2004-3-15
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture
Report.
Some chemicals are very good at
killing insects and plants that cause trouble. But the trouble with
these chemicals is they can also harm people and the environment.
This was the case with the pesticide D.D.T. It is now banned in some
countries. But others still use it. Another example involves the
widely used pesticide methyl bromide.
In nineteen-eighty-seven, nations met to discuss evidence of a
decrease in the level of ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone helps
protect against skin cancer from the sun. Negotiators met in
Montreal. They developed the first part of an agreement called the
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This
treaty sets out steps to protect the ozone in the atmosphere.
In nineteen-ninety-two, methyl bromide joined the list of
chemicals to ban. Developed countries agreed to end the use of
methyl bromide by two-thousand-five. Developing nations have ten
more years.
The Bush administration says it will seek permission for some
uses of methyl bromide at least until two-thousand-six. The
administration says no replacement can be found for some farm uses.
Other nations are also expected to seek special permission.
One-hundred-eighty-three nations have signed the treaty. The
United States Congress amended federal pollution laws in
nineteen-ninety-five. It did so to meet the requirements of the
Montreal Protocol. Since then, the Department of Agriculture has
supported programs to find a pesticide to replace methyl bromide.
But its Agricultural Research Service says there is no one
chemical or method that can do the job. One of the main problems is
that methyl bromide is used on more than one-hundred crops and
products. It goes on as a gas in a process called fumigation. The
gas works quickly. It is able to kill worms, insects, harmful plants
-- many different kinds of organisms. But this poison also affects
the nervous system in people and is carried into the atmosphere.
The Montreal Protocol permits countries to continue to use some
banned chemicals if they must. Nations that signed the agreement
have organized a meeting this month in Montreal to discuss the
methyl bromide issue.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario
Ritter. This is Steve Ember.