Dirty Dozen Pesticides: Banned But Still Traded |
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| A review of recent U.S. exports of
the Pesticide Action Network's Dirty Dozen pesticides indicates that a national ban is not sufficient to prevent a pesticide from entering a country. According to U.S. Customs records examined by the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE), during the years 1995 and 1996 more than 3.3 million pounds of Dirty Dozen pesticides were exported to countries which had banned them. The review was the latest report from a project that FASE began in 1991 to document the trade in hazardous pesticides through analysis of U.S. Customs shipping records. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International's list of "Dirty Dozen" pesticides includes 18 highly toxic chemicals including aldicarb, chlordane, EDB, heptachlor, parathion, pentachlorophenol and lindane. Chlordane exports accounted for 2.5 million pounds of total U.S. Dirty Dozen exports. Nearly two million pounds were shipped to Brazil; 430,950 pounds to Singapore; and 44,200 pounds to the Netherlands. Overall, 95% (by volume) of chlordane shipments that appear in U.S. Customs records for 1995 and 1996 were to countries that had regulations banning the chemical. During 1995-1996, over 225,000 pounds of heptachlor were shipped to countries that had banned the chemical including, 93,528 pounds to the Netherlands in 1995 and 129,900 pounds to Brazil in 1996. Of the heptachlor shipments noted in Customs records, 65% (by volume) were to countries that had banned the chemical. In its 1997 announcement that it would discontinue chlordane and heptachlor production before the end of the year, Velsicol Chemical Corporation stated that it had been exporting chlordane and heptachlor "for major road building projects in Africa, protection of residential structures in tropical regions such as Northeastern Australia and the Far East, and as a soil insecticide to protect crops in South America." Such uses of these highly toxic chemicals were banned 10 to 20 years ago in the United States. Aldicarb, a WHO Class Ia ("extremely hazardous") pesticide with an oral toxicity of less than 1 mg/kg, is banned in Argentina. However, shipments to Argentina were noted at an average rate of over six tons per month during 1995 and 1996, a total of more than 300,000 pounds. Paraquat, another highly toxic pesticide, was exported to the Dominican Republic, where its use has been banned. U.S. shippers exported 120,015 pounds in 1995 and 75,477 in 1996. Other hazardous chemicals exported to countries that had banned them included pentachlorophenol (42,544 pounds to Thailand in 1995) and EDB (34,992 pounds to Belgium in 1996). In reviewing exports over the last eight years, FASE project staff have noted that the majority of pesticide shipments &emdash; as many as two-thirds or more &emdash; are described in U.S. Customs records in such generic or cryptic terms that the specific chemical cannot be identified. This lack of comprehensive and accurate data is a barrier to effective monitoring and enforcement of export regulations. "These shipments are examples of the gap that can exist between regulatory goals and reality," said Carl Smith, project director for FASE, who points out that the Dirty Dozen shipments do not appear to violate any U.S. policy. "International treaties such as the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) agreements can set the stage for reducing trade in hazardous chemicals &emdash; but the real-world situation doesn't change unless they're implemented. If we want to keep the implementation process honest, we need good data in the public record." Source: Global Pesticide Campaigner (PAN North America), April 1999. Contact: Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE), 4801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90037; phone (323) 937-9911; fax (323) 937-7440; email carl.smith@fasenet.org. =========================================== Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) 49 Powell St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA Phone: (415) 981-1771 Fax: (415) 981-1991 Email: panna@panna.org Web: www.panna.org |
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