U.S. ANTI-COCA SPRAY FOUND TOXIC TO EYES

The Chemical Is Used To Fight Colombia's Cocaine Trade. A More Benign
Formula Is On The Way.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S.-supplied chemicals used to eradicate coca plants
in Colombia have the potential for "acute eye toxicity," according to a
government report released yesterday.

It said the State Department plans to switch to a less toxic formulation as
soon as it can be manufactured and delivered.

The report was issued in response to a congressional requirement that the
government make a determination on the U.S.-led eradication program's
safety for humans and the environment.

The report included contributions from the State Department, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Agriculture Department.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D., Vt.) has questioned the safety of the aerial
spraying program, which is intended to curb cocaine exports to the United
States and to deny revenue to illegal armed groups that profit from the
drug trade.

Private watchdog groups also have expressed concern about the safety of the
program. Some people living in areas where spraying occurs have said the
activity has produced health problems. The Colombian government has found
no evidence to support such assertions.

The report contains an Aug. 14 letter to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
from Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, who defended glyphosate, the
main herbicide used in spraying.

Veneman wrote that glyphosate "poses minimal health risks to humans and
animals, is environmentally benign, and degrades rapidly in soil and water."

But a "memorandum of justification" contained in the report says that an
inert ingredient in the glyphosate formulation used in Colombia carries the
potential for acute eye toxicity.

It said that an EPA report concludes that the risks of eye damage are
limited to the "handlers and mixers of the concentrated formula as opposed
to the general public."

The EPA report said a test sponsored by the State Department determined
that the spray mixture had a "category three" toxicity level, based on an
EPA scale of one through four, with one being the most toxic.

A new formulation with lower potential for acute toxicity was recently
approved for use in Colombia.

The report said the State Department expected to place an order for the
product early this month.