On June 9th 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was taking action to end all uses of the deadly pesticide endosulfan in the United States.

New data generated in response to the agency’s 2002 decision have shown that risks faced by workers are greater than previously known. EPA also finds that there are risks above the agency’s level of concern to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, as well as to birds and mammals that consume aquatic prey which have ingested endosulfan.

The effects of endosulfan are severe and debilitating, which is why the US is now phasing out its use

What will happen?

Makhteshim Agan of North America, the manufacturer of endosulfan, is in discussions with EPA to voluntarily terminate all endosulfan uses.

EPA is currently working out the details of the decision that will eliminate all endosulfan uses, while incorporating consideration of the needs for growers to timely move to lower- risk pest control practices.

What does a phase-out mean?

A phase-out is great news for people and the environment. Endosulfan is an extremely hazardous agro-chemical that has had devastating and debilitating impacts on human health and any wildlife that has been exposed to it. EPA’s decision is a victory for environmental justice, and brings us a step closer to eradicating this deadly pesticide worldwide.

The US now joins more than 60 countries from the UK to Gambia, New Zealand to the Philippines, and the UAE to St Lucia, who have all already implemented national bans on the use of endosulfan.