Fipronil is banned for use on crops in the EU, China, Vietnam and California
A senate hearing has been told fipronil, which is used to kill fire ants, can remain in the environment for up to three years.A senate hearing has been told fipronil, which is used to kill fire ants, can remain in the environment for up to three years.and the varroa mite in Australia is banned in Europe and harmful to humans – and it is poisoning waterways and killing native fauna, experts warn.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup She also said a review of fipronil by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority had begun in 2002 and was yet to be completed. “Fipronil is very, very long lived so will keep poisoning the ecosystem as it moves about. It can blow on the wind, and move in water,” he said.
It is highly toxic to birds and there is a lack of data regarding its effects on amphibians, mammals, arthropods, reptiles – and humans. Australia was “a basket case” in that the chemical regulator answers to the department of agriculture, rather than to the department of health, as in Japan, the US and Europe, said Landos.