Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Biocides &
pesticides
The Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit (BPU) of HSE and the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have published the annual book 'Pesticides xxxx : Your Guide to Approved Pesticides' - commonly known as the Blue Book - since the regulations began in 1986. The book has evolved over the years to include information on products that hold current approvals, details of the legislation and the approvals process and other information relevant to the Control of Pesticides Regulations and other legislation. However, we are aware that some of the information in the Blue Book is out-of-date almost as soon as it is published, therefore HSE and PSD have decided to stop producing the printed version and place the information onto the HSE and PSD websites instead. This will mean that the information can be up-dated during the year. Approval holders will benefit from the fact that the information on the HSE website will be freely available and will be being published in the most cost effective manner.
Therefore there will be no printed version of 'Pesticides 2002', and HSE and PSD intend to place the information on our websites in the next few weeks. For HSE, the information relevant to our products will be in the publications section of our website at www.hse.gov.uk/hthdir/noframes/pestpubs.htm We are in the process of completely overhauling our website at the moment, so for the meantime the information previously in the Blue Book will be available as text files. As the new website goes on line, the intention is that the information which appears in the front portion of the blue book (legislation, approvals process, etc.) will be given their own webpages in our site and then be actively maintained throughout the year. The product listings and active ingredient/product index appear in the same format as in the printed version, unfortunately our current web server provider is unable to accommodate databases onto the server, but we are exploring the possibilities for placing a more easily searchable product list on the website.
The PSD website contains the agricultural pesticide listings and other information relating to agricultural pesticides and is at www.pesticides.gov.uk If you have any questions on this issue, please contact BPU at the address at end of this Newsletter of by e-mail to biocides@hse.gsi.gov.uk
The Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit (BPU) is considering holding another of its one day seminars for the pesticide / biocide industry in Autumn 2002. As in previous years the aim of the seminar will be to bring companies up-to-date on issues and developments in the regulatory process, promote discussion and to gather feedback from the industry on issues of concern. We will aim to provide the opportunity for delegates to talk to BPU staff informally during the day.
The seminar will cover both issues relating to the Control of Pesticides Regulations products, and the Biocidal Products Regulations, and will be open to delegates from all sectors of the pesticide/biocide industry. Further details will be provided in the June 2002 Newsletter, however, we would like to take this opportunity to ask Approval Holders what topics they would like to see covered during the seminar. If you would like to suggest possible topics, please send details by e-mail to biocides@hse.gsi.gov.uk
In 1998 the HSE commissioned a survey of Industrial Wood Treatment sites across the UK, which was followed by a monitoring survey of soil, groundwater and adjacent surface waters. This work was completed at the end of 1999 and the information was used to inform the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) during one of its reviews. Data requirements were set by the ACP in order to develop an appropriate risk assessment for industrial wood treatment processes, as the tools available at that time were not considered adequate. The results of this meant that a proposal for a new risk assessment for industrial treatment processes was defined and presented to the ACP's Environmental Panel to the ACP.
HSE's environmental risk assessment model has previously used a default value of 1% loss across the treatment site, which was considered by the industry to be an overestimate. However, the Environmental Panel and ACP felt that without assurance that losses from freshly treated timber could be minimised through suitable risk minimisation measures then losses of 1% or even higher may be predicted. It was also noted that the estimate of losses of greater than 1% would preclude the majority if not all wood preservative products gaining full approval for use in this area.
At both the Environmental Panel and ACP concerns were raised with respect to the potential for off-site environmental contamination by timber treatment products, where inadequate containment measures for freshly treatment timber existed. HSE's detailed site-survey of 35 installations, also demonstrated that some had deficiencies in their containment through either poor design or lack of maintenance. It is essential that losses should be kept to a minimum, and this is best achieves by adhering to the industry codes of good practice.
The results of the surveys have shown that in order to reduce the exposure below the default value of 1%, further effort should be made to ensure compliance with the industry codes of practice. The Environmental Panel has therefore proposed that the statutory condition of approval, for all industrial wood treatment products, should be changed to allow the required risk mitigation measure to be enforced at those sites that fail to comply to the conditions as deemed necessary. This proposal was agreed by the ACP and has subsequently been agreed to by Ministers.
Whilst it is unusual that issues which are raised as part of the review for one active substance to be imposed on all others with a similar pattern of use, this is a matter of safety. It is also an issue of importance to all of the wood preserving industry, as it will allow a more acceptable risk assessment model to be used. In order to introduce the required risk mitigation changes it is suggested that the following phrase be included on product labels:
TREATED WOOD MUST BE HELD UNTIL SURFACES ARE DRY within a bunded area on a site which is maintained to prevent loss of treatment product to the environment.
HSE are consulting with approval holders and the main wood preserving trade association (the British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing Association) in order to ensure that all parties are clear as to why these changes are to be made and are content with the proposed label phrase. Any questions on this issue should be addressed to the Approvals Section of BPU at the address at the end of this Newsletter, or via e-mail to biocides@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Approval holders of antifouling products containing tributyltin methacrylate copolymer (TBTM) with / without tributyltin oxide (TBTO) will long be aware of moves within the International and European arenas to prohibit use of "organostannate compounds" in the aquatic environment.
Following continued discussions at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a proposal for the global banning of organostannates used as antifoulants has been put to Member nations for agreement. The current proposal will globally ban the use of TBTM / TBTO amongst others on ships from 1 January 2003 and will require such compounds to be removed from or sealed on ships hulls by 1 January 2008. The EU Commission intends to reinforce this decision with an amendment to the Marketing and Use Directive.
Certain Provisional approvals under COPR for antifouling products containing TBTM will routinely expire on 30 April 2002 so, in the first instance, HSE BPU will be sending out Notices of Amendment to extend their approvals until 31 December 2002. Further action to revoke all affected products will be taken later in the year.
If you have any queries or concerns on this subject, please contact the Approvals Section of BPU at the address at the end of this Newsletter or e-mail: biocides@hse.gsi.gov.uk
If you require any further advice or information about any of the articles in this issue of the Pesticides Newsletter, please contact the Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit by telephone on 0151 951 3535, by fax on 0151 951 3317, or by letter to: Biocides & Pesticides Assessment Unit, Health & Safety Executive, Magdalen House, Trinity Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 3QZ. Alternatively we can be contacted via e-mail at biocides@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Back Issues of the Pesticides Newsletter and further information on pesticides and biocides can be found on the BPU webpages at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/hthdir/noframes/bpau.htm.
Published on HSE web site 21 March 2002