The Environmental Protection Agency recently attempted to pull one of the chemical company Bayer’s insecticides from the marketplace. The EPA expressed concerns that that the chemical could harm organisms in streams and ponds. Now,reports Reuters, the German company is fighting back. Bayer is asking for an administrative hearing from the EPA's Office of General Counsel to review the case.
The substance at issue is called of flubendiamide, and it’s the active ingredient in Bayer's Belt pesticide. The EPA said it has “concluded that continued use of the product will result in unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.”
Bayer's own tests have found the pesticide to be toxic in high doses to invertebrates in river and pond sediment. These organisms can be an important food source for fish. However, the company says doses near agricultural fields never reach high enough levels to be toxic. The EPA disagrees.