Proposed Registration Decision PRD2026-03, Acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide

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Pest Management Regulatory Agency
10 February 2026
ISSN: 1925-0886 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-9/2026-3E-PDF (PDF version)

Summary

Table of contents

• Proposed registration decision for acynonapyr
• What does Health Canada consider when making a registration decision?
• What is acynonapyr?
• Health considerations
• Environmental considerations
• Value considerations
• Measures to minimize risk
• Next steps
• Other information

Proposed registration decision for acynonapyr

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), pursuant to subsection 28(1) of the Pest Control Products Act, is proposing registration for the sale and use of Acynonapyr Technical and Kodama Miticide, containing the active ingredient acynonapyr, to control Tetranychid mites on Crop Group 11-09: Pome Fruits.

An evaluation of available scientific information found that, under the approved conditions of use, the health and environmental risks and the value of the pest control products are acceptable.

This summary describes the key points of the evaluation, while the Science evaluation in the full version of Proposed Registration Decision PRD2026-03, Acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide provides detailed technical information on the human health, environmental and value assessments of acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide.

What does Health Canada consider when making a registration decision?

The primary objective of the Pest Control Products Act is to prevent unacceptable risks to individuals and the environment from the use of pest control products. Health or environmental risk is considered acceptable^{Footnote 1} if there is reasonable certainty that no harm to human health, future generations or the environment will result from use or exposure to the product under its proposed conditions of registration. The Act also requires that products have value^{Footnote 2} when used according to the label directions. Conditions of registration may include precautionary measures on the product label to further reduce risk.

To reach its decisions, Health Canada’s PMRA applies modern, rigorous risk-assessment methods and policies. These methods consider the unique characteristics of sensitive subpopulations in humans (for example, children). They also consider the unique characteristics of organisms in the environment. These methods and policies also consider the nature of the effects observed and the uncertainties when predicting the impact of pesticides. For more information on how Health Canada’s PMRA regulates pesticides, the assessment process and risk-reduction programs, please visit the Pesticides and pest management portion of Canada.ca.

Before making a final registration decision on acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide, Health Canada’s PMRA will consider any written comments received from the public directly related to the proposed decision in PRD2026-03.^{Footnote 3}

Health Canada will then publish a Registration Decision^{Footnote 4} on acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide, which will include the decision, the reasons for it, a summary of comments received on the proposed registration decision and Health Canada’s response to these comments.

For more details on the information presented in this summary, please refer to the Science evaluation of PRD2026-03.

What is acynonapyr?

Acynonapyr is a new conventional acaricide with a new mode of action (MOA) that acts on the nervous system of mites. Acynonapyr acts by contact to provide rapid knockdown of adult and larval Tetranychid mites on Crop Group 11-09: Pome Fruits.

Health considerations

Can approved uses of acynonapyr affect human health?

Kodama Miticide, containing acynonapyr, is unlikely to affect your health when used according to proposed label directions.

Potential exposure to acynonapyr may occur through the diet (food and drinking water), when handling and applying the end-use product, or when coming into contact with treated surfaces. When assessing health risks, two key factors are considered:

• the levels at which no health effects occur and
• the levels to which people may be exposed.

The dose levels used to assess risks are selected to protect the most sensitive human population (for example, children and nursing mothers). As such, sex and gender are taken into account in the risk assessment. Only uses for which the exposure is well below levels that cause no effects in animal testing are considered acceptable for registration.

Toxicology studies in laboratory animals describe potential health effects from varying levels of exposure to a chemical and identify the dose level at which no effects are observed. The health effects noted in animals occur at dose levels more than 100-times higher (and often much higher) than levels to which humans are normally exposed when pesticide products are used according to label directions.

In laboratory animals, the active ingredient acynonapyr was of low acute toxicity orally, dermally, and through inhalation exposure. It was minimally irritating to the eyes and was non-irritating to the skin. Although results in laboratory animals suggested that acynonapyr did not cause an allergic skin reaction, issues were noted with the conduct of the study. For this reason, the hazard statement “POTENTIAL SKIN SENSITIZER” is required on the label of Acynonapyr Technical.

The acute toxicity of the end-use product, Kodama Miticide, containing acynonapyr, was low via the oral, dermal, and inhalation routes of exposure. It was non-irritating to the eyes and skin, but did cause an allergic skin reaction; consequently, the hazard statement “POTENTIAL SKIN SENSITIZER” is required on the label.

