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Consumer Product Safety

Incident Report

Subform I: General Information

1. Report Type.

New incident report

Incident Report Number: 2008-2621

2. Registrant Information.

Registrant Name (Full Legal Name no abbreviations): Ecoval Corporation

Address: 8604 Main Street, Suite 1

City: Williamsville

Prov / State: NY

Country: USA

Postal Code: 14221

3. Select the appropriate subform(s) for the incident.

Domestic Animal

4. Date registrant was first informed of the incident.

16-MAY-08

5. Location of incident.

Country: CANADA

Prov / State: BRITISH COLUMBIA

6. Date incident was first observed.

25-APR-08

Product Description

7. a) Provide the active ingredient and, if available, the registration number and product name (include all tank mixes). If the product is not registered provide a submission number.

Active(s)

PMRA Registration No. 25528      PMRA Submission No.       EPA Registration No.

Product Name: EcoClear

  • Active Ingredient(s)
    • ACETIC ACID

7. b) Type of formulation.

Application Information

8. Product was applied?

Yes

9. Application Rate.

Unknown

10. Site pesticide was applied to (select all that apply).

Site: Res. - Out Home / Rés - à l'ext.maison

11. Provide any additional information regarding application (how it was applied, amount applied, the size of the area treated etc).

EcoClear was reported to have been applied on interlocking pavers outside a residential apartment complex.

To be determined by Registrant

12. In your opinion, was the product used according to the label instructions?

Unknown

Subform III: Domestic Animal Incident Report

1. Source of Report

Animal's Owner

2. Type of animal affected

Dog / Chien

3. Breed

Pomeranian

4. Number of animals affected

1

5. Sex

Unknown

6. Age (provide a range if necessary )

Unknown

7. Weight (provide a range if necessary )

Unknown

8. Route(s) of exposure

Unknown

9. What was the length of exposure?

<=15 min / <=15 min

10. Time between exposure and onset of symptoms

Unknown / Inconnu

11. List all symptoms

System

  • Gastrointestinal System
    • Symptom - Gagging
    • Symptom - Vomiting
  • Respiratory System
    • Symptom - Coughing

12. How long did the symptoms last?

Persisted until death

13. Was medical treatment provided? Provide details in question 17.

No

14. a) Was the animal hospitalized?

No

14. b) How long was the animal hospitalized?

15. Outcome of the incident

Died

16. How was the animal exposed?

Contact treat.area/Contact surf. traitée

17. Provide any additional details about the incident

(eg. description of the frequency and severity of the symptoms

EcoClear is a PMRA registered (PCP# 25528) non-selective herbicide manufactured by Ecoval Corporation. The active ingredient in EcoClear is acetic acid. The main components in EcoClear come from food-grade sources. The PMRA has classified EcoClear as a bio-pesticide. On Friday, May 16th, 2008, Ecoval was contacted by a caller. The caller stated that her dog, a Pomeranian, recently became ill and subsequently passed away suddenly. The caller began looking for possible causes for her dog¿s illness. She was informed by her neighbors that a lawn-care company had been doing some spraying in the vicinity of their apartment complex in the days before the dog becoming ill. After talking to the lawn-care company in question, the caller was told that the product used was EcoClear. The caller stated to Ecoval that her understanding of events is as follows: On or about April 25th, 2008 the dog became ill. The symptoms were choking, coughing and vomiting. The caller took the dog to a veterinarian but the doctor could not detect serious illness and the dog was sent home. Subsequently, the dog passed away approximately 24 hours after the initial symptoms. No information was provided by the caller as to any specific cause of death, and she did not provide a report or other information from a veterinarian identifying the cause of death of her dog. The caller felt that her dog had been walking in the area where EcoClear was sprayed and had been licking the pavement. The caller was concerned that there might be a connection between the spraying of EcoClear and her dog¿s illness. The caller informed Ecoval that it was her understanding that the EcoClear spraying occurred several days before the dog becoming ill, and that it had rained after the spraying. After taking the initial report from the caller, Ecoval contacted the lawn-care company, and spoke to the owner regarding the situation. They had been made aware of the situation relating to the dog prior to Ecoval making contact with them. The lawn care company stated the following: EcoClear was sprayed in the vicinity of the caller¿s apartment complex on or about April 23rd, 2008 to treat an area of interlocking pavers. At some point it began raining during spraying and ultimately the poor weather interfered with the completion of the work. The lawn care company stated that they had experience with EcoClear, and that it was sprayed according to label instructions. Once the lawn care company had been informed that there was a situation with a dog they began looking into the events and could not find any connection between their spraying and the illness of the dog. The lawn care company contacted the veterinarian that examined the dog, and he stated that there was no evidence of poisoning present during his evaluation.


To be determined by Registrant

18. Severity classification (if there is more than 1 possible classification

Death

19. Provide supplemental information here

EcoClear is registered with the PMRA and is classified as a bio-pesticide due to its safety, low toxicity and LD50 numbers. EcoClear shares most of its chemistry with vinegar and lemon juice. During the PMRA registration process Ecoval had to conduct all the appropriate safety and toxicity testing, which was completed successfully. It is the strongest opinion of Ecoval that EcoClear was not a contributing factor to the dog becoming ill. As the components of EcoClear are organic acids they begin to break down in the environment upon application. Two or three days after spraying the deterioration process would have been underway for some time, and as it was raining during application this would be an additional factor contributing to the breakdown of EcoClear. In addition, even if the dog was exposed to EcoClear still present on the ground it would be highly improbable for the dog to ingest enough of the product by simply licking the sprayed area to experience a toxic event. The statement by the examining veterinarian that the dog was not exhibiting symptoms of poisoning further Ecoval¿s opinion. EcoClear was developed in the early 1990¿s and has been on the market for many years. Prior to this event, there had never been a reported case of an animal or person being injured or harmed by EcoClear since its inception.