Dichlorvos is an organophosphate insecticide used in some domestic pesticide products and certain sectors of the horticultural industry. According to DEFRA the decision will: ‘minimise the exposure of householders and those who work with pesticides from a remote but potentially significant risk to their health.’
The decision was taken by government ministers following advice from a number of committees including the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP), the Committee of Mutagenicity and the Committee on Carcinogenicity. The ACP was concerned that it could not satisfactorily rule out the possibility that dichlorvos is a genotoxic carcinogen (causing cancer by damaging DNA).
ACP chair David Coggon said: ‘We have advised Ministers that there could be a small risk of adverse health effects following prolonged exposure to dichlorvos. They have therefore decided as a precautionary measure to suspend the sale of specified products containing dichlorvos with immediate effect.’
This means that it will be illegal in the UK to advertise, sell or supply insecticides containing dichlorvos. The government has called on retailers to remove all products from their shelves and they may wish to contact their suppliers or local waste authority for details of how to dispose of them.
Members of the public are, however, still allowed to use up dichlorvos products that have already been bought, and may even dispose of used or unused products in household rubbish bins. PAN
UK opposes the disposal of pesticides through the municipal waste stream and calls on pesticide manufacturers to take back unused products for safe disposal through specialized hazardous waste streams.
DEFRA press release, 19 April 2002.
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 56, June 2002, page 18]