methyl bromide

[Guest guest]

Under the Montreal Protocol (an international treaty), the developed world

including the US is obligated to eliminate the use of methyl bromide by

January 1, 2005. Methyl bromide, which is widely used on strawberries and

other crops is a neurotoxin and a likely carcinogen, in addition to being

an ozone depleter. Many farmworkers have been injured by this chemical;

consequently farmworkers and their adovactes are looking forward to its

elimination from the marketplace. Unfortunately, it looks like we're going

to have to wait a little longer. (See article below).

Governments Postpone Decision On Methyl Bromide Exemption

Friday, November 14, 2003

Delegates attending a conference at U.N. Environment Program headquarters in

Nairobi decided today to postpone until next year a decision on whether to

grant an exemption under the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that

Deplete the Ozone Layer that would allow methyl bromide use.

Under the terms of the treaty, developed countries had agreed to

progressively eliminate their consumption of methyl bromide by Jan. 1, 2005.

But farmers from some developed countries requested exemptions from the

protocol amounting to 15,000 metric tons for 2005, saying that no feasible

alternatives to the pesticide exist.

" Governments could not find consensus on this complex issue at this week's

meeting, " said UNEP chief Klaus Toepfer. " They felt they needed more time

to find an agreement which balances the interests of farmers and other users

of methyl bromide with international agreements to repair the Earth's

protective shield. "

But Toepfer emphasized that the disagreements demonstrated how seriously

governments consider the Montreal Protocol and its provisions for preserving

the ozone layer.

" The Montreal Protocol has so far been one of the great environmental

success stories, " he said. " Developed countries have already phased out

chlorofluorocarbons, once commonly used in products like fridges and

hairsprays, along with several other chemicals with high ozone-depleting

potential. "

" Consumption of methyl bromide, one of the last key chemicals that needs to

be phased out in developed countries, has also been reduced by 70 percent

since the mid-1990s, " Toepfer added.

The next meeting on methyl bromide will take place in Montreal next March

(UNEP release/Environmental News Network, Nov. 14).