2000-2001 Pesticide Market Estimates: Usage (Page 4)

3.9  Pesticide Amount Used in the U.S.: Other

The total amount of other pesticides used in the U.S. was more than 300 million pounds in 2000 and 2001 (see Tables 3.11). The pesticides in this group include sulfur and petroleum oil and other chemicals used as pesticides, such as sulfuric acid, insect repellants (e.g., DEET), moth control products (e.g., paradichlorobenzene), and others.¹ Nearly all of the sulfur and oil used (85%) is in the agricultural sector, while the use of the other pesticides in this group is mainly in the agricultural and home and garden sectors (93%). The increase in the amount used in 2001 resulted mainly from an increase in the use of sulfur and petroleum oil in the agricultural sector. The amount of sulfur and petroleum oil and of the other pesticides used in this group in the non-agricultural sectors did not change substantially between 2000 and 2001. Nearly three-fourths of the total amount of sulfur, oil, and other pesticides used was in the agricultural sector. The estimated use levels rely on the amount used and changes in the amount used of sulfur, oil, and other pesticides by sector and type derived from public and proprietary EPA databases.

3.10  Pesticide Amount Used in the U.S.: Specialty Biocides and Chlorine/Hypochlorites

Table 3.12 and Table 3.13 show the total amount of specialty biocides and chlorine/hypochlorites by end-use market in the U.S. in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Specialty biocides include water treatment chemicals, disinfectants and sanitizers, and products for other uses, such as in adhesives and sealants, leather, etc. More than two-thirds of the total amount of specialty biocides comprised water treatment chemicals. Chlorine/ hypochlorites serve as water disinfectants, with 60% of their amount used in potable and waste water and 40% in recreational water. The estimates of the amount used rely on EPA proprietary databases and industry projections.