Cautions consumers to use products with extra care

WASHINGTON – Due to a significant increase in adverse incidents, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking a series of actions to increase the safety of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control for cats and dogs. Immediately, EPA will begin reviewing labels to determine which ones need stronger and clearer labeling statements. Next, EPA will develop more stringent testing and evaluation requirements for both existing and new products. EPA expects these steps will help prevent adverse reactions. In dogs and cats that can include skin effects, such as irritation, redness, or gastrointestinal problems that include vomiting or diarrhea, or effects to the nervous system, such as trembling, appearing depressed or seizures—from pet spot-on products.

“EPA is committed to better protecting the health and safety of pets and families in all communities across our nation,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. “New restrictions will be placed on these products, and pet owners need to carefully read and follow all labeling before exposing your pet to a pesticide.”

Following the 2008 increase in incident reports, EPA received additional information from the pet spot-on pesticide registrants and others and began an intensive evaluation of these products. Today, EPA is reporting the results of this evaluation, and taking steps to address the spike in reported incidents.

Among immediate actions that EPA will pursue are:

• Requiring manufacturers of spot-on pesticide products to improve labeling, making instructions clearer to prevent product misuse.
• Requiring more precise label instructions to ensure proper dosage per pet weight.
• Requiring clear markings to differentiate between dog and cat products, and disallowing similar brand names for dog and cat products. Similar names may have led to misuse.
• Requiring additional changes for specific products, as needed, based on product-specific evaluations.
• When new products are registered, granting only conditional, time-limited registrations to allow for post-marketing product surveillance. If there are incidents of concern associated with the product, EPA will take appropriate regulatory action.
• Restricting the use of certain inert ingredients that EPA finds may contribute to the incidents.
• Launching a consumer information campaign to explain new label directions and to help users avoid making medication errors.

In addition, to improve the regulatory oversight of pet products, EPA will require more standardized post-market surveillance reporting on adverse effects, require submission of more sales information so the agency can better evaluate incident rates, and bring up-to-date the scientific data requirements on pre- and post-market testing so they are more in line with the Food and Drug Administration’s requirements.

Flea and tick products can be appropriate treatments for protecting pets and public health because fleas and ticks can transmit disease to animals and humans. While most people use the products with no harm to their pets, the agency's analysis determined that smaller dogs tend to be disproportionately affected by some products and that the exposure of cats to some dog products is a concern.

People should carefully follow label directions and monitor their pets for any signs of an adverse reaction after application, particularly when using these products for the first time. Negative reactions in dogs and cats can include drooling, burns, tremors, seizures or even death.

EPA recommends that owners consult a veterinarian about the best way to protect their pets from fleas and ticks or whether pesticides are needed, especially before using any product on weak, aged, medicated, sick, pregnant or nursing pets, or on pets that have previously shown signs of sensitivity to pesticide products.

EPA is coordinating these actions with Health Canada as Canada also identified similar concerns about the use of spot-on flea and tick products last year, and with the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

The agency is inviting public comment on how best to implement these new measures. A Federal Register notice announcing the opening of a docket will be published on March 19, 2010. The docket number is EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0229.

EPA’s report on the evaluation of products and incidents is available at: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/petproductseval.html

EPA recommends that veterinarians use the National Pesticide Information Center’s Veterinary Pesticide Adverse Effects Portal to report incidents: http://npic.orst.edu/vet

More information on pet products and safety tips: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/pets.htm

Agency asks the public to report all poisoning incidents

WASHINGTON – “Children Act Fast...So Do Poisons” is the message the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sending in conjunction with the Poison Prevention Week Council to keep poisonous substances out of the hands of children. In observance of National Poison Prevention Week (March 14-20), EPA recommends that locking household cleaners, disinfectants, solvents and other materials is the best way to reduce accidental poisoning among children.

"Proper and safe storage, use and supervision of all household products can substantiall" reduce exposures in the home," said Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. "Poison Prevention Week serves as a reminder for everyone to keep pesticides away from children, and to read and follow all labels to minimize the potential dangers from pesticides."

EPA promotes poison prevention each year to increase public awareness of the potential danger to children from pesticides and other household products. In 2008, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that more than half of the 2 million poisoning incidents each year involve children younger than six years old. Leading causes of poisoning include cosmetics such as perfume and nail polish, deodorant and soap, household cleaning products and medications.

Anyone who has been exposed to a pesticide or other toxic substance and may be experiencing non-life-threatening symptoms should call the National Poison Center hotline at 1-800-222-1222 and should call 911 in case of more serious exposures. In addition, EPA urges the public also to report all exposures to the product manufacturer (including the registration number found on the product label of all pesticide products registered by EPA). Registered manufacturers are required to report these incidents to EPA, and the agency uses the data to decide whether additional regulatory action is needed.

For more information on poison prevention: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/poisonprevention.htm

(Washington, D.C. – April 17, 2009) After a thorough scientific review ordered in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding Friday that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare.

The proposed finding, which now moves to a public comment period, identified six greenhouse gases that pose a potential threat.

“This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations. Fortunately, it follows President Obama’s call for a low carbon economy and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation,” said Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This pollution problem has a solution – one that will create millions of green jobs and end our country’s dependence on foreign oil.”

As the proposed endangerment finding states, “In both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem. The greenhouse gases that are responsible for it endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act.”

EPA’s proposed endangerment finding is based on rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis of six gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride – that have been the subject of intensive analysis by scientists around the world. The science clearly shows that concentrations of these gases are at unprecedented levels as a result of human emissions, and these high levels are very likely the cause of the increase in average temperatures and other changes in our climate.

The scientific analysis also confirms that climate change impacts human health in several ways. Findings from a recent EPA study titled “Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone,” for example, suggest that climate change may lead to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant. Additional impacts of climate change include, but are not limited to:

• increased drought;
• more heavy downpours and flooding;
• more frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires;
• greater sea level rise;
• more intense storms; and
• harm to water resources, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.

In proposing the finding, Administrator Jackson also took into account the disproportionate impact climate change has on the health of certain segments of the population, such as the poor, the very young, the elderly, those already in poor health, the disabled, those living alone and/or indigenous populations dependent on one or a few resources.

In addition to threatening human health, the analysis finds that climate change also has serious national security implications. Consistent with this proposed finding, in 2007, 11 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a report from the Center for a New American Security stating that climate change “presents significant national security challenges for the United States.” Escalating violence in destabilized regions can be incited and fomented by an increasing scarcity of resources – including water. This lack of resources, driven by climate change patterns, then drives massive migration to more stabilized regions of the world.

The proposed endangerment finding now enters the public comment period, which is the next step in the deliberative process EPA must undertake before issuing final findings. Today’s proposed finding does not include any proposed regulations. Before taking any steps to reduce greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, EPA would conduct an appropriate process and consider stakeholder input. Notwithstanding this required regulatory process, both President Obama and Administrator Jackson have repeatedly indicated their preference for comprehensive legislation to address this issue and create the framework for a clean energy economy.

History of ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

In 1992 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced ENERGY STAR as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Computers and monitors were the first labeled products. Through 1995, EPA expanded the label to additional office equipment products and residential heating and cooling equipment. In 1996, EPA partnered with the US Department of Energy for particular product categories. The ENERGY STAR label is now on major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, and more. EPA has also extended the label to cover new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.

Through its partnerships with more than 15,000 private and public sector organizations, ENERGY STAR delivers the technical information and tools that organizations and consumers need to choose energy-efficient solutions and best management practices. ENERGY STAR has successfully delivered energy and cost savings across the country, saving businesses, organizations, and consumers about $19 billion in 2008 alone. Over the past decade, ENERGY STAR has been a driving force behind the more widespread use of such technological innovations as efficient fluorescent lighting, power management systems for office equipment, and low standby energy use.

Energy prices have become a hot news topic and a major concern for consumers. ENERGY STAR provides solutions. ENERGY STAR provides a trustworthy label on over 60 product categories (and thousands of models) for the home and office. These products deliver the same or better performance as comparable models while using less energy and saving money. ENERGY STAR also provides easy-to-use home and building assessment tools so that homeowners and building managers can start down the path to greater efficiency and cost savings.

Home Electronics Residential electricity use by consumer electronic products is responsible for approximately 15% of household electricity use.*

Save Energy, Save Money

Home electronic products use energy when they're off to power features like clock displays and remote controls. U.S. households spend $100 per year to power devices while they are in this "standby" power mode. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR use less energy to perform these functions, while providing the same performance and features as conventional models. Using less energy preserves energy resources and helps reduce the risks of global warming while saving money on energy bills.

Help Protect the Environment

Simple actions can make a big difference. The average home has two TVs, three telephones, and a DVD player. If these items were replaced with ENERGY STAR qualified models, it would save over 25 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to that of more than 2 million cars.

Approximately 230 million products with battery charging systems are currently in use in American homes and businesses.

In the U.S. alone, more energy efficient battery chargers have the potential to save Americans more than 1 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year, saving Americans more than $100 million annually while preventing the release of more than one million tons of greenhouse gas emissions — equivalent to the emissions of 150,000 cars. On average, ENERGY STAR qualified battery chargers will use 35% less energy than conventional models.

Earning the ENERGY STAR means products must meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE).

Conventional battery chargers — even when not actively charging a product — can draw as much as 5 to 20 times more energy than is actually stored in the battery!

Advanced energy-saving designs are now available that, on average, use 35 percent less energy.

Remember, saving energy prevents pollution.

By choosing ENERGY STAR, you are helping prevent global warming and promote cleaner air without sacrificing the product quality and performance you expect.

In addition, external power adapters used to power electronic products, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, and monitors can now earn the ENERGY STAR. Learn more about ENERGY STAR External Power Adapters.

An adapter that has earned the ENERGY STAR meets strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE).

On average, 30% more efficient than conventional models. Are often lighter and smaller in size, which makes it easier for consumers to transport products like laptops. Consumers are now able to purchase a growing variety of products that are packaged with ENERGY STAR qualified power adapters. Products with qualified adapters are identified with a special version of the ENERGY STAR label.

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Source: Buy Products That Make a Difference U.S. Environemntal Protection Agency * U.S. Department of Energy