Health and environmental impacts of pyrethroid insecticides: What we know, what we don’t know and what we should do about it Executive summary and Scientific Literature Review Author: Louise Hénault-Ethier, MSc1 Scientific advisors: Nicolas Soumis, PhD2 and Maryse Bouchard, PhD3 1PhD student at Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement, Département des Sciences de la Terre, UQAM; 2 Independent Consultant for Équiterre; 4Full professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Université de Montréal. Report prepared for Équiterre, Maison du développement durable, 50 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Office 340, Montreal (Quebec) H2X 3V4, CANADA 2016.01.18 0 Citation : Hénault-Ethier, L. 2015. Health and environmental impacts of pyrethroid insecticides: What we know, what we don’t know and what we should do about it. Executive Summary and Scientific Literature Review. Prepared for Équiterre. Montreal, Canada. 68pp. http://www.equiterre.org/publication/revue-de- litterature-sur-les-impacts-des-insecticides-pyrethrinoides-sur-la-sante-et-len 1 Table of content List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 4 List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 7 History and registration........................................................................................................................... 7 Physico-chemical characteristics ............................................................................................................ 7 Mode of action ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Domestic uses ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Agricultural uses ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Exposure ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Acceptable exposure ............................................................................................................................... 9 Enhanced sensitivity of children ........................................................................................................... 10 Poisoning symptoms ............................................................................................................................. 10 Environmental occurrence and persistence ........................................................................................... 11 Toxicity to non-target organisms .......................................................................................................... 12 Cumulative risk assessment .................................................................................................................. 12 Registration review ............................................................................................................................... 13 Scientific Literature Review ................................................................................................................... 14 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Chemistry: Classes, co-formulants ....................................................................................................... 19 Mode of action ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Domestic uses ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Agricultural uses ................................................................................................................................... 24 Physico-chemistry ................................................................................................................................. 26 2 Exposure .................................................................................................................................................. 28 Toxicokinetics ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Occupational exposure .......................................................................................................................... 31 Domestic exposure ................................................................................................................................ 32 Acceptable daily intake ......................................................................................................................... 32 Enhanced sensitivity of children ........................................................................................................... 33 Poisoning symptoms................................................................................................................................ 34 Acute toxicity ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Chronic toxicity and Sub-lethal effects................................................................................................. 35 Developmental neurotoxicity ................................................................................................................ 36 Epidemiological studies of children...................................................................................................... 38 Reproductive toxicity ............................................................................................................................ 39 Endocrine effects .................................................................................................................................. 39 Cancer ................................................................................................................................................... 40 Environmental effects of pyrethroids.................................................................................................... 46 Environmental occurrence .................................................................................................................... 46 Degradation and persistence ................................................................................................................. 47 Non-targeted organisms ........................................................................................................................ 48 Terrestrial .......................................................................................................................................... 48 Aquatic .............................................................................................................................................. 49 Mixtures and synergism ......................................................................................................................... 51 Cumulative risk assessment .................................................................................................................. 51 Best practices ........................................................................................................................................... 52 Registrations and bans .......................................................................................................................... 52 Managing resistance.............................................................................................................................. 53 Alternatives to pyrethroids .................................................................................................................... 54 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 55 Policy Recommendations based on new knowledge, data gaps and international benchmarking ....... 56 References ................................................................................................................................................ 59 3 List of Figures Figure 1: Typical structure of pyrethroids illustrated in Cypermethrin ................................................... 19 Figure 2: Mode of action of pyrethroids on neurones.. ............................................................................ 20 List of Tables Table 1: Pyrethroid formulations registered by Health Canada classified by active substances. ............ 15 Table 2: Various aggregated environmental and health consumption risks assigned to various pyrethroid active ingredients based on a simulation intended to eradicate the Colorado Potato Beetle from a potato