NERI Technical report no. 534. Control of Pesticides 2003. Chemical Substances and Chemical Preparations. Kronvang, T., Petersen, K.K. & Christoffersen, C. 2005. 34 pp.
Summary
The analytical chemical authority control of pesticide products on the Danish market performed in 2003 is reported. Samples of selected groups of pesticides have been collected from the market and analysed to verify whether the actual contents of the respective active ingredients in the products comply with the labelled content. The tolerance of deviation from the labelled content of active ingredient is set by the Danish Statutory order on pesticides. In addition to the examination of the content of active ingredients all collected samples are examined for content of octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEO) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEO). The industry and the Danish authorities have agreed on removing these compounds from all Danish-sold pesticide formulations produced after June 2000.
Four different groups of products covered by the pesticide regulation were included in the 2003 analytical chemical authority control: 1) Herbicides containing clodinafop-propargyl, clomazone, fluroxypyr and glyphosate. 2) Fungicides containing bitertanol, fuberidazole, fenhexamid and pencycuron. 3) Insecticides containing cypermethrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, methoprene and cyromazine. 4) Plant growth regulators containing 1-napthylacetic acid.
Satisfactory results were found for herbicides containing clodinafoppropargyl, clomazone, fluroxypyr and glyphosate, for fungicides containing bitertanol, fuberidazole, fenhexamid and pencycuron, for insecticides containing cypermethrin, deltamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin and cyromazine and for plant growth regulators containing 1-napthylacetic acid. Thus, the 43 analysed samples of these formulations complied with the accepted tolerance limits with respect to the content of the active ingredient as specified in Danish Statutory Order on pesticides.
The product containing methoprene did not comply with the tolerance limit for content of the active ingredient. The content of the active ingredient was too low compared with the declared content. The manufacturer has not sold the formulation since 1999. Production date or expiry date did not appear from the label.
None of the 44 examined samples contain OPEO, but 5 of the samples contain NPEO. Three of these five samples were produced before the industry and the Danish authorities agreed on removing these kinds of substances from the pesticide formulations.
On three products the content of active ingredient were declared only in g/L, but not in % (w/w) as required by the Statutory Order. On one product containing fluroxypyr the contents of active ingredient was declared as the ester and not as the acid, as the Statutory Order requires.
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