Fungicide now restricted

Press, 1 August 1977, Page 2

Fungicide now restricted

Industrial reporter

The fungicide pentachlorophenol, in common use and available from garden supply shops, has been rer laastfie ’ bv the Health Department. The substance, found in commercial products such as Shell Moss Killer, Crosse! Moss Killer, Coopers Moss Killer, I.W.D. Moss Killer, and ?enta, is highly toxic. It was reported m “The Press" late last wfvk that an agiicultura! contractor spraying the substance had later suffered severe skin irritation. The case was reported earlier j this year. The substance is the same as that which was withdrawn from use by Empire Rubber Mills. Ltd, of Woolston. in October last year after workers complained of its side-effects when handling it without protection. Mr M. Bates, head of the occupational health and toxicology branch of the Health Department at Wellington, said yesterday that the substance, formerly classified only as a poisonous substance under the Poisons Regulations (1964), had been more severely scheduled recently. -

It is now a restricted poison in schedule 3 of the regulations, and restricted for -.ale only to commercial operators. Mr Bates said that a period of grace had been given to retail outlets before the restriction applied. This would explain why it was still .cadily available to the public.

Mr Bates said that the Industrial Chemicals Committee was examining a number of chemicals from the point of view of revising the Noxious Substances Regulations. The significance of this is [ that substances such as pentachlorophenol may be put under the auspices of the Noxious Substances Regulations.

This would give greater protection for workers because the regulations make it mandatory for an employer to provide protective clothing and instruct his workers on, the safe use of such substances, and the employee must wear the protective clothing.

The Poisons Regulations merely provide for the substance’s label to include the word “poisonous” and to name the substance, and the name and address of the packer.