RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has approved a label amendment for BASF Professional Pest Control’s Phantom® insecticide, when used for general pest control (cockroaches and nuisance ant species). The amended Phantom label allows for the use of Phantom in food/feed product areas of food/feed handling establishments, where food and food products are held, processed, prepared and/or served. This new use is added to the existing use of the insecticide for general pest control in non-food handling areas of structures.
Phantom can now be applied as a spot or crack and crevice treatment inside houses, apartments or other residential structures; meat, poultry and egg processing and packaging plants; and the food/feed and non-food/feed handling areas of commercial, institutional and warehousing establishments, such as schools, groceries and supermarkets, restaurants and cafeterias, hotels and motels, hospitals and nursing homes, warehouses and industrial buildings, laboratories, zoos, pet shops, computer facilities, and sewers.
“PMPs have been quick to adopt Phantom and the Inside-Out program as effective, flexible tools in their general pest control arsenal,” comments Karl J. Kisner, Senior Marketing Manager, BASF Professional Pest Control. “This label amendment provides PMPs with even greater application flexibility with the product, in some of the most difficult locations to control ants and roaches – food-handling areas.”
In addition to the food-handling amendment, the U.S. EPA also granted an amended Phantom label for application to pest entry points on the exterior surfaces of structures. PMPs may begin using the amended label as soon as Phantom labeling that reflects this amended use is registered in each of the states.
The amended label follows U.S. EPA approval of study results evaluating the exposure of Phantom to foods following treatment. Results demonstrated that no Phantom residues were found on food in food handling areas following a labeled application.