ChimpCo Pushing For Expanded Use Of Ozone-Destroying Methyl Bromide

[hatrack]

"The United States is seeking to make more American farmers and industries exempt from an international ban on methyl bromide, a popular pesticide that damages Earth's protective ozone layer, Bush administration officials said yesterday.

Last year, the administration sought to exclude a variety of farmers and food producers from the ban, which takes effect next year under a treaty outlawing substances that harm the ozone layer. The exempt businesses would be allowed 21.9 million pounds of methyl bromide next year and 20.8 million pounds in 2006 in uses like fumigating stored grain and treating golf-course sod and strawberry fields.

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Some American growers say methyl bromide remains vital to compete with countries where cheap laborers do weeding and pest control. Critics of the American requests said the exemptions could undermine the 1987 ozone treaty. Use of methyl bromide has been cut 70 percent in industrialized countries since 1999 under the treaty.

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"It's the first time any country has proposed to reverse the phaseout and increase the production of a chemical that's supposed to be eliminated," said David Doniger, who directs policy on atmosphere issues at the Natural Resources Defense Council."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/04/science/04OZON.html

That's right, we must use more ozone-destroying chemicals to remain economically "competitive".

[NJCher]

1. methyl bromide is one of the most appalling

If you ever read about how American crops are grown, this is one of the scariest. They use it a lot on spinach and strawberries, which is why I ALWAYS buy organic on those two items.


Cher