Lindane restrictions for amateur use

Miracle Garden Products has voluntarily withdrawn lindane insecticides used in home and garden products. This move pre-empts the European Union review of lindane which is being carried out by Austria as part of the implementation of the Plant Protection Products Directive (91/414).
    Despite having survived three reviews by the UK Advisory Committee on Pesticides, it is widely felt in the industry that lindane's days are numbered. The UK Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD) has no current plans to withdraw lindane, but it is widely believed that an EU review is unlikely to leave lindane with approvals for all its current uses in place.
    Rather than face the expense of producing the substantial data pack which would be required for the review, Miracle has taken the commercial decision to withdraw its products. Lindane will be replaced in agricultural uses by the active ingredient tefluthrin, a synthetic pyrethroid. Turf pest control will apparently  have a replacement next year.
    Another company marketing lindane based insecticides is Rhône Poulenc. They will continue to market their lindane products which are used as seed treatments and turf insecticides. In the review process, Rhône Poulenc will not be supporting approvals for products which are used in homes and gardens or for sprayed products, but they will be supporting long term approval for lindane seed treatments.
    Rhône Poulenc has no replacement for lindane insecticides at present, but is working on products which should be available in four to five years. (MD)  

Pers comm. PSD; Miracle; and Rhône Poulenc.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 38, December 1997, page 19]