Pesticide and Environmental Update
U.S. EPA
Moves to ban Carbofuran in Food
As of January 1, 2010, growers will not be able to
apply the pesticide carbofuran to any food crops. Despite objections from
the manufacturer (FMC Corporation) to the original May 2009 ruling,
scientists and regulators at the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed
that action is justified because exposure to the chemical in food residues
is not safe. In announcing the action this week, EPA advised growers not
to apply carbofuran to food crops after December 31st, and encouraged a
switch to "safer pesticides or other environmentally preferable pest
control strategies." Short-term health effects of carbofuran exposure
can include headache, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, chest pains, blurred
vision, anxiety and general muscular weakness. Registration for the
granular form of the pesticide was withdrawn more than 15 years ago due to
its danger to birds and other wildlife, but the chemical continues to be
used on a variety of fruit, vegetable and field crops. "The evidence
is clear that carbofuran does not meet today's rigorous food-safety
standards," said Steve Owens, Assistant Administrator for EPA's
Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances in the Agency's
announcement. "EPA has carefully evaluated the scientific issues and
has provided more than 500 days of public comment on this decision. It is
now important to move forward with the needed public health protections,
especially for children."
FMC is the only company still selling carbofuran in
the U.S., and it has fought EPA's efforts to move forward toward a ban at
every opportunity. In taking its decision this week, EPA specifically
denied a request by FMC for a public hearing. The company has pledged to
appeal the decision to the federal courts. FMC was recently embroiled in
controversy when 60 Minutes reported that their carbofuran product Furadan
is widely available in Africa and used to poison lions. The company
previously manufactured an array of toxic organochlorine pesticides that
have since been banned globally, including chlordane, heptachlor, lindane,
and toxaphene.
|
