Survey of Pesticide Products Sold in Retail Stores in Northern California, 2017
Abstract
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (CDPR) Surface Water Protection Program (SWPP) staff conducted a survey of seven retail locations in Northern California to identify the active ingredients (AIs) in pesticide products currently available to the general public. Pesticide use by professional applicators is tracked in CDPR’s Pesticide Use Reporting system (PUR); however, applications by residents are not. To get a more complete understanding of AIs in current use, it is important to track the changes in the residential pesticide market. AIs identified were categorized according to application site, use type, aquatic toxicity, and formulation. Results were compared to previous retail surveys and monitoring reports of ambient surface water sampling by CDPR. A total of 593 products and 168 AIs were identified. 2,4-D, dimethylamine salt (2,4-D), imidacloprid, MCPP-P, dimethylamine salt, and isopropylamine glyphosate were the most prevalent AIs. Four AIs (spinosad, tau-fluvalinate, prallethrin, pyrethrin) of outdoor use products not currently identified by CDPR’s urban prioritization model based on reported use were noted as monitoring candidates based on consumer product sales and aquatic toxicity data. Pyrethroids were identified in the most number of indoor use products, implicating their potential as a source to wastewater. Personal care products are unlikely to serve as a source of pesticides of concern to either surface runoff or down-the-drain pathways. Information gained during this survey will be utilized to fill in data gaps on pesticide use patterns and source identification efforts.