D/2 Biological Solution

In a letter from the president of Cathedral Stone Products on August
10, 2012, the reason for the removal of D/2 Biological Solution from
the market is described as "an EPA change in the definition of a
pesticide and labeling", which caused understandable concern
regarding the safety of the product and a search for suitable
alternatives.

However, an article in the most recent Association for Gravestone
Studies Quarterly Bulletin (Fall 2012, Volume 36, Number 3) by
Michael Trinkley (Chicora Foundation, Inc.) states that D/2 simply
"terminated their agreement with Simple Green this year, as well as
the sole distributor", and that it remains available from five other
distributors at this time. He suggests that the product was
temporarily unavailable in order to apply new labels to the bottles,
rather than because it had lost its EPA registration number.
Finally, he writes that the formulation remains the same and
compares favorably to less familiar and more toxic alternatives on
the market.

I am wondering what the reaction to the article by Michael Trinkley
is, and whether the implication that D/2 can continue to be safely
used is accurate.

Linsly Boyer Young
Art Conservation Group
Brooklyn Navy Yard


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:30
                 Distributed: Monday, December 17, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-26-30-018
                                  ***