News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA Cites Lodi Company for Violating Federal Pesticide Law

Unregistered and misbranded pesticides pose risks to public health and the environment

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with San Joaquin Sulphur Company over a pesticide that was unregistered, improperly labeled and sold in inadequate packaging at its facility in Lodi, Calif. The company, a farm supply retailer, will pay a $25,127 civil penalty and has since corrected all identified compliance issues.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation inspected the Lodi facility, in San Joaquin County, in 2015. Based on that inspection, EPA asserted that San Joaquin Sulphur had violated several sections of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which regulates the storage, labeling, distribution, sale, and use of pesticides in the U.S.

San Joaquin Sulphur Company sold “Zinc Sulphate 36%” as a pesticide to control mold and moss on roofs. Zinc sulfate pesticides are corrosive and can cause irreversible eye damage if not used properly. The product, a white solid powder, was sold in zip-top bags and had been repackaged from a 50-pound bag of zinc sulphate fertilizer. This pesticide had not been registered with EPA and the Lodi facility had not been authorized to produce pesticides.

The Lodi facility failed to use child-resistant packaging to minimize exposure to children, pets and non-target pests, and failed to include required label information, including the warning “Keep Out of Reach of Children.”

“With our state partners, we focus on protecting people, especially children and agricultural workers, from exposure to pesticides,” said Alexis Strauss, EPA’s Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Companies must ensure pesticides are properly registered, packaged, and labeled to protect health and safety.”

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act helps safeguard the public by ensuring that pesticides are used, stored and disposed of safely. Pesticide registration and labeling requirements protect public health and the environment by minimizing risks associated with the production, handling and application of pesticides. Pesticide registrants and re-packagers must comply with the regulations, while consumers are required to follow the label instructions for proper personal protection, use and disposal.

For more information on pesticides, please visit: www.epa.gov/pesticides.

For more information on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, please visit: www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-federal-insecticide-fungicide-and-rodenticide-act.

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