UNITED
STATES
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
WASHINGTON,
D.
C.
20460
OFFICE
OF
PREVENTION,
PESTICIDES
AND
TOXIC
SUBSTANCES
January
11,
2001
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Review
of
Linuron
Incident
Reports
DP
Barcode
D280196,
Chemical
#035506
FROM:
Jerome
Blondell,
Ph.
D.,
Health
Statistician
Chemistry
and
Exposure
Branch
1
Health
Effects
Division
(7509C)

Monica
F.
Spann,
M.
P.
H.,
Environmental
Health
Scientist
Chemistry
and
Exposure
Branch
1
Health
Effects
Division
(7509C)

THRU:
Francis
B.
Suhre,
Senior
Scientist
Chemistry
and
Exposure
Branch
1
Health
Effects
Division
(7509C)

TO:
Carol
Christiansen,
Environmental
Protection
Specialist
Reregistration
Branch
2
Health
Effects
Division
(7509C)

BACKGROUND
The
following
data
bases
have
been
consulted
for
the
poisoning
incident
data
on
the
active
ingredient
Linuron
(PC
Code:
035506):

1)
OPP
Incident
Data
System
(IDS)
­
reports
of
incidents
from
various
sources,
including
registrants,
other
federal
and
state
health
and
environmental
agencies
and
individual
consumers,
submitted
to
OPP
since
1992.
Reports
submitted
to
the
Incident
Data
System
represent
anecdotal
reports
or
allegations
only,
unless
otherwise
stated.
Typically
no
conclusions
can
be
drawn
implicating
the
pesticide
as
a
cause
of
any
of
the
reported
health
effects.
Nevertheless,
sometimes
with
enough
cases
and/
or
enough
documentation
risk
mitigation
measures
may
be
suggested.
2
2)
Poison
Control
Centers
­
as
the
result
of
a
data
purchase
by
EPA,
OPP
received
Poison
Control
Center
data
covering
the
years
1993
through
1998
for
all
pesticides.
Most
of
the
national
Poison
Control
Centers
(PCCs)
participate
in
a
national
data
collection
system,
the
Toxic
Exposure
Surveillance
System
which
obtains
data
from
about
65­
70
centers
at
hospitals
and
universities.
PCCs
provide
telephone
consultation
for
individuals
and
health
care
providers
on
suspected
poisonings,
involving
drugs,
household
products,
pesticides,
etc.

3)
California
Department
of
Pesticide
Regulation
­
California
has
collected
uniform
data
on
suspected
pesticide
poisonings
since
1982.
Physicians
are
required,
by
statute,
to
report
to
their
local
health
officer
all
occurrences
of
illness
suspected
of
being
related
to
exposure
to
pesticides.
The
majority
of
the
incidents
involve
workers.
Information
on
exposure
(worker
activity),
type
of
illness
(systemic,
eye,
skin,
eye/
skin
and
respiratory),
likelihood
of
a
causal
relationship,
and
number
of
days
off
work
and
in
the
hospital
are
provided.

4)
National
Pesticide
Telecommunications
Network
(NPTN)
­
NPTN
is
a
toll­
free
information
service
supported
by
OPP.
A
ranking
of
the
top
200
active
ingredients
for
which
telephone
calls
were
received
during
calendar
years
1984­
1991,
inclusive
has
been
prepared.
The
total
number
of
calls
was
tabulated
for
the
categories
human
incidents,
animal
incidents,
calls
for
information,
and
others.

LINURON
REVIEW
I.
Incident
Data
System
Please
note
that
the
following
cases
from
the
IDS
do
not
have
documentation
confirming
exposure
or
health
effects
unless
otherwise
noted.

Incident#
2796­
239
Only
one
report
in
the
Incident
Data
System
involved
linuron
mixed
with
another
herbicide.
The
health
effects
reported
in
this
case
could
not
be
attributed
to
linuron.

II.
Poison
Control
Center
Data
­
1993
through
1998
No
data.

III.
California
Data
­
1982
through
1999
Detailed
descriptions
of
3
cases
submitted
to
the
California
Pesticide
Illness
Surveillance
Program
(1982­
1999)
were
reviewed.
In
the
first
case,
a
worker,
who
removed
their
eye
protection,
reported
chemical
conjunctivitis
after
the
product
splashed
into
their
eyes
while
preparing
to
rinse
a
container.
The
individual
was
hospitalized
for
five
days.
In
the
second
case,
a
foreman
of
a
crew
3
thinning
head
lettuce
reported
nausea,
headache,
swollen
tongue
and
lips,
and
blurred
vision.
In
the
third
case,
a
farm
worker
reported
severe
itchy
hives
on
the
trunk,
neck,
and
arms
while
collecting
bundles
of
asparagus
and
delivering
them
to
a
packing
shed.
Only
cases
with
a
definite,
probable
or
possible
relationship
were
reviewed.
Linuron
ranked
216
th
as
a
cause
of
systemic
poisoning
in
California
based
on
data
for
1982
through
1999.

IV.
National
Pesticide
Telecommunications
Network
On
the
list
of
the
top
200
chemicals
for
which
NPTN
received
calls
from
1984­
1991
inclusively,
linuron
was
ranked
171
st
with
15
incidents
in
humans
reported
and
1
in
animals
(mostly
pets).

V.
Conclusions
Relatively
few
incidents
of
illness
have
been
reported
due
to
linuron.
According
to
the
fifth
edition
of
"Recognition
and
Management
of
Pesticide
Poisonings"
(EPA
1999),
systemic
toxicity
is
unlikely
unless
large
amount
have
been
ingested.
Linuron
and
other
substituted
ureas
are
known
to
be
irritating
to
eyes,
skin,
and
mucous
membranes
as
evidenced
by
the
cases
reported
in
California.

VI.
Recommendations
No
recommendations
can
be
made
based
on
the
few
incident
reports
available.

cc:
Correspondence
Linuron
file
(chemical
no.
035506)
Tom
Myers,
SRRD
­
(7508C)
