Bye-bye Alar.

Bye-bye Alar

Uniroyal Chemical Co. announced last week it would end U.S. sales of daminozide (Alar) for use on food products. While contending the chemical is safe, the Middlebury, Conn.-based company -- sole maker of the controversial plant-growth regulator--agreed to voluntarily ban U.S. sales pending the Environmental Protection Agency's decision on whether to permanently prohibit the pesticide's use (SN: 5/20/89, p.311).

EPA initially asked Uniroyal on Feb. 1 to stop marketing the pesticide, citing new animal data suggesting metabolites of the compound may cause cancer. Uniroyal ignored EPA's entreaties until early May, says EPA spokesman Al Heier. By then, public outcry over the chemical's use on apples had grown to a resounding roar, fueled by new reports on its threat to children and prevalence in apple juice (SN: 3/4/89, p.133; 3/11/89, p.155).