US officials reverse course on pesticide's harm to wildlife
U.S. wildlife officials reversed their previous finding that a widely used and highly toxic pesticide could jeopardize dozens of plants and animals with extinction, after receiving pledges from chemical manufacturers that they will change product labels for malathion so that it’s used more carefully by gardeners, farmers and other consumers.
Federal rules for malathion are under review in response to longstanding concerns that the pesticide used on mosquitoes, grasshoppers and other insects also kills many rare plants and animals. A draft finding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last April said malathion could threaten 78 imperiled species with extinction and cause lesser harm to many more....
Environmentalists who wanted more restrictions on malathion said the proposed label changes would do little to protect species that in some cases have dwindled to very few individuals. They said assuming malathion users will follow the guidelines is unrealistic, and objected to an 18-month timeline for the EPA to put them into effect.
“This is an enormous punt,” said Brett Hartl with the Center for Biological Diversity. “There's not a single endangered species that will see anything change on the ground because of this biological opinion for at least 18 months, but probably never.”
... The species that were found in jeopardy last year included birds such as the Mississippi sandhill crane and various fish, insects, snails and other animals and plants.
U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva criticized the Biden administration for not taking stronger steps to protect endangered species from pesticides. The Arizona Democrat said “theoretical restrictions” on the use of malathion would not help.
“We must stop using malathion as soon as possible,” Grijalva said.
Every year almost a million pounds of malathion are used on crops in California, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Ohio and other states, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Close to 2 million pounds is used every year in home gardens, for mosquito control and other uses, according to data from a 2018 government survey....
Malathion is considered highly toxic to insects, fish and crustaceans. International health officials have said the chemical is probably carcinogenic to humans....