Registrant-supplied short- and long-term (lifetime) animal toxicity tests were assessed for the potential of acynonapyr to cause neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, chronic toxicity, cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and various other health effects. The most sensitive endpoints for risk assessment were effects on body weight and the blood in both adult and young animals, an increase in the number of stillbirths and early death of young animals, and clinical signs of toxicity in the young. There was no evidence to suggest that acynonapyr damaged genetic material. Acynonapyr did, however, cause tumours of the liver and lymphatic system of male mice and tumours of the thyroid, lymphatic system, skin, and brain of male rats. There was no evidence of increased sensitivity of the young compared to adult animals. The risk assessment protects against the effects previously noted in this section and other potential effects by ensuring that the level of exposure to humans is well below the lowest dose level at which these effects occurred in animal tests.

Residues in food and drinking water

Dietary risks from food and drinking water are not of health concern.

Aggregate acute dietary (food plus drinking water) intake estimates indicated that females 13–49 years, infants and children up to 12 years old are exposed to less than 34% of the acute reference dose (ARfD), and therefore, are not of health concern.

Aggregate chronic dietary (food plus drinking water) intake estimates indicated that the general population and all population subgroups are exposed to less than 3% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI), and therefore, are not of health concern.

The lifetime cancer risk from the use of acynonapyr on Crop Group 11-09: Pome Fruits is not of health concern.

The Food and Drugs Act prohibits the sale of adulterated food, that is, food containing a pesticide residue that exceeds the established maximum residue limit (MRL). Pesticide MRLs are established for Food and Drugs Act purposes through the evaluation of scientific data under the Pest Control Products Act. Given that dietary risks from the consumption of foods are shown to be acceptable when acynonapyr is used according to the supported label directions, an MRL is being proposed as a result of this assessment (refer to PMRL2026-05, Acynonapyr).

The MRL for acynonapyr, determined from the acceptable residue trials conducted throughout the United States, including growing regions representative of Canada, on apples and pears, can be found in the Science evaluation of this document.

Occupational risks from handling Kodama Miticide

Occupational risks are not of health concern when Kodama Miticideis used according to the proposed label directions, which include protective measures.

Workers mixing, loading, or applying Kodama Miticide and workers entering recently treated orchards can be exposed to acynonapyr residues through direct skin contact or through inhalation. Therefore, the label specifies that anyone mixing and loading Kodama Miticide, engaging in clean-up and repair activities, and applying Kodama Miticide using handheld application equipmentmust wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, socks and shoes. For applicators using airblast application equipment, workers must wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks and shoes when using closed cab equipment, or a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, socks, shoes, and chemical-resistant headgear when using open cab equipment (chemical-resistant headgear includes Sou’Wester hat, chemical-resistant rain hat, or large-brimmed waterproof hat and hood with sufficient neck protection). The label also requires that workers do not enter or be allowed entry into treated orchards during the restricted-entry intervals (REIs) of 6 days to perform hand thinning activities in pome fruits, and 12 hours for all other postapplication activities. Taking into consideration the label statements, the number of applications, and the duration of exposure for handlers and postapplication workers, the risks to these individuals from exposure to Kodama Miticide are not of health concern when the end-use product is used according to the proposed label directions.

Health risks in residential and other non-occupational environments

Risks in residential and other non-occupational environments are not of health concern when Kodama Miticide is used according to the proposed label directions and REIs are observed.

Residential aggregate (dermal and dietary) exposure to Kodama Miticide during pick-your-own (PYO) fruit activities in treated orchards are not of health concern when the end-use product is used according to the proposed label directions.

There is the potential for aggregate exposure, as the general public may be exposed via the dermal and dietary routes simultaneously. Dermal exposure occurs when contacting trees in residential settings that may have been treated by a commercial applicator, to perform activities such as hand harvesting of fruit, pruning and thinning. Dietary exposure occurs from background residues in food and drinking water. The aggregate non-cancer risk is not of health concern, when the product is used according to the proposed label directions; however, the aggregate lifetime cancer risk is above the PMRA’s level of concern (LOC) (1E-6).

Health risks to bystanders

Bystander risks are not of health concern when Kodama Miticideis used according to the proposed label directions and spray drift restrictions are observed.

A standard label statement to protect against drift during application is on the label. Therefore, health risks to bystanders are not of concern when the end-use product is used according to the proposed label directions.

Environmental considerations

What happens when acynonapyr is introduced into the environment?

When acynonapyr is used according to the label directions, the risks to the environment have been determined to be acceptable.

