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It has been a long time the endosulphan is playing the role of a newsmaker. Definitely, ENDOSULPHAN is more famous; may be more than the Indian prime minister. Still it is  being a horror that many pa rts of India is supporting endosulphan, despite seeing it’s harmful effects a small district,Kasaragod, in Kerala.Definitely, this has prompted me wright an article on this perspective. WHAT IS ENDOSULPHAN Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide. This colourless solid has emerged as a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity,  potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor. Banned in more than 63 countries, including the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, and other Asian and West African nations, and being phased out in the United States, Brazil and Canada. It is still used extensively in many other countries including India and China. It is  produced by Bayer CropScience, Makhteshim Agan, and Government-of-India–owned Hindustan Insecticides Limited among others. (source-wikipedia) USES OF ENDOSULPHAN Endosulfan has been used in agriculture around the world to control insect pests including whiteflys, aphids, leafhoppers, Colorado potato beetles and cabbage worms. Because of its unique mode of action, it is useful in resistance management; however,  because it is non-specific, it can n egatively impact populations of beneficial insects. It is, however, considered to be moderately toxic to honey bees, and it is less toxic to bees than organophosphate insecticides. (source-wikipedia) HISTORY Early 1950s: Endosulfan was developed. 1954: Hoechst AG (now Bayer CropScience) won USDA approval for the use of endosulfan in the United States. 2000: Home and garden use in the United States was terminated by agreement with the EPA. 2002: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended that endosulfan registration should be cancelled, and the EPA determined that endosulfan residues on food and in water pose unacceptable risks. The agency allowed endosulfan to stay on the US market,  but imposed restrictions on its agricultural uses. 2007: International steps were taken to restrict the use and trade of endosulfan. It is recommended for inclusion in the Ro tterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent, and the European Union proposed inclusion in the list of chemicals banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Such inclusion would ban all use and manufacture of endosulfan globally. Meanwhile, the Canadian government announced that endosulfan was under consideration for phase-out, and Bayer CropScience voluntarily pulled its endosulfan products from the U.S. market but continues to sell the products elsewhere. 2008: In February, environmental, consumer, and farm labor groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Organic Consumers Association, and the United Farm

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It has been a long time the endosulphan is playing the role of a newsmaker. Definitely,

ENDOSULPHAN is more famous; may be more than the Indian prime minister. Still it is

 being a horror that many parts of India is supporting endosulphan, despite seeing it’sharmful effects a small district,Kasaragod, in Kerala.Definitely, this has prompted me

wright an article on this perspective.

WHAT IS ENDOSULPHAN

Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide. This colourlesssolid has emerged as a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity,

 potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor. Banned in more than

63 countries, including the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, and other Asianand West African nations, and being phased out in the United States, Brazil and Canada.

It is still used extensively in many other countries including India and China. It is

 produced by Bayer CropScience, Makhteshim Agan, and Government-of-India–ownedHindustan Insecticides Limited among others.

(source-wikipedia)

USES OF ENDOSULPHAN

Endosulfan has been used in agriculture around the world to control insect pestsincluding whiteflys, aphids, leafhoppers, Colorado potato beetles and cabbage worms.

Because of its unique mode of action, it is useful in resistance management; however,

 because it is non-specific, it can negatively impact populations of beneficial insects. It is,however, considered to be moderately toxic to honey bees, and it is less toxic to bees than

organophosphate insecticides.

(source-wikipedia)

HISTORY

Early 1950s: Endosulfan was developed.1954: Hoechst AG (now Bayer CropScience) won USDA approval for the use of 

endosulfan in the United States.

2000: Home and garden use in the United States was terminated by agreement with theEPA.

2002: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended that endosulfan registration

should be cancelled, and the EPA determined that endosulfan residues on food and inwater pose unacceptable risks. The agency allowed endosulfan to stay on the US market,

 but imposed restrictions on its agricultural uses.

