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AGRICULTURE REPORT - Restrictions1 on Methyl Bromide
By Mario Ritter
Broadcast: Tuesday, March 16, 2004
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
Graphic2 Image
Some chemicals are very good at killing3 insects and plants that cause trouble. But the trouble with these chemicals is they can also harm people and the environment. This was the case with the pesticide4 D.D.T. It is now banned in some countries. But others still use it. Another example involves the widely used pesticide methyl bromide.
In nineteen-eighty-seven, nations met to discuss evidence of a decrease in the level of ozone5 in the atmosphere. Ozone helps protect against skin cancer from the sun. Negotiators met in Montreal. They developed the first part of an agreement called the Montreal Protocol6 on Substances that Deplete7 the Ozone Layer. This treaty sets out steps to protect the ozone in the atmosphere.
In nineteen-ninety-two, methyl bromide joined the list of chemicals to ban. Developed countries agreed to end the use of methyl bromide by two-thousand-five. Developing nations have ten more years.
The Bush administration says it will seek permission for some uses of methyl bromide at least until two-thousand-six. The administration says no replacement8 can be found for some farm uses. Other nations are also expected to seek special permission.
One-hundred-eighty-three nations have signed the treaty. The United States Congress amended9 federal pollution laws in nineteen-ninety-five. It did so to meet the requirements of the Montreal Protocol. Since then, the Department of Agriculture has supported programs to find a pesticide to replace methyl bromide.
But its Agricultural Research Service says there is no one chemical or method that can do the job. One of the main problems is that methyl bromide is used on more than one-hundred crops and products. It goes on as a gas in a process called fumigation10. The gas works quickly. It is able to kill worms, insects, harmful plants -- many different kinds of organisms. But this poison also affects the nervous system in people and is carried into the atmosphere.
The Montreal Protocol permits countries to continue to use some banned chemicals if they must. Nations that signed the agreement have organized a meeting this month in Montreal to discuss the methyl bromide issue.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.
1 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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2 graphic | |
adj.生动的,形象的,绘画的,文字的,图表的 | |
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3 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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4 pesticide | |
n.杀虫剂,农药 | |
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5 ozone | |
n.臭氧,新鲜空气 | |
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6 protocol | |
n.议定书,草约,会谈记录,外交礼节 | |
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7 deplete | |
v.弄空,排除,减轻,减少...体液,放去...的血 | |
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8 replacement | |
n.取代,替换,交换;替代品,代用品 | |
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9 Amended | |
adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词 | |
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10 fumigation | |
n.烟熏,熏蒸;忿恨 | |
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