On 27 Mar 2004 15:20:54 GMT, (Clanorchid) wrote:

Just a historical note and update re Jones and Scully. Benlate, not Benomyl,
got them first.

Here's some more info from the Dupont website. The problem was with
the dry-flowable form of Benlate, the active ingredient of which is
benomyl. Some batches were contaminate with the herbicide atrazine.

deg

"Before its production ceased in 2001, Benlate® had long been one of
the company’s most successful fungicides and was registered worldwide
for many crops. The active ingredient in Benlate®, benomyl, was first
synthesized by DuPont research Hein L. Klopping in July 1959. Benlate®
was introduced in 1970 in a wettable powder form made at the Belle,
West Virginia, plant. In 1987 DuPont introduced an alternative,
dry-flowable form (Benlate® 50 DF) that was recalled in 1989 and 1991
due to the presence of the herbicide atrazine in some lots. The
recalls generated hundreds of claims, and growers and their lawyers
began blaming Benlate® 50 DF (even product free of atrazine) for a
wide range of plant problems. DuPont initially paid many claims to
maintain good customer relations, and at the same time initiated the
most intensive investigation in the history of U.S. agriculture to
determine whether Benlate® 50 DF could cause plant damage. When the
testing could not duplicate the claimed plant injuries, the company
declined to pay any further claims. "