1997, a nucleopolyhedrovirus (NeabNPV) was isolated from the balsam fir sawfly and, as no control measures were then available, NeabNPV was developed for the biological control of balsam fir sawfly. In order to register NeabNPV for operational use under the Canadian Pest Control Products Act, research was carried out in a number of areas including NeabNPV field efficacy, non-target organism toxicology, balsam fir sawfly ecology and impact on balsam fir trees, and NeabNPV genome sequencing and analysis. As part of the field efficacy trials, approximately 22 500 hectares of balsam fir sawfly-infested forest were aerially treated with NeabNPV between 2000 and 2005. NeabNPV was found to be safe, efficacious, and economical for the suppression of balsam fir sawfly outbreak populations. Conditional registration for the NeabNPV-based product, Abietiv™, was received from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (Health Canada) in April 2006. In July 2006, Abietiv was applied by spray airplanes to 15 000 ha of balsam fir sawfly-infested forest in western Newfoundland in an operational control program.

Challenges faced by the IR‐4 Programme and US specialty crop growers

The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) was enacted in August 1996 and required the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reassess all existing and new crop protection active substances using a new set of health and environmental standards to further protect infants and children. The initial fear that many minor or specialty crop use registrations would be lost without adequate replacements has largely been overcome by an aggressive programme by the International Research Project no. 4 (IR‐4) in partnership with the EPA and the crop protection industry to register new, safer, reduced risk products for specialty crop pest control needs. Since the FQPA, the EPA has approved over 5600 new specialty crop uses resulting from IR‐4 residue programmes. This amounts to about 56% of the over 10 000 clearances received by the IR‐4 programme in its 43 year history and about 50% of all new uses granted by the EPA since FQPA. The positive outcomes from these efforts have been partially negated by the lack of tolerances or Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in countries to which US produce is exported. This has forced some US specialty crop growers to continue to use older, less desirable products. IR‐4 has been addressing this challenge by cooperating in the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) countries with Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada's Pest Management Centre and Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency to harmonize MRLs through joint projects and regulatory reviews. IR‐4 has also provided leadership for the International Crop Grouping Consulting Committee to harmonize specialty/minor crop groupings and representative crops for residue studies with the long‐term goal being to globally harmonize MRLs.

Pesticide assessment: Protecting public health on the home turf

Pesticide regulation is examined in the context of Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency's assessment of the chlorophenoxy herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) for turf. 2,4-D is the most common herbicide used to kill weeds in grass.The medical literature does not uniformly indicate harms from herbicides. However, the balance of epidemiological research suggests that 2,4-D can be persuasively linked to cancers, neurological impairment and reproductive problems. These may arise from 2,4-D itself, from breakdown products or dioxin contamination, or from a combination of chemicals.Regulators rely largely on toxicology, but experiments may not replicate exposures from 2,4-D application to lawns because environmental breakdown products (eg, 2,4-dichlorophenol) may not accumulate and selected herbicides are possibly less contaminated. Dioxins are bioaccumulative chemicals that may cause cancer, harm neurological development, impair reproduction, disrupt the endocrine system and alter immune function. No dioxin analyses were submitted to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, and the principal contaminants of 2,4-D are not among the 17 congeners covered in pesticide regulation. Independent assessment of all dioxins is needed, in tissues and in the environment.The 2,4-D assessment does not approach standards for ethics, rigour or transparency in medical research. Canada needs a stronger regulator for pesticides. Potentially toxic chemicals should not be registered when more benign solutions exist, risks are not clearly quantifiable or potential risks outweigh benefits. Until landscaping pesticides are curtailed nationally, local bylaws and Quebec's Pesticide Code are prudent measures to protect public health. Physicians have a role in public education regarding pesticides.