America still uses 85 pesticides banned in Europe, China or Brazil
The “land of the free” still uses 85 pesticides that have been banned in Europe, China or Brazil, a study funded by the Center for Biological Diversity finds.
The pesticides have been deemed by other governments to be too harmful to human health and/or the environment to continue to use.
“It’s appalling the U.S. lags so far behind these major agricultural powers in banning harmful pesticides,” said study author Nathan Donley in a press release.
The study notes that the US, EU, Brazil and China are four of the largest agricultural producers and pesticide users in the world, and of those, the United States has the worst track record when it comes to pesticide safety.
“The USA is generally regarded as being highly regulated and having protective pesticide safeguards in place. This study contradicts that narrative,” Donley said.
“The fact that we’re still using hundreds of millions of pounds of poisons other nations have wisely rejected as too risky spotlights our dangerously lax approach to phasing out hazardous pesticides.”
Among the pesticides banned abroad but still used in the US are 2,4-DB, bensulide, chloropicrin, dichlobenil, dicrotophos, EPTC, norflurazon, oxytetracycline, paraquat, phorate, streptomycin, terbufos and tribufos.
“Many of these pesticides have been linked to acute poisoning in the U.S., some of which are considered highly poisonous in high dosages and have been connected to lung damage, convulsions, respiratory failure, coma and even death, reports EcoWatch.com.