Ontario Moves To Ban Cosmetic Uses of Pesticides

TORONTO – In Toronto on Tuesday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the introduction of Bill 64, Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, 2008, which takes aim at more than 70 chemicals found in 300 products.

If passed, the law would take effect next spring and replace a patchwork of more than 40 bylaws across the province. The Government of Ontario has not yet determined which products and/or active ingredients will be included in the ban. If the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act is enacted, the list of pesticides/ingredients that would be banned will be determined by the ministry in consultation with Ontarians.
 
The government has released two draft lists – an active ingredient list and a product list - to "generate discussion about the development of a final list of prohibited pesticides."
 
The draft active ingredient list is available at:
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/land/pesticides/pesticides-activeIngredients.pdf
 
The draft product list is available at:
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/land/pesticides/pesticides-products.pdf

A spokesman for CropLife Canada, a trade association representing the country's pesticide manufacturers said the province was setting a bad precedent because the products under review have been approved for use by the federal government. “We think it is a cosmetic approach to policy,” said spokesman Peter MacLeod. "Health Canada regulates these products federally and they say these products are safe to be used so it's puzzling that the government would take an approach in contrast to what Health Canada is saying.”

MacLeod said sales of pesticides for cosmetic use make up less than five percent of the pesticide market.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR PCOs. Like previous municipal pesticide bans in Canada, this most recent province-wide ban, if passed, would not directly impact PCOs because it deals with cosmetic uses of pesticides. Pesticides would still be used for health and safety, such as controlling mosquitoes, which can carry diseases like West Nile virus.

Michael Goldman, president of Purity Pest Control, Toronto, told PCT that because of these provisions the structural pest control industry should be safe. “When we are treating our goal is for the improvement of health and quality of life,” he said.

Goldman said similar municipal cosmetic bans in Toronto and surrounding communities have not changed public perception about the services his company offers. “Absolutely not. If a client has earwigs they will call an applicator like me,” he said. “I think what you will see with (the cosmetic pesticide ban) is people in favor of it until it starts impacting them. It won’t seem like such a good idea when your wife starts complaining about her lawn being burned out.”

Still, Goldman is concerned about future ramifications. “It’s opened a Pandora’s box,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before people start saying ‘If it’s not okay to apply pesticides outside, why is it okay to apply pesticides indoors?”

John Abell, president and CEO of Abell Pest Control, Toronto, also expressed concerns that the Ontario government’s actions could be the beginning of a disturbing trend. “I think (environmental groups) strategy was simply ‘Don’t fight a fight you can’t win,’” Abell said. “So, I think they picked a fight that would be an easy win (a cosmetic ban) in order to gain a foothold, and then go after other uses, including indoor uses.”

Abell added that by beginning their lobbying efforts on the municipal level, environmental groups chose an effective strategy.

“They began making their cases at the municipal level, using data driven by old technology, reports and research — sometimes using data from pesticides that hadn’t been in use or registered for 15 or 20 years — so what happened is a lot of municipalities adopted cosmetic bans that were not science-based,” Abell said. “Once one municipality adopted legislation, another would, and so on, so it was like dominoes tumbling down.”

Additional sources: Toronto Star and CropLife America