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| A collapsed block of ice-rich permafrost in Alaska. Benjamin Jones, U.S. Geological Survey |
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| An apple orchard in Quebec, Canada. Photo by "Daniel Fafard (Dreamdan)" |
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| The Mount Polley mine - Jul. 2014 - about a week before the infamous breach of its earthen containment dam. |
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| After the breach, massive amounts of wastewater surged into nearby creeks & lakes. Photos by NASA. Outdated laws, weak enforcement leave the public on the hook for cleanup. Story here. |
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| North shore of Lk. Superior. A Wikimedia photo. |
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The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), a branch of the European Union, has
declared that chlorothalonil "may cause cancer in
humans." Several of the agency's findings were based on tests with
lab rats. But it obviously believes their metabolisms are
sufficiently similar to ours to place chlorothalonil in "carcinogenicity category 1B - may cause cancer in humans."
Chlorothalonil is the active ingredient in several agricultural fungicides used to treat mildew, blight and mold in many crops. According to the newspaper, The Guardian, it is the most widely-used pesticide in all of the UK and the the most popular fungicide in the U.S. It's been used, worldwide, since the '60s. |
A project based at Simon Fraser University, CAREX, reports that 581 tonnes of chlorothalonil were
sold in BC alone in 2010 and 1,121 tonnes in Ontario in 2008. No
figures are given for usage in other provinces. CAREX (short for CARcinogen Exposure) is made up of experts dedicated to informing Canadians about dangers they face from cancerous substances. But the group
also sounds alarms similar to those now raised in Europe."Chlorothalonil is associated with cancer of the
kidney and stomach."
While Statistics
Canada does
not give a breakdown of active ingredients, the federal agency
says almost one in four (23%) of all crop farms in this country applied
fungicides of one kind or another in 2011. And it adds, farmers in
Manitoba used fungicides "more frequently than those in any other
province."
Here's what
the European study finds:
· Chlorothalonil binds to red blood cells,
delaying its removal from the body.
· It's very
toxic if inhaled and can cause serious damage to the eyes and
skin. It mainly
attacks the kidneys and forstomach, producing both benign and malignant tumours. The treated lab
animals were slow to mature sexually and gave birth to underweight young. It produces acute
risks to amphibians, long-lasting damage to fish and could pose a hazard to
groundwater, especially when it exceeds allowable standards.
· But there was
too little information to determine whether it harms wild mammals, aquatic
species other than fish, or bees. (Earlier
research, however, has
linked it to diminishing numbers of bumblebees, as well.)
The study was peer-reviewed by experts in the field.
The Agency's conclusion was strikingly similar to one by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015. That's when the WHO ruled that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world's most popular weedkiller, Roundup, "probably causes cancer in humans." The European Union is expected to ban chlorthalonil in a month or so.
Canadian regulators take a dramatically different
approach.
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Less than a
year ago, Canada's Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency, PMRA - a division
of Health Canada - released results of its "re-evaluation" of chlorothalonil.
It did impose some
restrictions, including its use on cut flowers grown in greenhouses. But its
main finding was: "Most uses...meet current standards for
protection of human health or the environment. It’s continued registration is
acceptable."
In Canada,
the fungicide is sold under brand names such as "Daconil" and
"Bravo."
It's offered
as a treatment for a host of diseases in crops, including corn and
soybeans. It's made and sold by such chemical giants as Syngenta.
At this
writing, it has now been well over three weeks since I emailed the PMRA for a
response. I have not heard back.
-30-
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Ashcroft Reserve wildfire - Look Lake, BC, 2017. Photo by Shawn Cahill
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