EPA Proposal Would Ban Pesticide Used on Food, Packaging

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to implement a “phased-down withdrawal” of the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride. The fumigant apparently breaks down into fluoride and is used to control insects in stored grains, dried fruits, tree nuts, coffee and cocoa beans, and in food handling and processing facilities.

After reevaluating current science on fluoride, EPA concluded that “although sulfuryl fluoride residues in food contribute only a very small portion of total exposure to fluoride, when combined with other fluoride exposure pathways, including drinking water and toothpaste,” its legal residue limits on food no longer satisfy the safety standard under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Proposing to phase out the pesticide over a three-year period, EPA will accept comments for 90 days after publication in the Federal Register. See EPA Press Release, January 10, 2011.