	

	UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

	WASHINGTON, D.C.  20460

                                                    OFFICE OF
PREVENTION, PESTICIDES AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES

	

May 7, 2009

MEMORANDUM

				

SUBJECT:	Updated Review of Tebuthiuron Incident Reports		

FROM:	Monica Hawkins, M.P.H., Environmental Health Scientist

		Toxicology and Epidemiology Branch

		Health Effects Division (7509P)

		Jessie Cordova, Information Technology Specialist

		Toxicology and Epidemiology Branch

		Health Effect Division (7509P)		

		

THRU:	Mary Manibusan, Branch Chief

		Toxicology and Epidemiology Branch 

		Health Effects Division (7509P)

TO:		Wilhelmena Livingston, CRM

		Special Review and Reregistration Division (7508P)

BACKGROUND		

The OPP Incident Data System (IDS) was consulted for poisoning incident
data on the active ingredient tebuthiuron.  The purpose of the database
search is to identify potential patterns on the extent and severity of
the health effects attributed to tebuthiuron exposure.  The IDS includes
reports of incidents from various sources, including mandatory Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 6 (a) (2)
reports from registrants, other federal and state health and
environmental agencies and individual consumers.  The following
databases were not searched for poisoning incident data:  the American
Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System
(TESS), the California Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program, and the
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Sentinel Event
Notification System for Occupational Risks (NIOSH SENSOR).  The EPA is
supplying the following incident report to fulfill our requirement to
docket summaries of incident data that were reported to the Agency. 
This report represents 3 incidents occurring in the United States from
2002 to the present for the single chemical only.  

Reports of adverse health effects allegedly due to a specific pesticide
exposure (an “incident”) are largely self-reported and therefore,
generally speaking, neither exposure to a pesticide or reported symptom
(or the connection between the two) is validated.  However, incident
information can be an important feedback loop to the Agency –
incidents of severe outcome, or a suggested pattern or trend among less
severe incidents can signal the Agency to further investigate a
particular chemical or product.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section
6(a)(2) includes reports of alleged human health incidents from various
sources, including mandatory reports from registrants, other federal and
state health and environmental agencies and individual consumers.  Since
1992, OPP compiles these reports in an Incident Data System (IDS). 
Reports submitted to the IDS represent anecdotal reports or allegations
only, unless otherwise stated in this report.  Typically, OPP does not
draw firm conclusions implicating the pesticide is causally associated
with the reported health effects.  Nevertheless, in some instances if
enough cases and/or documentation of exposure and health effect or
suggested patterns of exposure and response are indicative of a strong
relationship, risk mitigation measures may be suggested.

The evaluation of incident data for tebuthiuron chemicals has reported
(relatively low volume of incident , no moderate or severe health
effects that are plausibly related to the pesticide in question, based
on toxicological data, sporadic incidents of an undefined or
non-specific nature such as that clear trends or patterns cannot be
discerned) only 3 number of incidents, symptoms appear generic and not
confirmed to be related to exposure, there is no clear evidence of a
trend or exposure pattern. Therefore, at this time, there are no
remarkable case reports which suggest a plausible association between a
moderate or severe health outcome and exposure to pesticide tebuthiuron
nor can we discern any suggestion of a trend or pattern regarding the
health effects due to the alleged exposure to pesticide tebuthiuron. 
The current review of the incident data does not warrant further
investigations at this time.

IDS Report	 5/7/2009	 	 	 	 	 

Chemical: Tebuthiuron	105501	Human Incidents	 	 

 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 

Incident Number	Incident Date	Product Name	Registration Number	City
State	Exposure Type*	Incident Description

012694	009	20-Feb-02	SPIKE	 	HOUSTON	TX	HC	A 50 year old Male picked
granules up with a can. He did not wear gloves but wore a long sleeve
shirt and long pants. He reported Rash, Pruritus, Bullae/Blisters, and
Erythema/Flushed.

016447	015	19-Jul-05	SPIKE 20P HERBICIDE	06271900121	LINDEN	TN	HC	An 86
year old Female says that she used the product about 3 months ago. She
reported Dermal Irritation/Pain, Pruritus and Numbness.

016633	008	01-Aug-05	SPIKE 80 DF HERBICIDE	06271900107	ROCK SPRINGS	WY
HC	A 48 year old Male applied the product for approximately 2-3 hrs a
day for the previous 4 days. Two days later he reported Abdominal Pain,
Nausea, Confusion, Dyspnea. The doctor reported that the signs and
symptoms are consistent with a heat related illness.



