U.S. drags its feet in phasing out banned pesticide

The Seattle Times & AP ^ | November 28, 2005 | Rita Beamish

[FOG724]

You have a link?

[coconutt2000]

Does this pesticide actually destroy the ozone layer or does it destroy ozone in a lab. The two are significantly different considering that the ozone layer is definitely not hovering a few feet over the ground over Kansas.

[Carry_Okie]

There is one process for which the banning of methyl bromide is critical: sterilizing potting soils in nurseries.

Without sterilization, the nursery becomes an incubator and distributor of pathogens, weeds, and pests. It's as bad as a hospital with an infection problem. Banning methyl bromide for that use may induce significant environmental risks.

[FOG724]

Interesting.

[Carry_Okie]

There is one process for which the banning of methyl bromide is critical: sterilizing potting soils in nurseries.

Sorry, I should have said,

There is one process for which banning methyl bromide may be disastrous to the enviroment: sterilizing potting soils in nurseries.

It's getting late.

[Carry_Okie]

The way things are going at EPA, they're going to get their environmental apocalypse.

[FOG724]

National Grange Policy on Chemicals for Agriculture: Weed, Pest and Predator Control

5. The National Grange supports allowing the continued and appropriate use of the following farm chemicals: 2-4-D for weed control; triazines as a crop protectant; Elgetol for thinning apples; Compound 1080 for predator control; Methyl bromide for controlling insect infestations in stored commodities and any chemicals found to be effective in controlling fire ants. We further encourage the EPA to reevaluate their restrictions on certain pesticides that are used for grasshopper control so that a more effective environmental control program may be offered to farmers and ranchers.

[Forte Runningrock]

The holes in the ozone layer, which have somehow closed up, are over the ant-artic, not over Kansas.
I wonder if this is just enviro-wienie junk science loons rearing their ugly heads again.

[FOG724]

California State Grange policy

13. The California State Grange will do all in their power to not only oppose the possible acceleration of a phase-out of methyl bromide for developing nations but seek to extend the United States phase-out to 2010, the same as the other developed nations, and review this phase-out at this time if no acceptable alternative is found. [97]

[CheyennePress]

My dad has been been raising strawberries for over 20 years and has done a lot of fumigation work for others with methyl bromide. He pretty much had to call it quits the fumigation business after the ban. Luckily he works another job, so he could afford to go on to bed plastic. It's the only way to go outside of methyl bromide, but it's amazingly expensive and limits the variety of strawberries you can plant.

Never heard any actual reports of methyl bromide giving people trouble, but everyone that I know who used it took a lot of precautions.

[coconutt2000]

Oh well, the holes are actually still there... They're seasonal. In fact, the hole of the antarctic was only discovered about two decades ago.

Liberals claim that humans created it. I find that difficult to believe. I do agree that our actions can exacerbate the problem, but I doubt we can significantly impact what are essentially natural forces and phenomena.

[Jaysun]

I hate the environmentalist. I loathe them. They've got a Mexican with a headache, several absurd claims, and some lies. Why do we listen to these communist bastards? First, the oceans are the most significant source of methyl bromide. Second, when the amount of man-made methyl bromide was at it's peak in the 1990's the alarmist "estimated" that it was responsible for 3-10 percent of the supposed ozone destruction. The potential harm caused by the amount of methyl bromide for which the Bush administration seeks an extension is to minuscule to measure - even when using alarmist standards. Third, they have no proof to substantiate their claims. So, we're about to cost ourselves billions of dollars for nothing - oh, I mean to the cause of socialism.

No group has been wrong more thoroughly discredited than the environmentalist, no group has made their intentions (socialist utopia after evil America falls) more clear, and no group is more powerful.

[Jaysun]

Liberals claim that humans created it. I find that difficult to believe. I do agree that our actions can exacerbate the problem, but I doubt we can significantly impact what are essentially natural forces and phenomena.

Those holes have been showing up there since wild poodles roamed the earth. It's from lack of sunlight (which creates ozone). Their claims are absurd.

[knarf]

... and way, waaaayyyy down, at the end of this whining pukeage we read ...

"The two are in a disability dispute with their former employer ... "

[Dallas59]

METHYL BROMIDE is also used to sterilize cargo containers from overseas. Shoes, clothes, refrigerators, cars...everything. They can mix it with a chemeical to give it a "smell". It can cause problems.

[Rocketwolf68]

There are the "sky is falling" environmentalists and the "let's drink the poison- it's good for you" folks. Somewhere in the middle is the truth. At risk of being flamed, let me say that as Conservatives, we should also be Conservationists. Just because we hold certain views on politics, it should not warp us into denial that some things are bad for the human race and the planet. Unless some of you have tickets to another planet, we should all care what happens here. And, yes I have worked on a farm and put out all manner of pesticides and nitrogens. They do amazing things for the production of crops and the visual quality of the produce(notice i didn't say taste). However, if you've ever been inadvertently sprayed by a cropduster or spray buggy, you think about the implications and long term effects on your body. Overspray of defolient killed every plant and some 150 year old oaks in my yard a couple years ago. Algae blooms from the nitrogen choke the oxygen and life out of our ponds and ruin the fishing at the lakes. No, I don't think we should ban everything and start eating wheatgrass. No, we should not stop using pesticides,nor sue their makers. We should just be aware of what is going on around us and adjust usage accordingly. Flame away.

[Condor51]

But strawberries are a painful subject.......

"Ah, but the strawberries...

...that's where I had them, they laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, with geometric logic, that a duplicate key to the ward room icebox did exist, and I've had produced that key if they hadn't pulled the Caine out of action. I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officer . . . Naturally, I can only cover these things from memory. If I've left anything out, why, just ask me specific questions and I'll be glad to answer them one by one."

[neverdem]

You have a link?

Do I have a link for what?