Small doses - Pesticides News No. 29

Du Pont offered discounted fine for apology
A US judge has offered pesticide manufacturer Du Pont a US$ 101 million discount  on a US$115 million court fine if it takes out full-page newspaper advertisements to confess that it defrauded the court. The ruling could have serious implications for Du Pont which faces more than 200 court cases for damages over alleged harm done to crops by Benlate which contains the fungicide benomyl. A Benlate version sold between 1987 and 1991 was recalled by the US Environmental Protection Agency which fined Du Pont after a granular formulation of the fungicide was found to contaminated with the herbicide atrazine.
    Subsequent lawsuits have claimed Benlate was tainted with sulfonylurea herbicides. In upholding this allegation, Judge Robert Elliot of Georgia found Du Pont guilty of withholding relevant data.
    Du Pont, which denied that Benlate has ever been contaminated with sulfonylureas, attacked the judge’s handling of the case and said it would appeal.

Financial Times 23/8/95.

Unethical advert
Hextar Chemicals of Malaysia has been criticised by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) over an advert in a national newspaper for offering gifts as an inducement to buy its herbicide products. Readers of the 20 July 1995 issue of The Star were offered a free T-shirt for every purchase of a 20 litre can of Supremo or Select both containing the herbicide glyphosate. A free towel was given away with every 4 litre can of the same product. CAP consider the company has failed to comply with Malaysian guidelines covering pesticide adverts which state that the brand name of the pesticide should not be on the items offered as free gifts, nor should such promotions be advertised on electronic media or mass circulation newspapers.

Utusan Konsumer, Mid August 1995. 

Rats control pests
People in Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, are training young rats to catch cockroaches that are infesting the town. The rats, which are sold for $1.50 in the local market, are also trained to drive away mice and other rats from homes.

Associated Press, 31/8/95.