Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2002
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2002 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: George Gedda, Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?208 (Environmental Issues)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Colombia (Colombia)

U.S. ANTI-COCA SPRAY FOUND TOXIC TO EYES

The Chemical Is Used To Fight Colombia's Cocaine Trade. A More Benign 
Formula Is On The Way.

WASHINGTON  (AP) -- U.S.-supplied chemicals used to eradicate coca plants 
in Colombia have the potential for "acute eye toxicity," according to a 
government report released yesterday.

It said the State Department plans to switch to a less toxic formulation as 
soon as it can be manufactured and delivered.

The report was issued in response to a congressional requirement that the 
government make a determination on the U.S.-led eradication program's 
safety for humans and the environment.

The report included contributions from the State Department, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Agriculture Department.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D., Vt.) has questioned the safety of the aerial 
spraying program, which is intended to curb cocaine exports to the United 
States and to deny revenue to illegal armed groups that profit from the 
drug trade.

Private watchdog groups also have expressed concern about the safety of the 
program. Some people living in areas where spraying occurs have said the 
activity has produced health problems. The Colombian government has found 
no evidence to support such assertions.

The report contains an Aug. 14 letter to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell 
from Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, who defended glyphosate, the 
main herbicide used in spraying.

Veneman wrote that glyphosate "poses minimal health risks to humans and 
animals, is environmentally benign, and degrades rapidly in soil and water."

But a "memorandum of justification" contained in the report says that an 
inert ingredient in the glyphosate formulation used in Colombia carries the 
potential for acute eye toxicity.

It said that an EPA report concludes that the risks of eye damage are 
limited to the "handlers and mixers of the concentrated formula as opposed 
to the general public."

The EPA report said a test sponsored by the State Department determined 
that the spray mixture had a "category three" toxicity level, based on an 
EPA scale of one through four, with one being the most toxic.

A new formulation with lower potential for acute toxicity was recently 
approved for use in Colombia.

The report said the State Department expected to place an order for the 
product early this month.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jackl