E.P.A. says Dursban is dangerous.
October 29, 1999
E.P.A. Says Widely Used Dow Pesticide Can Be Harmful
By REUTERS
WASHINGTON -- U.S. environmental officials say one of the nation's
most widely used pesticides poses a safety risk for those who use it
in their gardens, fields and homes.
Blurred vision, muscle weakness, headaches and problems with memory,
depression and irritability have been linked to large amounts of exposure to
Dow Chemical's Dursban, the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.)
said in a preliminary scientific assessment posted on its web site late
Wednesday.
The E.P.A. said the assessment found that exposure to the chemical on the
skin, in food, or by inhaling it could be harmful to human health.
The E.P.A. said it had a "particular concern" with Dursban poisoning cases
reported to federal health officials. About one-fourth of 325 illnesses reported
from 1993 through 1996 were serious enough to require hospitalization, the
agency said.
"Data from the two human studies suggest that humans are as sensitive and
possibly even more sensitive than animals," the E.P.A. said in the detailed
report. One of the studies was conducted with inmate volunteers at a prison.
Dursban is a standard tool used to kill insects that attack everything from
home-grown tomatoes to corn fields. It is also a powerful weapon against
termites and cockroaches, and is frequently used in homes, schools,
hospitals, and pet collars.
The report laid out potential health risks, but did not indicate whether the
agency planned to tighten use of Dursban or phase it out.
An E.P.A. spokesman was not available for comment.
Dow Chemical, in a letter to the E.P.A. that was included in the report, said
E.P.A.'s risk analysis was misleading and based on "fundamental errors" of
science.
"Three decades of use have shown that unless seriously misused,
chlorpyrifos products have wide margins of safety that protect users and
consumers, including infants and children," the letter also read.
E.P.A.'s scientific analysis of Dursban is part of a mammoth project to check
for harmful residue in food, drinking water and households from some 9,000
U.S. pesticides.
Under a controversial 1996 food safety law passed by Congress, the E.P.A.
must require chemical makers to build in an extra margin of safety to protect
children, whose developing bodies can be more vulnerable to chemicals.
The law has been sharply criticized by farm groups for failing to take into
account the cost to growers of using more expensive and less effective
alternative pesticides. Farm, chemical and consumer groups will have two
months to submit their suggestions to the E.P.A. about the possible health
risks posed by Dursban.
The active ingredient in Dursban is chlorpyrifos, a substance that is part of a
class of chemicals known as organophosphates, which have been shown to
affect the human nervous system. Organophosphates were developed during
World War II as nerve gas weapons.
Environmental groups pointed to the new study as evidence that the E.P.A.
should halt the use of Dursban.
"This government study firmly supports our research and position," said
Todd Hettenbach, an analyst with the Environmental Working Group.
"Dursban must be banned."
A study by the green group two years ago found Dursban residue on most
breads, crackers, bagels and other wheat-based foods that were tested.
The vast majority of Americans have at least a tiny amount of the chemical in
their bodies, the E.P.A. said. A recent Minnesota study found the bug killer at
detectable levels in over 90 percent of school children examined.
Two years ago Dow voluntarily stopped selling the pesticide for use in pet
shampoos and dips and household foggers.
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company |
