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"We are concerned that this report was issued without apparentunderstanding of how human incident reports are collected and managed andwithout a broader understanding of the safety profile of pyrethrins," said Dr.Thomas Osimitz, a board-certified toxicologist, and internationally-recognizedexpert on pyrethrins. He is a consultant to the Pyrethrin SteeringCommittee/Joint Venture (PJV), an alliance of pyrethrin growers, formulators,and refiners. He was interviewed by the reporter.
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"While the author of the report spoke at length late in July to me and toDr. Richard Kingston, one of the architects of the reporting systems used bythe nation's poison control centers and relied on by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, he failed to communicate the limitations in using rawincident report data in making conclusions about safety profiles," Osimitzsaid. "Instead, the author used raw data incorrectly to derive theconclusions used in his story. So, the basis for his conclusions is flawedand represents a grossly inaccurate picture of the safety profile ofpyrethrins."
Dr. Kingston, senior clinical toxicologist with the SafetyCallInternational Poison Center and clinical professor of pharmacy at theUniversity of Minnesota, is one of the world's foremost authorities on thecollection and evaluation of adverse event incident data for a wide range ofconsumer products. He was instrumental in the development of the reportingstructure for incident data that is provided to the EPA. His organization, alicensed medical facility, is one of the largest surveillance centers in theworld responsible for collecting, monitoring and reporting adverse incidentsto the EPA involving pyrethrins.
According to Kingston, he cautioned the author in extended conversationsabout serious concerns regarding the report's accuracy, if the authorpersisted in simply conducting his own statistical analysis. "The basicpremise behind the story is that the EPA's raw database shows an increase inreports of adverse events. But taking all incident data at face value in itsraw form is a fundamentally flawed approach," Kingston said. He alsoexplained to the author the difficulties of drawing conclusions regarding thisdata without assistance from those who understand how the data was collected,tabulated and reported and what it means.
"In an effort to conduct responsible product stewardship, companiesencourage consumers to call with any concerns and then must report allincident allegations to the EPA. But, the incident details are oftenincomplete, cannot be confirmed or not valid and the incidents may have nohealth implications whatsoever," Kingston said. "In the database, theseincidents are aggregated further with reports of individuals who, for example,used products to commit or attempt to commit suicide, but both are treated asbeing equal. They're not."
According to Drs. Osimitz and Kingston, there are several importantfactors to consider in determining if there is a meaningful increase inreports:
-- Products containing pyrethrins are among the most preferred productsavailable to consumers for insect management. Because of their quick removalfrom the environment by sunlight and because they have an excellent safetyprofile, use of pyrethrins has increased. With increased usage, one wouldlogically anticipate more reports, but the overall percentage of valid reportsversus usag
