Tainted ginseng nabbed

Asheville Citizen-Times; Asheville, N.C.; Oct 16, 1997;
 

WAUSAU, Wisconsin -- Wisconsin-grown ginseng - an exotic root prized by some for  its medicinal value - may not be as pure as health food store customers expect.

State agriculture officials have recently uncovered widespread use of illegal  pesticides on ginseng in Wisconsin, where about 90 percent of the U.S. ginseng crop is grown. There are 1,500 ginseng growers in the state.

Last month, one grower in Wausau paid $35,000 in fines.  Six other misdemeanor cases of illegal pesticide use are pending in Wisconsin, said Dave Frederickson, director of investigations and compliance for the state  agriculture department.

While agriculture officials slammed the ginseng growers for using the chemicals -  the pesticide lindane and the fungicide PCNB, or pentachloronitrobenzene - they acknowledged that they have no data about the risk to consumers who use ginseng  grown with the illegal chemicals.

"What they were doing rips at the very fabric of pesticide use in this country--ignore the label.  It becomes a game of catch me if you can," Frederickson said.

Credit: From Wire Reports