Dow Moves To Discontinue Compost Chemical in California

Danielle Jackson

Indianapolis -- In response to initiatives by California regulators, Dow AgroSciences LLC and Riverdale Chemical Co., Burr Ridge, Ill., plan to notify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C., of changes to product labels that will prohibit future residential use of clopyralid, a chemical that has been known to damage sensitive plants.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR) and others currently have reported trace levels of the herbicide in compost operations, which prompted the companies to ban its residential use in the state. In March 2002, the Washington State Department of Agriculture issued an emergency ban on clopyralid.