Comment submitted by C. Sanders

As a wildlife supporter, I am writing to applaud the Environmental Protection Agency's recent move to ban residue of the toxic pesticide carbofuran on domestic or imported food, which will effectively remove this deadly chemical from the U.S. market. This is a bold, admirable move that will help wildlife, families and workers all over the world. Carbofuran poses unacceptable risks to public health -- especially the health of young children -- by contaminating our food and drinking water. It can also cause irreversible nervous and reproductive system damage to people who work with crops that have been treated with this pesticide. A million pounds of carbofuran are applied each year in the U.S., affecting less than 1 percent of the nation's farm lands, but the pesticide is commonly applied in developing countries that export rice, bananas, sugar cane and coffee. Clearly, this decision could have a dramatic ripple effect in the international community. Banning carbofuran residues on food sold to the U.S. will give developing countries a powerful incentive to find safer alternatives as well. I am aware that the FMC Corporation, the sole manufacturer of carbofuran in the U.S., has been fighting your decision to cancel the registration of this pesticide and will challenge your recent decision to revoke tolerances for food residues. I urge you to stand strong and thank you for continuing to take aggressive action to eradicate toxic chemicals like carbofuran from the world market. Thank you for considering my views on this urgent issue.