EPA Bans Use of A Pesticide That's Been in Use Since 1970
The EPA has changed its mind on the safety a widely-used pesticide, aldicarb, and its manufacturer, Bayer, has agreed stop using it. Eventually.Wait a doggone minute there. I always thought soybeans, peanuts and sweet potatoes were food. I guess the EPA doesn't really care about the safety of those items. Anyways, it is only 4 to 8 years of use left - a few sick folks will be clearly outweighed by Bayer profit.
Registered in 1970 for use on cotton, according to the Wall Street Journal, the chemical has been used for years on potatoes, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, tobacco, citrus fruits, sugarcane and other crops, but the EPA now says aldicarb "no longer meets our rigorous food safety standards and may pose unacceptable dietary risks," especially to young children.
The agency's change of heart is based on a new study of the chemical, even though 25 years ago, as Scientific American points out, aldicarb sickened more than 2,000 people who ate California watermelons.
So now, the EPA says, Bayer has agreed to stop using aldicarb first on citrus fruits and potatoes, it will "voluntarily" phase out production by the end of 2014, and "all remaining aldicarb uses will end no later than August 2018."
The EPA will also revoke its rules on how much of the pesticide is allowed in foods, "to ensure we have the safest food supply possible." However, aldicarb "will continue to be registered for use on cotton, dry beans, peanuts, soybeans, sugar beets, and sweet potatoes."
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