Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Pesticides

May 16, 2007

Jerome CampbellAssistant Director

California Department of Pesticide Regulation

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Overview

• Background• Method for estimating VOC emissions• Amount of VOC emissions (emission inventory)• Regulatory issues

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Background

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) react with sunlight to form ozone, a major air pollutant

• Many pesticide active and inert ingredients are VOCs• As required by the Clean Air Act, Air Resources Board

(ARB) and Air Pollution Control Districts (APCD) develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to reduce VOCs and NOx

• 1994 SIP requires DPR to track pesticide VOC emissions and reduce them by specified amounts in five nonattainment areas

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Ozone Nonattainment Areas ForFederal 1-hour Standard

San JoaquinValley

Ventura

South Coast

SoutheastDesert

Sacramento Metro

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Method for Estimating Pesticide VOCs

• VOC emission from a pesticide product is: emission = VOC fraction in product x amount of product

VOC fraction (emission potential) estimated from:

– Lab test (thermogravimetric analysis, TGA), or– Water/inorganic subtraction, or– Confidential statement of formula, or– Default (median TGA value of formulation type)

Amount of product from pesticide use reports

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Emission Inventory Calculations

• DPR compiles an emission inventory of ag and commercial structural applications using emission potential and pesticide use data

• DPR calculates emissions for each year beginning with 1990 base year

• DPR updates each year of inventory annually based on most recent data

• Inventory focuses on: May – Oct (peak ozone period) for each year 5 nonattainment areas

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Pesticide Emission Characteristics

• VOC emission patterns parallel pesticide use• More than 90% of emissions from agricultural

sources. • Fumigants are high contributors in all areas• Emulsifiable concentrates are high contributors

due to solvents in formulations

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VOC Emissions by Product Type, San Joaquin Valley, May – Oct 2003

Pesticide Type% of Pesticide VOC

Emissions

Fumigant 51.5

Non-Fumigant

Emulsifiable Concentrate 34.9

Other Liquid 5.8

Solid 3.9

Pressurized 3.8

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Difficulty in Achieving Ozone Standard for San Joaquin Valley

Category % of 2004 Emissions

LIVESTOCK WASTE (DAIRY CATTLE) 9.6

LIGHT AND MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS 9.1

LIGHT DUTY PASSENGER CARS 8.3

PRESCRIBED BURNING 7.5

OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION 7.4

PESTICIDES 6.3

CONSUMER PRODUCTS 6.2

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Non-Fumigant Herbicides With High VOC Emissions• Glyphosate; maybe (Roundup)• Molinate (Ordram)• Acrolein (Magnacide)• Trifluralin (Treflan)• Oxyfluorfen (Goal)• Thiobencarb (Bolero)• Metolachlor (Dual)• EPTC (Eptam)

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Difficulty in Achieving Ozone Standard for San Joaquin Valley

Category% of 2004 Emissions

LIVESTOCK WASTE (DAIRY CATTLE) 9.6

LIGHT AND MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS 9.1

LIGHT DUTY PASSENGER CARS 8.3

PRESCRIBED BURNING 7.5

OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION 7.4

PESTICIDES 6.3

CONSUMER PRODUCTS 6.2

<30%

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2000 Speciation Profile – Top 10Chemical Contribution (%)

Methyl bromide 25.3

Methyl isothiocyanate 17.8

Unidentified active ingredients 13.9

Dichloropropene 11.3

Chloropicrin 8.6

Aromatic 200 solvent 4.8

Xylene range solvent 4.6

Molinate 3.3

Kerosene 1.7

Chlorpyrifos 1.7

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Non-Fumigant Herbicides With High VOC Emissions• Glyphosate; maybe (Roundup)• Molinate (Ordram)• Acrolein (Magnacide)• Trifluralin (Treflan)• Oxyfluorfen (Goal)• Thiobencarb (Bolero)• Metolachlor (Dual)• EPTC (Eptam)

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Regulatory Strategy

• Short term– Reduce VOC emissions from fumigants– Reduce VOC emissions from ECs

• Long term– Pest management strategic partnerships– Innovative technologies

• Strategy includes revision of VOC emission inventory to account for application method differences (application method adjustment factors)

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Field Fumigation Regulations

• Under court order, regulations to achieve required VOC reductions effective by 1/1/08

• Regulations pertain to field fumigations only; regs do not pertain to greenhouse, tree replant, potting soil

• Regulations address VOC emissions, not toxic exposure

• Proposed regulations include:– Licensing requirements – Specific field fumigation methods– Records and reporting– Field fumigation emission limits

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Research Needs

• Emission Inventory Research– VOC content and field emissions of products– Speciation and reactivity (ARB funding)

• Emission Reduction Research– IPM (UC funding)– Formulation changes and new pesticides– Application method changes, particularly fumigants (ARB,

CDFA, UC, USDA funding)– Application rate reductions– Temporal changes (applications outside May-Oct)

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Contact Information

• Jerome CampbellAssistant Director

Department of Pesticide RegulationPO Box 4015

Sacramento, CA 95812-4015Phone: (916) 445-3984

Fax: (916) 324-1452Email: jcampbell@cdpr.ca.govWeb Page: www.cdpr.ca.gov

Vocational Research SymposiumMay 22-23, 2007