Chemical name: Propanal, 2-methyl-2-(methylthio)-, O-[(methylamino)carbonyl]oxime

Final regulatory action has been taken for the category: Pesticide

Final regulatory action: The chemical is Banned

Use or uses prohibited by the final regulatory action:

Prohibited all formulations with Aldicarb active ingredient and all uses in Costa Rica.

The final regulatory action was based on a risk or hazard evaluation: No

Summary of the final regulatory action:

In May 2012, a meeting of the Interministerial Commission was held, where officials from the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), Ministry of Health (MS), State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) - Ministry of Agriculture (MAG) participated, together with the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE), as Aldicarb was of great importance for the coffee cultivation. During this meeting it was pointed out that Aldicarb was used moderately and at that time there were about 60 commercial brands that could be alternatives to Aldicarb. Due to the above, the ICAFE Directorate submitted a letter to the SFE indicating that pesticides Aldicarb and Alachlor were moderately used and there are registered substitutes for use in crops, therefore their elimination will not cause a great impact on coffee growing. In June, August and September 2012, follow-up meetings of the SFE-MINAE-MS Interministerial Commission were held where modifications were made to the Decree proposal. At the end of September 2012, the Directorate of Environmental Quality Management (DIGECA) delivered to the Head of the Department of Agrochemicals the technical report as pesticide for agricultural use, included in Rotterdam Convention Anex III, where it was concluded that Aldicarb is toxic to terrestrial and aquatic organisms and its mobility and dispersion behavior in the environment is high, as well as that of its metabolites; in the variety of crops in which use is allowed, a high risk of contamination and damage to the country's ecosystems can be expected, as a result of the technical environmental criteria issued, therefore the use of Aldicarb in the country would be eliminated. In the technical report carried out by the Ministry of Health, it was concluded that after the analysis of the technical and scientific information on the risks posed by Aldicarb to health and the environment, efforts should be made together with MINAE and MAG in order to issue the legal provisions that would allow the prohibition of the import, manufacture and use of Aldicarb and its formulated products, given its high toxicity, as well as the high toxicity of its metabolites due to their action mode, which poses a risk to the population occupationally exposed, as well as to the population that may eat food with residues that exceed the maximum residue limits. During the month of October 2012, SFE-MAG issued the agronomic technical report which concluded that after the analysis of the scientific and technical information of the risks that Aldicarb represents for the human health and the environment and considering its agricultural use scenario in Costa Rica, it is the criterion of the SFE-MAG that joint efforts with MINAE and MS should be made to issue the corresponding legal regulation that would allow natural or legal persons who register, formulate, repackage, repack, import, export, commercialize, manipulate and use of Aldicarb active ingredient and formulated synthetic pesticides containing Aldicarb, to have a non-extendable term of six months, from the publication date of the Decree in the Official Gazette La Gaceta to exhaust their stocks in the national market and after this term the MAG through the SFE, will proceed to the cancellation of all registers. In November 2012 the Occupational Health Council issued a technical report stating that Aldicarb was banned for the effects on human health in several countries in order to protect the life, health and safety of workers, agreeing the prohibition of registration, import, export, re-destination, manufacture, formulation, repackaging, repack, storage, sale, mixing, marketing and use of the technical grade active ingredient Aldicarb and formulated synthetic pesticides containing the active ingredient. In November 2012, the SFE-MAG sent to the Ministries of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Health the Decree draft for approval. This same month the approval of the three institutions was received. From the date indicated in the previous paragraph to the publication date in the Official Gazette La Gaceta, comments were made by all the Ministries and entities involved on the original Decree draft, with the respective collection of signatures of the Ministries involved.

The reasons for the final regulatory action were relevant to:

Date of entry into force of the final regulatory action: 19/11/2014