Surface tension
Amway, a multinational company launched a product called APSA 80, in 2001. An NPEO-based surfactant is its active ingredient. The company's promotional material claims that APSA 80 should be added to pesticides before spraying it on crops. It claims that if 147 ml of this surfactant is mixed in approximately with 75 litres of water, it reduces the pesticide's surface tension by more than half. The APSA 80-water mix roughly translates to 2,000 ppm of NP in water.
Products such as APSA 80 are not under the ambit of regulations. APSA 80 is not a pesticide, and hence needs no monitoring or registration. "APSA 80 has not been registered with the central insecticide board and registration committee,' said Prem Dureja a member of the committee.
But other experts say that the high amounts of NP in the Amway product could cause endocrine complications, especially since exposure at very low dosages have been proved to cause hormonal defects in certain vertebrates and aquatic life forms.
APSA has a US $5 million market in India. In recent times the solution is also being used in cricket fields and golf courses for lessening dew. One of the most prominent examples was during the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy cricket matches in Mohali in Punjab.