Peru bans methyl parathion at last

In October 2000 Peru’s Plant Protection Directorate decided to ban three pesticides, methyl and ethyl parathion and dinitro-orthocresol, on the grounds of the extremely high hazards they pose for human health. The authorities considered the environmental risks of methyl parathion for aquatic invertebrates, birds and bees and the breakdown product of ethyl parathion which is toxic to fish and bees and also highly phytotoxic.
    On 9 October 2000 the Agriculture Ministry issued a decree totally prohibiting the registration, import, local formulation, distribution and sale of these active ingredients and cancelled all use of the methyl parathion products Selinon and Folidol. Folidol is the product responsible for the highest number of deaths due to accidental poisoning in Peru (see PN46 p3) 
Enlace (Bulletin of PAN Latin America), No. 50, p20.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No.51, March 2001, p7]