EPA Agrees to Notify Groups About Pesticide Use
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EPA Agrees to Notify Groups About Pesticide Use
Date:
Fri, 27 Sep 2002 09:25:39 -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
EPA Agrees to Notify Groups About Pesticide Use
http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2002/2002-09-23-09.asp#anchor4
WOODBURN, Oregon, September 23, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to notify farmworker and environmental groups of any proposed uses of the controversial pesticide vinclozolin. For four years, Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United (known by their Spanish initials PCUN) and the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), have challenged the use of the fungicide vinclozolin on a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The challenges led to a phase out of most uses of vinclozolin. Under an agreement signed August 28, the EPA must give PCUN and the Coalition notice of any proposed use of vinclozolin and respond to any issues the groups raise before considering future requests to use this pesticide. Vinclozolin disrupts the function of hormonal systems in animals by blocking male sex hormones. Researchers have also documented effects on developing fetuses when pregnant females are exposed to the chemical. "EPA had ! flouted the law and the health of farm workers and consumers exposed to vinclozolin by allowing its use on numerous fruits and vegetables," said Patti Goldman, senior attorney with Earthjustice in Seattle. "Our appeals spurred EPA to crack down on this pesticide, and this agreement ensures that EPA will not secretly reinstate the cancelled uses." Although the EPA announced a multi-year phase out of the pesticide, the agency has indicated to agricultural industry representatives that it will leave open the opportunity to apply for an emergency exemption in order to continue vinclozolin's use on snap beans in Oregon. Under the agreement, conservation and farmworker groups will be notified by the EPA before an emergency exemption is even considered. "This agreement is designed to provide more information to farm workers who are on the front lines of exposure to this dangerous pesticide," said Ramon Ramirez, president of PCUN. "Our hope is that these procedures will permanently! stop the regulatory abuses that spanned fourteen years and got us inv olved in this issue in the first place." "When pesticides are sprayed directly on food, some of the chemical inevitably ends up where we don't want it, including on the food that we all eat," added Norma Grier, executive director of NCAP. "By having a more transparent process, we can do a better job of protecting the health of both farm workers and consumers." The agreement can be viewed on NCAP's Web site at: http://www.pesticide.org
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