Date: 9/4/12 2:32 pm
From: Ross Geredien <goodmigrations...>
Subject: Re: [MDBirding] Toxicity of "Talastar" (Bifenthrin) to Birds?


Steve,

A Bio-accumulation factor of 11,750 is very high. �This means that tissue concentrations can reach this many times the ambient levels in the environment. �


Ross

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________________________________
From: Steve Long <steve.long4...>
To: MD Birding <mdbirding...>
Sent: Monday, September 3, 2012 10:19 PM
Subject: [MDBirding] Toxicity of "Talastar" (Bifenthrin) to Birds?



When I heard a motor sound behind my house, I
looked out the window to see a man in protective clothing spraying some sort of
material in the bushes of the house across the fence from my back yard.�
Some of it was clearly coming over the fence and getting on our Hummingbird
feeder as well as our herb garden.� I went over to the neighbor's house and
talked to the pesticide sprayer, who was hired to cut down on the mosquito
population in our neighbor's yard.� He was spraying a product trade-named
"Talastar" with the active ingredient being bifenthrin.

I looked-up the MSDS on bifenthrin, and it does not
seem to be a cumulative toxicity issue for people when�applied as I saw it
being sprayed.� With their two small children and the local swarms of
imported Asian mosquitos that are active in daytime, plus the local occurrence
of West Nile Virus, I can understand my neighbor's decision to use this
pesticide.

With respect to birds,�the MSDS�stated
:
"Bifenthrin is only slightly toxic to both water fowl and upland game birds
with LD-50values ranging from 1,800 mg/kg to > 2,150
mg/kg."
In addition, it states:
"There is a potential for bifenthrin to bioaccumulate, with it
having a bioaccumlation factor of 11,750."
So, I am wondering if there is any known issue with
spraying this mosquito control chemical in backyard bird
habitat.

Steve
Long
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