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| A Cape May warbler. So far, its populations are stable. Photo by PinP. |
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Chlorothalonil is the active ingredient in several agricultural fungicides used to treat mildew, blight and mold in many food crops.
It's been used worldwide, since bing approved in the US in the '60s. Almost 5 1/2 thousand tonnes were applied to American crops in 2017, making it the third most-used fungicide there, only after copper and sulphur. And, according to The Guardian, it's the most widely-used pesticide in all of the UK.
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But tables which remains posted on a Government of Canada website (see bottom), shows chlorothalonil remains approved for use in no less than 29 different agricultural products.
And CAREX has reached the same conclusion as the EU. Its website declares, "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 them "more frequently than those in any other province," possibly due to that province's high level of potato production.
Here's what the European study finds:
· Chlorothalonil binds to red blood cells, delaying its removal from the body,
· is very toxic if inhaled and can cause serious damage to the eyes and skin,
· mainly attacks the kidneys and forstomach, producing both benign and malignant tumours,
· slows sexual maturity in treated lab animals and causes them to give birth to underweight young,
· produces acute risks to amphibians and long-lasting damage to fish, . 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.
Canada' approach - a study in contrasts |
In May of last year, Canada's Pesticide Management Regulatory
Agency, PMRA - a division of Health Canada, released results
of its "re-evaluation" of chlorothalonil. The agency did impose some restrictions, including its use on cut flowers grown in greenhouses. (Even that restriction, however, does not need to be met until next spring.)
But the PMRA's main finding was: "Most uses...meet current standards for protection of human health or the environment. It’s continued registration is acceptable." |
Dear PMRA,I'm a journalist in Manitoba. I am attaching the draft
of an article I am writing for my blog and perhaps
some weekly newspapers here in Manitoba.My questions are;
- Will you be reviewing the status of the fungicide chlorothalonil, now that the European Union is banning it?
- How do you explain the differences between the findings of the EFSA and your own re-evaluation?
- Would you kindly review my attached script and correct any factual errors you may encounter?
- Please feel free to include any additional comments you feel may be relevant, which I can include in my final draft.
Many thanks for your attention.Sincerely.Have a green day!Please visit Planet in Peril - "where science gets respect."Skype - larry.powell9
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| Bleached coral. Photo by NOAA. |
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| Photo by Oxfam. |
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| A PinP photo. |
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| Photo by Roland "Roly" Roesler. Photographer's Note |
