Brazilian state prohibits use of sulfluramid

The Environmental Protection State Foundation has denied registration to insecticides that contain the sulfluramid as an active ingredient in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. 

The decision of the State Committee of Analysis of Agrotoxic Registration (Diagro) determines that these products can no longer be sold in that territory of the extreme south of the country and the companies will have 120 days to collect the stocks.

In its justification for the rejection of the registration, the government body said that the exposition of the sulfluramid to humans “is associated with a higher incidence of bladder cancer and greater risks of neoplasms in the male reproductive system and gastrointestinal treatment.”

“In the natural environment, sulfluramid degrades to perfluorooctane sulfonate, a substance that presents characteristics of high toxicity, persistence, the capacity of transportation to long distances and bioaccumulation. Some scenarios of environmental exposition result in risks to fish, birds, and mammals, presenting adverse effects on sub-chronic exposition (monkey mortality) and reproductive toxicity (mortality on puppy rates) and effects of acute toxicity (fishes and crustaceans),” said Diagro.