Pesticides Proposed For Trade Watch List

The United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization is recommending that three pesticides and three industrial chemicals be added to a trade “watch list” because they pose an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. The agency is proposing that the pesticides endosulfan and azinphos methyl, and the pesticide formulation Gramoxone Super, be included in the Rotterdam Convention’s prior informed consent procedure for hazardous chemicals in international trade. Three industrial chemicals—perfluorooctane sulfonate and its salts and precursors, pentabromodiphenyl ether commercial mixtures, and octabromodiphenyl ether commercial mixtures—were also recommended for inclusion. The convention does not ban substances, but it does enable member governments to alert each other to potential dangers by exchanging information on hazardous chemicals.