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HEALTH : Curbs Urged on EBDC Pesticides

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<i> From Times Wire Services</i>

The Environmental Protection Agency today called for sharp curbs on the widely used EBDC family of pesticides, proposing that the chemical no longer be applied to 42 crops including apples and tomatoes because of concerns about cancer.

The proposed regulation, which would not become final until early 1991, would allow the continued use of the EBDC fungicides on 10 crops including grapes, onion and cranberries.

The EPA said the use of the EBDCs--known as maneb, mancozeb and metiram--on the remaining 10 crops “do not present an unreasonable risk.” The agency estimated the maximum risk of someone getting cancer from a lifetime of exposure at 3 in 1 million. With the chemical’s current widespread use that risk is 4 in 10,000, it said.

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