EPA Puts Limits on 3 Pesticides to Protect Salmon

The Environmental Protection Agency is placing new limits on three pesticides common on farms and orchards to protect endangered and threatened Pacific salmon. The limits announced Friday apply to the use of three chemicals - chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion - in Washington, California, Oregon and Idaho. Federal biologists say the chemicals interfere with salmon's sense of smell, making it harder for them to find food and avoid predators. The EPA is requiring buffer zones and limits on the pesticide use in certain wind, soil and weather conditions. The new EPA restrictions stem from recommendations made by federal biologists, under a lawsuit brought by anti-pesticide groups. AP