This posting discusses a list of the "inert" ingredients in Checkmate
Checkmate LBAM-F:
Active ingredients: (E)-11-Tetradecen-1-yl acetate, (E,E)-9, 11-Tetradecadien-1-yl-acetate;
Inert ingredients: cross linked polyurea polymer; butylated hydroxytoluene; polyvinyl alcohol; tricaprylyl methyl ammonium chloride; sodium phosphate; ammonium phosphate; 1,2-benzisothiozolin3-one; 2-hydroxyl-4-n-octyloxybenzophenone.
Apparently this information was already available online since late October.
https://www.montereycountyweekly.com...ticle.news_1/1
where there is another discussion.
Scientist at UC Davis have tested capsules of Checkmate, without knowing or acknowledging the inert ingredients in the capsules. So they could not assess whether their tests were appropriate for the capsules.
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PDEP/l...ing_112807.pdf
Zeno
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Moth spraying likely to harm more than help
Richard Fagerlund
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Q: We live in the Bay Area. The insecticide Checkmate is scheduled to be sprayed over our city to interrupt the mating cycle of the light brown apple moth. Naturally, we're concerned about its possible effects on humans, as well as the fish in our pond. Do you know how safe Checkmate is?
A: This appears to be a very troubling issue for many Californians. My mailbox is almost full every day from inquiries about the light brown apple moth project. California officials are worried that the larvae of the light brown apple moth could extensively damage the state's agricultural industry.
As The Chronicle reported this week, state Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, is pushing for a moratorium on aerial spraying of a moth pesticide over San Francisco and Marin counties. The resolution, if passed, would delay the application of a synthetic pheromone that disrupts the mating of the moth. ("Migden seeks to delay aerial moth spraying," Feb. 20.)
The article stated: "Under state and federal plans, San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties and the East Bay would be sprayed in August. Officials plan to spray Monterey and Santa Cruz counties in June; those counties were sprayed a first time late last year. ... Agriculture officials haven't disclosed which formulations they will use, saying they are still evaluating a formulation of a pheromone called Checkmate along with some other products."
Here are some of the ingredients in Checkmate LBAM-F: (E)-11-Tetradecen-1-yl acetate, (E,E)-9, 11-Tetradecadien-1-yl-acetate; cross linked polyurea polymer; butylated hydroxytoluene; polyvinyl alcohol; tricaprylyl methyl ammonium chloride; sodium phosphate; ammonium phosphate; 1,2-benzisothiozolin3-one; 2-hydroxyl-4-n-octyloxybenzophenone.
Ammonium and sodium phosphates can irritate or burn the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. So can tricaprylyl methyl ammonium chloride, which is used to mothproof clothing and degrades into chemicals that are more environmentally toxic. Polyvinyl alcohol has caused cancerous tumors in lab animals. It's also labeled as an irritant - as is another Checkmate inert, butylated hydroxytoluene, which may be linked to a spectrum of symptoms including asthma, gene mutations and cancer. The little-studied 1,2-benzisothiozolin-3-one, a germicide, is considered highly toxic to green algae and marine invertebrates, according to a 2005 EPA re-registration document. And while there's not much data on UV-absorbing 2-hydroxy-4-n-octyloxybenzophenone, the family of chemicals to which it belongs is linked to the disruption of hormones, including estrogen, according to a 2003 report in the Journal of Health Science.
According to an article in The Chronicle ("State plans Bay Area pesticide spraying," Feb. 15), "state officials say the amount of pesticide applied shouldn't pose severe health risks, but they've also refused to rule out that the spray can affect humans, particularly sensitive people such as children and the elderly." (To see the complete article, go to https://sfgate.com/ZCMO). "Shouldn't pose severe health risks"? That is not very reassuring. The rest of the statement needs no comment.
Another source said the light brown apple moth can devastate thousands of species of plants. If that were true, both Australia and New Zealand would be very barren countries, plantwise, and that isn't the case. I believe the federal government and California Department of Food and Agriculture are way off the mark in using all of these pesticides to try to eradicate a moth that "may" cause damage. We probably will never eradicate the moth, but we can potentially cause great harm to many Californians and the environment by repeatedly spraying chemicals all over our communities.
What is the answer? Contact your U.S. senators and representatives and ask them to intervene. Call and write the governor until he listens to the commonsense arguments against this nonsense. Contact the McCain, Clinton and Obama presidential campaigns and ask for their input on this. It may get national attention, which would be helpful.
Richard Fagerlund is a pest management specialist who promotes non-toxic methods of pest control. See https://www.askthebugman.com.
This article appeared on page F - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle