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A Method for Evaluating the Suitability of Pesticides in an Integrated Pest Management Program

To reduce the potential risks posed by pesticides used in operations, the City of Seattle is implementing a comprehensive pesticide reduction strategy. The strategy calls for eliminating the most hazardous products and reducing overall pesticide use. This paper describes health and environmental criteria that were used by the city to evaluate pesticide products. These criteria included acute toxicity; presence of carcinogens, reproductive or developmental toxicants, or endocrine disruptors; persistence and mobility in soil; and hazards to off-target species. A checklist system was developed to place pesticides into three tiers according to potential hazards. Pesticides (except fungicides) that fall into Tier 1 cannot be used unless an exception request is granted. Results of the pesticide screening process are presented, including tier assignments by pesticide group and active ingredient, and a breakdown of which criteria were triggered most frequently. Excluding golf courses, pesticide use by the city declined by 36% the year after the policy went into effect. Including golf courses, the decline was 26%.