Sat, 01 Jan 2005

EPA Takes Pest Killer Diazinon Off the Shelves

I've never been a big fan of this, or any other organophosphate pesticide, for a very simple reason. Most folks oppose these pesticides because they assume that they'll remain in the enviroment "forever" and continue to do harm. But this is not the case with Diazinon - it disappears in a matter of hours. After it's killed all insects or other creatures that have come into contact with it. Organophosphates are the basis for nerve agents, after all, and they're pretty indisciminate killers. And that's the problem.

It kills bees. It kills birds. And without the birds and the bees, ladies and gentlemen, we have no pollination, and no crops. After my father-in-law applied this stuff liberally to his lawn last spring to kill Japanese beetle grubs, none of his apple trees bore fruit - not one. Plenty of blossoms, but no bees to pollinate them. Not really a problem in suburbia, but a few doses of this stuff to country lawns can result in some pretty severe and unexpected consequences.

And there's another problem with organophosphates besides this one, one that I doubt that the Clinton Administration had in mind when they proposed the phase out in 1994. It wouldn't be too tough for a terrorist-minded individual to "cook" some of these chemicals into a serious weapon. Dangerous for the chef, no doubt, but certainly not impossible.

That by iteself would be reason enough to stop manufacturing and using Diazinon.

Los Angeles Times - Beginning today, consumers can no longer buy one of the most popular lawn and garden insecticides of all time.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

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