Altosid
Altosid (methoprene)Methoprene is an insect growth regulator used as a larvicide. It is a synthetic analogue of the insect juvenile hormone. Methoprene disrupts the morphologic development of insects. It interferes with an insect’s life cycle (metamorphosis) and prevents it from reaching maturity or reproducing. Methoprene is used in the production of foods, including meat, milk, eggs, mushrooms, peanuts, rice, and cereals. It is used as a feed additive for cattle to prevent breeding of hornflies in manure. It also is used in aquatic areas to control mosquitoes and several types of flies, moths, beetles, and fleas (EPA 1991). http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/consultations/west_nile_virus/methoprene.html)To Whom It May Concern: Altosid products have been registered by the US EPA since March of 1975 as larvacides for the control of immature mosquitoes. Over the years much has been learned about these products’ properties and safety. Altosid XR Briquets are a common mosquito control formulation used wherever mosquito larvae may breed. Altosid XR Briquets contain the active ingredient (S)-Methoprene in a 2.1% concentration on a dry weight basis. The LD50 (Lethal Dose to 50% of a test population) is often used as an indicator of a substances’ acute toxicity. It is often expressed as milligrams of a substance per kilogram of body mass. Table salt (NaCl) for example has an LD50 of 3,000 mg/kg. So if you had a group of 200 lb organisms, and you fed each 600 lbs of table salt; half of that test population would perish. Table sugar (sucrose) has an LD50 of 19,700 mg/kg. Similarly, if you used 200 lb test subjects 3,940 lbs of sugar each would kill half the test population. The LD50 of (S)-Methoprene is 34,000 mg/kg of body weight. This happens to be the highest dose level tested orally on rats and it is a known and scientifically accepted figure. An organism would have to consume 34 times their own body weight of pure active ingredient to be affected. Once again; a 200lb test subject would have to consume 6,800 lbs of pure (S)-Methoprene. Another example; let’s say you have a 60lb dog. He would have to consume 2,040 lbs of pure (S)-Methoprene to have a 50-50 chance of surviving. Altosid XR Briquets are formulated at 2.1% concentration. To achieve the 2,040 lbs of active ingredient, the dog would have to consume 1,200,000 Altosid XR Briquets (.0017 lbs of active ingredient per briquet). This is equal to 94,800 lbs of Altosid XR Briquets. In short, it would be physically impossible for a non-target organism to ingest enough Altosid XR Briquets to do it any harm. Rest assured that Altosid products are the safest, most effective residual larvacides on the market. When applied at label rates the only casualties are mosquito larvae. Sincerely, Mel WhitsonMel Whitson
For an independent view:http://www.inchem.org/documents/pds/pds/pest47_e.htm
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