Acynonapyr enters the environment when applied as a foliar spray to pome fruit to control Tetranychid mites. Acynonapyr and its breakdown products may persist on land, but are expected to have limited movement to groundwater. In water bodies, acynonapyr breaks down rapidly, but its breakdown products may persist and move from water to sediment. Acynonapyr may bioaccumulate; however, minimal exposure is expected due to its rapid breakdown to compounds that do not build up in the tissues of organisms. Acynonapyr is not expected to travel long distances from where it was applied. It is not expected to be taken up by plants and move inside plant tissues.

When used according to the proposed label directions, acynonapyr poses acceptable risk to small wild mammals, birds, beneficial insects, bees, earthworms, and terrestrial and aquatic plants. Exposure to acynonapyr may affect freshwater and marine animals if they are exposed to high enough levels; therefore, standard precautionary label statements, standard best management practice statements to reduce runoff, and spray buffer zones for protection of aquatic habitats are required on the end-use product label.

Value considerations

What is the value of Kodama Miticide?

Kodama Miticide provides a new MOA for resistance management and control of adult and larval Tetranychid mites, which are important pests of Crop Group 11-09: Pome Fruits.

As it is a new MOA, Kodama Miticide will aid in resistance management of Tetranychid mites. The development of resistance is a major concern for Tetranychid mites, which are well documented to have resistance to various MOAs. Kodama Miticide is expected to be compatible with current management practices, including Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Measures to minimize risk

Labels of registered pesticide products include specific instructions for use. Directions include risk-reduction measures to protect human health and the environment. These directions must be followed by law.

The key risk-reduction measures being proposed on the labels of Acynonapyr Technical and Kodama Miticide to address the potential risks identified in this assessment are as follows.

Key risk-reduction measures - Human health

To reduce the potential exposure of workers to acynonapyrthrough direct skin contact or inhalation of sprays, workers mixing, loading, and applying Kodama Miticideand performing cleaning and repair activities must wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, socks and shoes. For applicators using airblast application equipment, workers must wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks and shoes when using closed cab equipment, or a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, socks, shoes, and chemical-resistant headgear when using open cab equipment (chemical-resistant headgear includes Sou’Wester hat, chemical-resistant rain hat, or large-brimmed waterproof hat and hood with sufficient neck protection).

The end-use product label also requires that workers do not enter or be allowed entry into treated orchards during the REIs of 6 days to perform hand thinning activities in pome fruits and 12 hours for all other postapplication activities. Risks to workers are not of health concern when Kodama Miticide is used according to the proposed label directions and REIs are observed.

The aggregate lifetime cancer risk from dermal exposure, while hand harvesting fruit, pruning and thinning residential fruit trees that may have been treated by a commercial applicator, and dietary (food and drinking water) exposure from eating treated foods (background diet) is above the PMRA’s LOC (1E-6). As such, the proposed end-use product label will prohibit use in residential areas.

Key risk-reduction measures - Environment

Standard precautionary label statements are required to inform users of the toxicity of acynonapyr to aquatic organisms.

Standard best management practice statements are required to instruct users to reduce runoff of Kodama Miticide into sensitive aquatic habitats.

Spray buffer zones of up to 15 metres are required to protect sensitive aquatic habitats.

Next steps

Before making a final registration decision on acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide, Health Canada’s PMRA will consider any written comments received from the public that are directly related to this proposed decision, such as comments directed to the Science evaluation, in response to PRD2026-03 up to 30 days from the date of publication (by 12 March 2026) of PRD2026-03.

If more time is required to provide comments, a request for an extension of up to an additional 15 days can be made. Your request must be submitted in writing to the PMRA’s Publications Section within the 30-day consultation period.

Please note that, to comply with Canada's international trade obligations, consultation on the proposed MRL will also be conducted internationally via a notification to the World Trade Organization.Please forward all comments to PMRA Publications, through the Public Engagement Portal (Public Engagement Portal forms – Consultation Comment). Health Canada will then publish a Registration Decision, which will include its decision, the reasons for it, a summary of comments received on the proposed decision and Health Canada’s response to these comments.

Other information

When Health Canada’s PMRA makes its registration decision, it will publish a Registration Decision on acynonapyr and Kodama Miticide (based on the Science evaluation of PRD2026-03). In addition, the test data referenced in this consultation document will be available for public inspection, upon application, in the PMRA’s Reading Room. For more information or if you have questions, please contact the PMRA’s Pest Management Information Service.