Government Bans Paraquat Herbicides
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Government Bans Paraquat Herbicides
Date:
Thu, 19 Sep 2002 09:05:13 -0400
From:
Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide
Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought
you might like to read an article dated: Thursday, September 19, 2002 from
The Star Online - Nation; entitled: Government Bans Paraquat Herbicides
By DEVID RAJAH and JACQUELINE ANN SURIN.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government has banned the production of all pesticides and herbicides containing the hazardous paraquat and calcium cyanide compound, used in the country's plantations for over 40 years.
Paraquat, a herbicide which non-governmental organisations attribute to the continued poisoning of workers in the agriculture sector, will not be re-registered together with calcium cyanide.
The Pesticides Control Division of the Agriculture Department issued a circular to this effect on Aug 27 following a Cabinet decision.
According to the deputy director of the Pesticides Control Division, Halimi Mahmud, the circular had been issued to all manufacturers and users in the country.
He said the Government felt that there were many other cost-effective and less hazardous alternative pesticides available in the market.
Alternative pesticides include glyphosate and glufosinate-ammonium based pesticides, both of which have a Class 3 toxicity level compared to paraquat's Class 1A and 1B toxicity, which are the highest found in pesticides.
The alternatives can be used in highly mechanised agricultural equipment unlike paraquat, thus making them more cost-effective.
Halimi also said the Pesticides Control Board had stopped approving new applications for registration and re-registration of the herbicides under the scheduled poisons list containing paraquat and calcium cyanide with immediate effect.
"Applications under process will be rejected,'' he said yesterday.
The circular, signed by board secretary Shamsiah Muhammad, said pesticides containing the two substances would be phased out if the board had registered them prior to the ban date.
The board had also banned all forms of advertisement on paraquat and calcium cyanide with immediate effect, adding that necessary action would be taken to stop ongoing advertisements.
There are 21 manufacturers in the country producing 150 registered brands using paraquat as its active compound.
National Union of Plantation Workers executive secretary A. Navamukundan said any move by the Government in protecting the interest of health and safety of workers was most welcomed.
Local and regional NGOs, had been fighting for the use of alternative pesticides since the 1980s following the numerous deaths as well side effects, including blindness and skin disorder, reported by those who had been handling paraquat and calcium cyanide in the plantation sector.
Recently, the Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) executive director Sarojeni V. Rengam called on the ban of Gramoxone, the leading brand for paraquat herbicide, extensively used on banana, coco, coffee, cotton, oil palm, pineapple, rubber and sugar cane plantations.
She also said poisoning caused by paraquat was clearly shown in surveys and interviews with workers, and the findings were also supported by medical evidence.
© 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2002/9/19/nation/drpoison2.asp&sec=nation
Well Mr. Helliker, why do we have to prove your "registered" POISONS are not "safe" before you ban them? When will it be "legal" to use safe and far more effective unregistered alternatives?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
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