Farmers in China have been overusing aldicarb, an illegal and highly toxic pesticide to grow ginger for years on end, adding yet another concern to the country’s growing list of food scandals. They have been using 3 to 6 times the recommended dosage. The pesticide is not approved for use on ginger in China. Aldicarb can cause health problems especially if it gets in the water supply.
One farmer interviewed by on Chinese television said she was aware of aldicarb’s toxicity and did not use it on ginger that her family ate. Another said he had been using aldicarb for more than 20 years since it was first introduced to the market. In 2012 cucumbers laced with the pesticide reportedly poisoned 13 people to death..
The pesticide is marketed in the United States under the trade name Temikand is manufactured by Bayer CropScience. It is considered the most toxic insecticide used on field crops. In 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency and Bayer agreed to a compete ban on aldicarb use by 2018. New risk assessments conducted by the EPA found aldicarb no longer met food safety standards and had posed "unacceptable dietary risks", especially to infants and young children.
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