U.S. PLANS TO FUMIGATE IN COLOMBIA

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department is planning changes in the chemical
mix of a spray used to eradicate coca plants in Colombia because it
contains an ingredient that causes eye irritation.

The plan was made public Thursday in a federal report sought by Congress,
which asked the administration to determine the safety of the eradication
program for humans and the environment.

An examination of the spraying program uncovered no unreasonable risks in
either category, said a senior official who briefed reporters on condition
of anonymity. The report was a collaboration by the State and Agriculture
departments and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Eradication of coca plants in Colombia has been a U.S. goal for more than
two years. The aim is to cut cocaine exports to the United States and deny
financing to illegal armed groups that profit from the drug trade.

They include two leftist rebel groups and a rightist paramilitary organization.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of a Senate panel dealing with spending
on foreign operations, has been concerned about potential hazards of the
fumigation program and is the author of legislative conditions on paying
for it.

On Thursday, Leahy declined to take a stand on the study but noted there
are reports of health problems and food crops destroyed from the fumigation.

"Spraying a toxic chemical over large areas, including where people live
and livestock graze, would not be tolerated in our country," Leahy said.

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

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

But a memorandum in the report says an inert ingredient in the glyphosate
formulation used in Colombia carries the potential for acute eye toxicity,
which can cause temporary discomfort.

The report said the EPA concluded that the risks of eye damage are limited
to the handlers and mixers of the concentrated formula and not the public
at large. A test sponsored by the State Department determined that the
spray mixture had a toxicity level of three on a scale of one to four, with
one being the most toxic.

A new formulation with lower potential for toxicity was recently approved
for use in Colombia. The report said the State Department expects to place
an order for the product early this month.

Some people living in areas where spraying occurs have complained of health
problems from the fumigation but the Colombian government says it has found
no evidence to support such claims.

Colombian officials say the herbicides used by coca growers are more unsafe
than glyphosate, which is widely used in the United States.