EPA Charges Boat Paint Manufacturer

The U.S. EPA has charged Flexabar Corp., based in Lakewood, N.J., with violating export rules of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). According to EPA, Flexabar shipped pesticidal boat paints abroad without proper labeling, posing a threat to the purchaser and environment. FIFRA requires pesticides shipped overseas bear labels in both English and the official languages of the receiving country. Although pesticides not registered in the U.S. may be exported under certain circumstances, FIFRA requires those products bear a label, also in the language of the receiving country, stating they are not registered by EPA. Two EPA inspections of Flexabar's facility revealed violations of these FIFRA regulations in the export of four Flexabar boat paints, which were manufactured with pesticides that inhibit the growth of fungi and micro-organisms. EPA inspectors found, on four occasions, Flexabar shipped Flexgard X Copper Paint, a registered pesticide, to Chile with labels in English only, not Spanish. On four occasions, Flexabar shipped two unregistered pesticides, Aquatech Flexgard VI and VI-II to Greece with English-only labels, which failed to mention the products weren't registered in the U.S. In addition, Flexgard XI Waterbased Copper Paint, a registered pesticide, was shipped to Canada without an EPA registration on the label.