While it is known that high exposure can cause vomiting, diarrhea and neurotoxic effects, the potential for chronic health effects from low exposure remains poorly understood. It is not carcinogenic, although researchers found a high rate of colon cancer in pesticide applicators exposed to high levels.
Its use has steeply declined in the U.S. over the past couple of decades, particularly on food crops. It is currently legal to use only on citrus, potatoes, dry beans, peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, sugar beets and cotton. Its main use is to kill mites and nematodes on cotton, potatoes and citrus.
In 2008, about 75,000 pounds were applied to California crops – almost entirely cotton - compared with more than half a million pounds in 1998, according to state Department of Pesticide Regulation data.
Union Carbide was the sole manufacturer of aldicarb until 1987. Its plant in Bhopal, India, was making aldicarb when a pesticide called methyl isocyanate leaked, killing several thousand people in 1984.
Aldicarb already has been banned in Europe, although it is still used, and perhaps manufactured, in other countries.
Under the new agreement, Bayer, the sole U.S. manufacturer, said its distribution will end by 2017. Use on citrus and potatoes will be banned beginning in 2012, and all remaining uses will end in 2018. In the meantime, new requirements will go into effect to change labeling and to protect ground water near cotton, soybean and peanut farms.
“We recognize the significant impact this decision will have on growers and the food industry, and will do everything possible to address their concerns during this transition,” Buckner said. He added, “We recognize the loss of this tool to growers and will seek innovative solutions to fill this void.”
But Scholl-Buckwald said he was disappointed that the agreement didn’t have earlier deadlines.
“After 40 years, the question is why should there be a phaseout period at all,” he said.
This article originally ran at Environmental Health News, a news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company.
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Add Comment25 years after the outbreak the only thing, we, as a society, can offer ourselves and our children is a phasing out period for another 8 years and a declaration that Alicarb “no longer meets our rigorous food safety standards”? Is it my mis-conception that the agencies designated to defend public’s health, should be more alert for consumer’s protection and less inclined to subdue to pharmaceutical or other organized interests? Because if the latter is not the real cause of such a criminal delay in action then what is?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey are voices advocating precaution instead of “poorly understood” data. Others warning of all the possible and visible risks of pesticides. I would cite the one I found the most interesting and the most alarming. The one of the greek writer, Mr Ioannis Tsatsaris, a gnosiologist, whose analysis warns that food pollution leads to all these unknown illnesses that crop up in our times, to the aggression in every level of human interaction, as well as to a surprisingly decline in intellection and reasoning: “Nowadays, based on the pollution mankind has effected on the food chain, the atmosphere, the earth and the water table, they have ended up in an aggressivity against their very selves, which makes them feel dissatisfied and turns them against others, demanding to be treated as they themselves wish, but without themselves behaving towards others as they should. This is due to the disruption of their organic equilibrium. .. It is in essence the destructiveness that inorganic carbon effectuates in our organism. …..the production of his (man’ s) blood function is no longer that which would assist the brain to develop a strong doubt of what is offered, which would subsequently be transformed also into a steady perception of what has to be done to assist his organic functions and production.
When blood is produced, after passing through a special processing centre it then enters the lungs to be oxygenated and cleansed of any inferior quality of elements. From there it goes to the heart, which carries the selected quality of blood to the brain and the remainder to the rest of the organism. The brain needs the suitable haematic quality of nourishment in order to develop those operations promoting perception in man to distinguish the propitious from the pernicious… We thus reach a point where medical science diagnoses diverse illnesses which it cannot cure, however, for it does not know their exact nature nor provenance...” (“On Dissociation”, http://www.tsatsaris.gr/new9_en.html)
Cleo Katsivela, Civil Law Notary LLM Medical Law
Why the delay? If they know of it's health effects why not pull it now instead of two years from now? Money???????????????
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBetter late than never.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi don't know what aldicarb is sold by but i was backrupted in farming in the early 80's for financial reasons and most of my family (generations of family farmers) died of cancer. it is a wonderfull way of life but i don't believe there is much truth in advertising when it comes to the chemicals necessary to produce the yeilds necessary to make a living. i've heard about atrizine showing up in wells not to mention furidan and other insectisides. i've seen dozens of dead starlings at the end rows after using granular furidan. i often wonder if i've doomed myself simply by not being aware of the toxicity of some of these chemicals. thanks; phil
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisyou are what you eat. how can you be anything else?
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