EPA Rules Against Bayer´s Fenthion

18jan01 CBG (Coordination against BAYER-dangers)*

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded that currently approved uses of fenthion, an organophosphate pesticide, pose unreasonable risks to human health and the environment. EPA said it would seek public comment of what measures should be taken to lessen risks posed by the pesticide, which is primarily used in Florida to combat mosquitoes. Fenthion is very highly toxic to birds and highly toxic to marine invertebrates. Its use has been implicated in several bird kill incidents, including recent bird kills on Marco Island, Florida, which are currently under investigation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

"There is reason for the EPA to be concerned about fenthion," said Carey Pope, a toxicologist who worked for the Defense Department. "It tends to hang in longer than other pesticides." Linda Farley from the American Bird Conservancy states that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife report documents the deaths of at least 16 species of birds caused by fenthion, including the Piping Plover.

Fenthion can also cause cholinesterase inhibition in humans; that is, it can overstimulate the nervous system causing nausea, dizziness, and at high exposures respiratory paralysis and death. EPA toxicologist William Boyes is reviewing a Japanese study that found a high rate of myopia (nearsightedness) in people exposed to fenthion. Another study, by fenthion manufacturer Bayer Corporation, indicates that rats that were given high doses of fenthion over a period of two years had eye problems as well. "A conservative approach is what is toxic to animals is hurtful to humans," Boyes said.

Bayer Corporation of Kansas City, Mo., maintains the pesticide is safe when used in accordance with label instructions. Bayer has said the pesticide does not pose a threat to birds or other wildlife when it is used properly. Organophosphates made by Bayer include azinphos-methyl, fenamiphos, isofenphos, tribufos and fenthion.

EPA said its decision is "interim" because the agency still must assess the cumulative risks of multiple organophosphate pesticides. After that assessment - which could be completed this year - additional risk mitigation measures may be required on organophosphates that share a common mechanism of toxicity, EPA said.

Sources: Chemical Market Reporter, American Birding Conservancy, Article by Laura Linden (San Francisco)

* Bayer Corporation forced us to stop our homepage www.Bayerwatch.org (see below). Please change your link to our new site: www.CBGnetwork.org  Our group will not be allowed to bear the name Bayerwatch. We have to use our German name CBG (Coordination against BAYER-dangers). Please change our name in your publications because we will be fined for using "Bayerwatch". 

Thank you for your cooperation,  CBG

BAYER attacks critical coverage
The Leverkusen-based company, Bayer AG, has forced the Coordination against BAYER-Dangers (Coordination gegen BAYER-Gefahren e.V. or CBG) to remove their homepage from the Internet by threatening them with heavy court costs. The CBG had registered a domain and had oriented the name to be similar to other group names such as Germanwatch, AOLwatch, and Human Rights Watch. Bayer has taken legal action to apparently avoid confusion - despite the homepage's unequivocally critical orientation. 

The company also forced the group to cancel the related trademark by threatening them with a second court case. The CBG had already successfully registered the aforementioned name with the Munich Patent Office. Bayer has assessed the amount of the controversies to be 250,000 DM (115.000 US$) each, which would have led to the CBG having to pay over 100,000 DM in court costs. The honorary association therefore had no other choice but to concede by canceling the trademark and homepage. 

The Patent Office's copyright investigation had reviewed whether there was any danger of confusion as a result of the copyrighted trademark and had determined that there was none. Bayer's arguments are ignoring a recent court decision that declared that a domain name cannot be viewed separately from the contents of a homepage. 

Axel Köhler-Schnura had the following to say about the issue: "Bayer's behavior in this issue, which is clearly directed towards the network's economic ruin as well as towards me personally is clearly an attack on democratic principles and freedom of opinion. The company is obviously afraid of a public discussion and has instead chosen repression and the devastating power of money". According to Köhler-Schnura, the association does not want to waste its energy on legal hair-splitting on letters, but instead chooses to continue to publicize the company's role in causing environmental damage, maintaining worker exploitation and endangering human health throughout the world.  

The Bayer Group's attempts to prohibit the CBG from criticizing the company on the Internet have failed. You can now find all of the network's information and publications (including English newsletter Keycode Bayer) at www.cbgnetwork.org. However, the proceedings have already used up an exorbitant amount of money, which could threaten the group's existence. The CBG is therefore urgently asking for financial backing against the expensive legal attacks. Please show your support and  transfer money to the following German bank account: 

Ökobank, account number 17 96 12, bank routing number (BLZ) 500 901 00 

In addition, the CBG is asking associated groups to stage protests against this attack at the Bayer headquarters. 

An initial attempt by Bayer to silence the group was rejected by the Bundesverfassungsgericht (German Federal Constitutional Court) in 1992. The CBG has been campaigning against the questionable practices of Bayer's international operations for over 20 years.