Following guidance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency has revised its rules on use of the insecticide malathion in an effort to protect 78 threatened and endangered species. First approved in 1956, malathion is used to control insect damage to food and feed crops and to reduce mosquito-borne illnesses.
Changes in the pesticide’s use, intended to avoid damaging habitats critical to the species, include mitigation measures such as no-spray zones and reductions in both application rates and the number of applications allowed, said the EPA. Pesticide manufacturers agreed to the modifications, the agency said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s biological opinion on malathion, the first to cover all registered uses of a pesticide throughout the United States, is the result of seven years of consultation among government offices, chemical companies, and other stakeholders.
A fact sheet about malathion is available here.