The insecticide Taosong may cause fetal nerve damage, which has been banned by the United States; Taiwan has warned that rice, vegetables, and fruits are banned.

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A few days ago, a US court banned Taosong, and related studies have repeatedly pointed out that Taosong may cause fetal nerve damage. On the 21st, the Prevention and Inspection Bureau of the Council of Agriculture held a pesticide technical consultative council, which decided to restrict the use of Taosong and ban it in rice and vegetables, as well as citrus, litchi, longan, peach, plum, plum, pear, apple, loquat, persimmon, jujube and other crops with large food intake. It is expected that in early September, after a 60-day public comment period, views from all parties will be collected and a final decision will be made.

The insecticide Taosong was used in a large amount, and the prevention and inspection bureau decided to restrict the use.

Taosong is a highly used pesticide in China, with a consumption of 535.1 metric tons in 2016, accounting for 19% of all pesticides (in terms of effective components), and ranking sixth in sales of all pesticides. Considering the exposure risk of Chinese Taosong, the Prevention and Inspection Bureau lowered the daily allowable intake (ADI) of Taosong from 0.01mg (0.01mg mg/kg bw/day) per kilogram of body weight to 0.003 mg at the end of August last year.

Zou Huijuan, deputy director of the Prevention and Inspection Bureau, pointed out that after lowering the ADI to 0.003 mg, Chinese Taosong's food intake was reassessed, and the data showed that it had exceeded the regulatory limit, so it was discussed to delete crops that were approved for use in larger intake. "yesterday, experts from diseases, pests, pesticides, and toxicology held a meeting and reached a consensus to limit the use of Taosong, so as to reduce the risk of food intake in the Chinese people."

Rice, vegetables and many fruits are banned.

Delete the larger food-consuming crops in the approved scope of use, including rice, vegetables, and fruits such as citrus, litchi, longan, peach, plum, plum, pear, apple, loquat, persimmon and jujube. Taosong shall not be used on these crops after it is passed in the future.

However, other crops such as coffee and tea trees are often eaten by Chinese people, so why can't they be banned directly? Zou Huijuan explains that the first wave is to abolish crops with large food intake, and then risk assessments will continue to be made for other crops, such as coffee and tea trees. After the decision to lower the ADI last year, pesticides collected relevant information and listed crop types with large food intake, pesticide monitoring data, and so on, before deciding to restrict the use of these crops. "alternative agents must be considered and cannot be completely banned yet."

"it is only the first step to revise the ADI tolerance and delete crops with large food intake for approval." Zou stressed that individual risks will then be estimated for different age groups, such as for children aged 0 to 3 and 3 to 6. If the risk is too high, will you consider banning it completely? "it is not possible to make a presupposition yet. it depends on the results of the follow-up assessment and scientific reports, and the Prevention and Inspection Bureau will continue to adjust the norms."

Taosong is also an environmental drug, and Chinese people still have the risk of exposure.

However, Taosong is an organophosphorus agent with contact, respiratory and stomach toxicity. It is a widely effective insecticidal and acaricidal agent, as well as neurotoxicity to mammals. In addition to agriculture used in hundreds of crops, it is also widely used to exterminate cockroaches, termites and mosquitoes. Even if the Prevention and Inspection Bureau decides to restrict the use of Tosson, if the use of environmental drugs is not regulated, the Chinese people will still be exposed to the risk of Tosson.

Zou Huijuan pointed out that although farmers try their best to reduce the use of Taosong and strengthen drug management, environmental drug use must also be improved. With regard to this part, we have continued to communicate and discuss with the Poisons and Chemical substances Bureau of the Environmental Protection Department. "We have made the EPD aware of agricultural control methods and provided us with a reference for managing our operations."

The Bureau of Prevention and Inspection first worked out the restricted crops of Taosong, and after 60 days' notice, the interested parties were consulted. Zou said that after the confirmation is passed, the Ministry of Health and Fuzhou will appropriately adjust the food residue allowance.

Will there be a wave of hoarding? Prevention and Inspection Bureau: you can't use it even if it's hoarded.

As soon as the news of the limited use of this wave comes out, does it cause farmers to hoard goods? What are the supporting measures of the Prevention and Inspection Bureau? Zou Huijuan responded that farmers who are now in use will step up efforts not to hoard goods, just like paraquat, which will be banned next year. "you can't use paraquat when you hoard it. If you find it in violation of the law, you should deal with it in accordance with the law, and if you buy more paraquat, you have to send it back to the pesticide dealer."

Zeng Dezhi, an honorary distinguished professor in the Department of Plant Diseases at Chung Hsing University, points out that Taosong has been on the market for more than 50 years, and there are many low-toxic, environmentally friendly and safe agents that can replace it in the cultivation of food crops. Taosong is a kind of heterocyclic derivative with benzene ring in its molecular structure. the products after metabolic decomposition are many, and some of them are not even clear, so it is difficult to trace and detect. He advises, "try not to use food crops, and sensitive groups such as pregnant women should never touch them." The application in agriculture must be very cautious.

Zeng Dezhi believes that pesticide risks should be comprehensive, including the safety of users and consumers, as well as the assurance of growers' quality and output. To evaluate, it is necessary to grasp the exact flow data, otherwise the estimation of Chinese ADI is just a guess. "without these data, how can we get close to the actual ADI? The most important thing is to know where it is used and how much it is used before you can further assess the risk. " It is urged that the professional prescription system for botanists should be implemented as soon as possible, so that professional physicians can shoulder this responsibility.

Pesticide consumption in Taiwan has reached a 17-year high! The US court ordered Garrette to pay sky-high compensation and ban Taosong for the protection of babies. Will Taiwan follow suit?

Monsanto deliberately concealed the cancer risk of Garrette for 40 years. The court awarded NT $9 billion in the Johnson & Johnson case, and 4, 000 Americans waited to go to court.

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