Subject: PANUPS: FASE Report

From: Pesticide Action Network North America Reg Ctr <[email-masked]>
Date: 10 May 93 11:49 PDT

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        PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK NORTH AMERICA UPDATES SERVICE
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U.S. Exports of Banned, Unregistered Pesticides Increase

May 10, 1993

	Exports of banned and hazardous pesticides from U.S. ports rose by 
12% in 1991 compared to 1990 figures, according to U.S. government 
records analyzed by the Foundation for Advancements in Science and 
Education (FASE) in the recently released study "Exporting Banned and 
Hazardous Pesticide, 1991 Statistics."  Pesticides whose use is 
illegal in the U.S. were exported from U.S. ports at a rate of 15 tons 
per day in 1991.  This figure includes more than 96 tons of the 
insecticide DDT, banned for more than 20 years in the U.S.  

 The report's findings include:

--  5.7 million pounds of pesticides that have never had a U.S. 
registration were exported in 1991, an increase of approximately 19% 
over 1990 totals.  

--  At least 6.6 million pounds of the severely restricted pesticides 
chlordane, heptachlor, and carbofuran were shipped from U.S. ports the 
same year, at a rate of 9 tons a day.  ("Severely restricted" pesticides 
are defined as pesticides for which most registered uses have been 
prohibited by government regulatory action, but for which certain 
specific registered use or uses remain authorized.)

--  FASE researchers also identified shipments of an additional 41 
million pounds of pesticides considered so hazardous that only 
government-certified specialists are allowed to use them, equivalent 
to an export rate of nearly 5,000 pounds per hour throughout the year.

	This is the organization's second annual review of U.S. pesticide 
exports.  The FASE studies are based on analysis of U.S. Customs 
shipping records, the only public source of data on pesticide exports. 
As in 1990, the investigators found disturbing gaps in the records; for 
example, the names of more than 74% of the 477 million pounds of 
pesticides exported in 1991 were not recorded.  Given the extent of 
the missing data, it is possible that the volume of traffic in 
hazardous pesticides may be even greater than Customs records 
indicate.  If the pesticides named in shipping records provide an 
accurate cross-section of those whose names are withheld, for 
example, the actual volume could be four times the amount identified 
by the shipping documents.
	FASE Project Director Carl Smith notes that the majority of these 
banned and hazardous pesticides were shipped to developing 
countries, where unsafe storage and application practices are 
common.  According to the British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 
although industrialized countries account for 80% of world 
agricultural chemical use, more than 99% of all deaths from pesticide 
poisoning occur in developing countries.  "This isn't just exporting 
chemicals.  This is trafficking poisons," says Carl Smith.  "Any trade 
in pesticides considered unsafe for Americans is unacceptable, and 
these rates are disgraceful.  American companies are knowingly 
shipping dangerous products to regions where they will not be safely 
used."
	
Contact/source:  Carl Smith, Project Director; FASE, 4801 Wilshire 
Blvd. Suite 215, Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA; phone (213) 937-9911; 
fax (213) 937-7440.
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The Pesticide Action Network North America Updates Service (PANUPS) is a 
pesticide-related news service from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) 
North American Regional Center.  PANUPS is posted weekly on EcoNet, the 
APC computer network, RTK NET, GeoNet/GEO2, the ECONET echo on 
FidoNet, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SANET) on BitNet, and on 
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complimentations are also available. For info: PAN NA RC, 965 Mission 
Street #514, San Francisco, CA 94103. Tel: (415) 541-9140. Fax: (415) 541-9253. 
Telex: 156283472 PANNA. E-mail address on EcoNet: [email-masked]
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