A
sobering tale of methyl bromide
A recollection of Emilio Segrè, 1959 Nobel
Prizewinner for Physics:
“At this time (May 1940), I ran into another serious
poisoning risk, besides that of beryllium. I used to fill my ionization chamber
with methyl bromide to enhance its sensitivity to gamma rays. The commercial gas
came in a small canister, which I used every so often to refill the ionization
chamber. Fortunately, for no conscious reason, I always performed the operation
in the open air, on a balcony. When the cylinder was empty, I called the
salesman to get a new one. “How did it go?” he asked. “Have you killed any
rats?” I was surprised by the question, and he told me that he knew of only
one use for the gas: as a fumigant for rats. I shuddered. There was no
indication of toxicity on the cylinders, and I had not known the gas was
poisonous. Possibly my having handled it in open air saved my life.”
A mind always in motion: the
autobiography of Emilio Segrè, University of California Press Ltd, US, 1993.
Bear-ly
effective
A face full of pepper spray deters angry bears.
Last year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) riled Alaskans by taking the
sprays off the shelves. The EPA decided the sprays were pesticides—for very
large pests—and had not been tested. After protests, the EPA agreed to delay
action until the manufacturers tested the repellents. Are they effective?
“Sometimes, but not in the rain and wind,” says Vic Barnes who works with
nearly 3,000 bears in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. And their range is 20
feet. If it doesn’t work, you have no second option.”
National Geographic (US), January 1994.
New
Zealand action on benomyl
Environment Matters, January 1994.
Just
like mushrooms
A recent comment from a long-suffering US
pesticide regulator summed up the frustrations that can sometimes creep into the
job. “We're like mushrooms” he said “kept in the dark and have to eat
shit!”
Anonymous, February 1994.
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 23, March 1994, page 13]