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\t'January 1988'                                                    ' '
\h 1 'Carbofuran Warning'




                       ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS WARNING FOR
                      CARBOFURAN (FURADAN) USE IN FLORIDA


ATTENTION:  EPA and registrants (manufacturers) of products that contain
certain compounds have recently added the following statement to their labels;
carbofuran is the first nematicide to have this addition, so is used for the
following example:

"Carbofuran is a chemical which can travel (seep or leach) through soil and
can contaminate ground water as a result of agricultural use.  Carbofuran has
been found in ground water as a result of agricultural use.  Users are advised
not to apply Carbofuran where the water table (ground water) is close to the
surface and where the soils are very permeable, i.e., well-drained soils such
as loamy sands.  Your local agricultural agencies can provide further
information on the type of soil in your area and the location of ground
water."  In addition, some product label statements include as a further
qualification of risky soils, "...soils containing sinkholes over limestone
bedrock, severely fractured surfaces, and substrates which would allow direct
introduction into an aquifer."

IFAS has asked EPA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services for clarification of this label statement and its effects on use of
the affected products in Florida.  Presently, no determinations have been made
on what constitutes very permeable soils or how shallow the ground water
should be in order to prohibit application.  Decisions to use these compounds
must be determined on a location-by-location basis; should ground water
contamination result from an application, the pesticide user may be liable for
such contamination.

Thus, although carbofuran (Furadan) products are registered for use on several
vegetable and agronomic (field) crops in Florida, the above statement may make
it unsafe and unwise to use them on many Florida soils.  THE GROWER MUST MAKE
AND BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT DECISION.

Although it is not clear how EPA has determined which products should have
this statement on their labels, the list may eventually include most or all
compounds that have been detected in ground water.  The list could include
several more nematicides, insecticides, and herbicides.  The legal
implications of this statement on any product label make it imperative that
users READ THE LABEL, especially any new label, before deciding what
pesticides may be used where.