Endosulfan's Exit: U.S. EPA Pesticide Review Leads to a Ban

摘要

After a lengthy scientific review, the United States last week decided to ban the use of endo-sulfan, an inexpensive organo-chlorine pesticide that builds up in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled that the compound-which has a variety of uses from Florida's tomato crops to California's cotton-should be phased out on a schedule to be negotiated with the manufacturer. More than 60 other countries have already opted for a ban; the holdouts-including India and China-argue that the pesticide should continue to be permitted where farmers cannot afford substitutes.