Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Pubdate: 20 June 1998 Section: Sec. 1, Contact: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/ Author: New York Times News Service COLOMBIA AGREES TO USE RISKY HERBICIDE ON COCA BOGOTA, Colombia -- Bowing to demands from Washington, the Colombian government has agreed to test a granular herbicide to kill coca crops, despite public warnings from the chemical's American manufacturer against its use in Colombia. In the U.S., tebuthiuron is used mostly to control weeds on railroad beds and under high-voltage lines far away from food crops and people. The Environmental Protection Agency requires a warning label on the chemical that says it could contaminate ground water, a side effect Colombian environmental officials fear could prevent peasants from growing food where coca once grew. U.S. officials have decided to concentrate more heavily on treating illegal drug crops with chemicals, particularly in parts of southern Colombia under the control of leftist guerrillas. Those guerrillas have fired on aircraft attempting to spray herbicides on coca crops, but tebuthiuron can be dropped instead of sprayed. American and Colombian police officials say that a granular herbicide will be more effective in the battle to control drugs. For four years, they have used a liquid toxin, glifosate, that has destroyed only 30 percent of the plants sprayed. Despite the effort, the amount of coca in Colombia has yet to decline because eradication has prompted farmers to move and plant coca elsewhere. American and Colombian authorities also contend that tebuthiuron offers greater protection from gunfire for pilots, who must now fly low to fumigate in the early morning, when winds are calm and temperatures are lower. Tebuthiuron pellets can be dropped from higher altitudes in virtually any weather, making pilots less vulnerable to gunfire, officials said. Washington has lobbied Andean governments to accept tebuthiuron for more than a decade, even though the manufacturer, Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., strongly opposes its use in Colombia. "Tebuthiuron is not labeled for use on any crops in Colombia, and it is our desire that the product not be used for coca eradication as well," the company said. Tebuthiuron granules, sold commercially as Spike 20P, should be used "carefully and in controlled situations," Dow cautioned, because "it can be very risky in situations where terrain has slopes, rainfall is significant, desirable plants are nearby and application is made under less than ideal circumstances." The warning is a rough description of conditions in Colombia's coca-growing regions. - --- Checked-by: (trikydik)