Chemicals in the News: Endosulfan
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Last updated 10 June 2010
What is endosulfan?
Endosulfan is an organochlorine compound registered for use in Australia as an insecticide in agricultural and horticultural crops for the control of a variety of insects and mites.
Current registration status in Australia
Endosulfan is a tightly controlled and little-used chemical that is subject to ongoing scrutiny.
The APVMA concluded an extensive review of endosulfan in 2005 as a consequence of which the use of the chemical was significantly restricted. In addition to limiting its uses, endosulfan was restricted to use by specially trained people.
Furthermore, all endosulfan products used in Australia must contain clear instructions and warnings, including carrying the warning ‘Dangerous Poison’.
With these restrictions and controls in place, the APVMA is satisfied that, on the basis of the available evidence, endosulfan can be used safely in accordance with the conditions outlined on product labels.
Use of endosulfan has declined significantly in recent years and is now typically used as an occasional tool in integrated pest management (IPM) regimes. In 2008-09 endosulfan product sales accounted for less than one percent of insecticide sales in Australia that year.
Current issues
Ongoing research and monitoring has raised concerns about possible environmental and human health risks that endosulfan presents. New research, for example, has identified that endosulfan is capable of long-range environmental transport because of its volatility and relative persistence in the atmosphere.
The international forum for the consideration of these concerns has been the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. In 2008 endosulfan was proposed for listing in the Convention on the basis that it was persistent, bioaccumulative, had potential for long-range transport, and had a high inherent toxicity. The Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) of the Convention met in Geneva in 2009 and agreed that endosulfan satisfied the criteria as a persistent organic pollutant.
Following this decision, the Secretariat of the Convention invited all Parties and observers to provide technical comments and socio-economic information to enable the POPRC to evaluate possible control measures for endosulfan. The outcome of this process will be the development of a draft risk management evaluation that considers such matters as alternatives, assessments of the positive and negative impacts of implementing possible control measures, waste and disposal implications, access to information and public education, and the status of control and monitoring capacity. This evaluation will be developed and assessed at the next POPRC meeting in October 2010.
If the POPRC agrees that endosulfan passes the risk management evaluation phase, then in May 2011 a Conference of the Parties (to the Convention) will consider this evaluation and decide whether or not to list endosulfan and which control measures (ranging from restriction to elimination) are appropriate.
Registration status in other national jurisdictions
Endosulfan is registered in around 30 countries around the world including Argentina, Canada, China, India and South Africa.
Endosulfan is not permitted in at least 60 countries, including members of the European Union, a number of African and Middle Eastern countries, and New Zealand.
In a number of those countries where it is permitted its use is restricted and is the subject of continuing regulatory attention.
The United States recently made a decision to phase out the use of endosulfan (external site) on the basis of occupational health and safety and environmental concerns that reflect American use patterns and legislative arrangements. Under an agreement reached with registrants most currently approved crop uses will end in 2012 while others including livestock ear tags, pineapple, strawberries, vegetable crops for seed (alfalfa, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, turnip) will not end until mid 2016.
The Australian position on endosulfan
Endosulfan is currently registered in Australia where its use is limited and tightly regulated following a formal review that concluded in 2005. Its availability in Australia relies on the APVMA being continually able to be satisfied that such use satisfies key legislative tests related to occupational health and safety, human health, the environment and international trade.
Information from a range of feedback loops such as the National Residue Survey, the Adverse Experience Reporting Program, and monitoring through the States and Territories indicates that endosulfan is being used safely in Australia.
Decisions by the APVMA are science-based and new information is being constantly considered. Recently, for example, the APVMA asked the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) to review a range of new scientific studies about endosulfan. A number of these relate to long-range environmental transport.
Advice from DEWHA on these studies is being considered by the APVMA to determine if further regulatory action is warranted in Australia. Any such action would occur independently of processes under the Stockholm Convention, although the ratification by the Australian Government of a Convention decision to eliminate the production and use of endosulfan could automatically lead to de-registration and removal of endosulfan products from the Australian marketplace.