Uniroyal Says It Will Halt Sale of Alar

Uniroyal Chemical Co. today announced it will voluntarily halt the sale of the fruit-ripening agent Alar due to widespread public concern over the chemical’s safety.

However, the company maintained that the product, used to enhance color and promote the shelf life of apples, is safe and “it has been used safely for 20 years and with great benefit to American consumers. There is no scientifically valid reason to stop using it.”

The announcement comes four months after the Environmental Protection Agency said it would move to ban the chemical because laboratory animal studies had linked it with the development of tumors.

Despite that finding, the EPA said it would not use its emergency powers to immediately suspend use of the chemical but would follow its usual administrative process for withdrawing a pesticide, which can take as long as 18 months.

Only Minute Traces

EPA officials contend that while Alar poses a significant cancer risk over a lifetime, it presents no short-term health threat because there are only minute traces of the chemical in apples and apple products.

Environmental groups challenged that conclusion and urged EPA to take it off the market immediately.

In announcing Alar’s withdrawal, James Wiley, vice president of Uniroyal’s crop protection division, said the chemical “has become the focus of a needless controversy that is causing doubt and confusion about the safety of America’s food supply--a needless controversy that is hurting the apple industry and the American public.”

“There is no justification for a fear campaign against food. Let the fear stop here,” he said.

Last month, the apple-growing industry, citing a sharp drop in sales due to concern about Alar, announced that it will eliminate use of the chemical by September.