2007: International steps were taken to restrict the use and trade of endosulfan. It isrecommended for inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent, and

the European Union proposed inclusion in the list of chemicals banned under the

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Such inclusion would ban alluse and manufacture of endosulfan globally. Meanwhile, the Canadian government

announced that endosulfan was under consideration for phase-out, and Bayer 

CropScience voluntarily pulled its endosulfan products from the U.S. market but

continues to sell the products elsewhere.2008: In February, environmental, consumer, and farm labor groups including the Natural

Resources Defense Council, Organic Consumers Association, and the United Farm

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Workers called on the U.S. EPA to ban endosulfan. In May, coalitions of scientists,

environmental groups, and arctic tribes asked the EPA to cancel endosulfan, and in July a

coalition of environmental and workers groups filed a lawsuit against the EPAchallenging its 2002 decision to not ban it. In October, the Review Committee of the

Stockholm Convention moved endosulfan along in the procedure for listing under the

treaty,while India blocked its addition to the Rotterdam Convention.2009: The Stockholm Convention’s Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee

(POPRC) agreed that endosulfan is a persistent organic pollutant and that “global action

is warranted”, setting the stage of a global ban. New Zealand banned endosulfan.2010: The POPRC nominated endosulfan to be added to the Stockholm Convention at the

Conference of Parties (COP) in April 2011, which would result in a global ban.The EPA

announced that the registration of endosulfan in the U.S. will be cancelled and that it is in

negotiations with Makhteshim Agan of North America to phase the organochlorineout.Australia banned the use of the chemical.

(source-wikipedia)

HEALTH EFFECTS

The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations has concluded that long-termintake of residues of endosulfan from uses that have been considered by the JMPR is

unlikely to present a public health concern. Endosulfan is one of the most toxic pesticides

on the market today, responsible for many fatal pesticide poisoning incidents around theworld. Endosulfan is also a xenoestrogen—a synthetic substance that imitates or 

enhances the effect of estrogens—and it can act as an endocrine disruptor, causing

reproductive and developmental damage in both animals and humans. Whether 

endosulfan can cause cancer is debated.

Toxicity

Endosulfan is acutely neurotoxic to both insects and mammals, including humans. The

US EPA classifies it as Category I: “Highly Acutely Toxic” based on a LD50 value of 30

mg/kg for female rats, while the World Health Organization classifies it as Class II“Moderately Hazardous” based on a rat LD50 of 80 mg/kg. It is a GABA-gated chloride

channel antagonist, and a Ca2+, Mg2+ ATPase inhibitor. Both of these enzymes are

involved in the transfer of nerve impulses. Symptoms of acute poisoning includehyperactivity, tremors, convulsions, lack of coordination, staggering, difficulty breathing,

nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, unconsciousness. Doses as low as 35

mg/kg have been documented to cause death in humans, and many cases of sub-lethal

 poisoning have resulted in permanent brain damage. Farm workers with chronicendosulfan exposure are at risk of rashes and skin irritation.

EPA’s acute reference dose for dietary exposure to endosulfan is 0.015 mg/kg for adults

and 0.0015 mg/kg for children. For chronic dietary expsoure, the EPA references dosesare 0.006 mg/(kg·day) and 0.0006 mg/(kg·day) for adults and children, respectively.

Endocrine disruption

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Theo Colborn, an expert on endocrine disruption, lists endosulfan as a known endocrine

disruptor, and both the EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

consider endosulfan to be a potential endocrine disruptor. Numerous in vitro studies havedocumented its potential to disrupt hormones and animal studies have demonstrated its

reproductive and developmental toxicity, especially among males. A number of studies

have documented that it acts as an anti-androgen in animals. Environmentally relevantdoses of endosulfan equal to the EPA’s safe dose of 0.006 mg/kg/day have been found to

affect gene expression in female rats similarly to the effects of estrogen. It is not known

whether endosulfan is a human teratogen (an agent that causes birth defects), though ithas significant teratogenic effects in laboratory rats. A 2009 assessment concluded that

endocrine disruption occurs only at endosulfan doses that cause neurotoxicity.

Reproductive and developmental effects

Several studies have documented that endosulfan can also affect human development.

Researchers studying children from an isolated village in Kasargod Ditrict, Kerala, India

have linked endosulfan exposure to delays in sexual maturity among boys. Endosulfanwas the only pesticide applied to cashew plantations in the hills above the village for 20

years and had contaminated the village environment. The researchers compared thevillagers to a control group of boys from a demographically similar village that lacked a

history of endosulfan pollution. Relative to the control group, the exposed boys had high

levels of endosulfan in their bodies, lower levels of testosterone, and delays in reachingsexual maturity. Birth defects of the male reproductive system including cryptorchidism

were also more prevalent in the study group. The researchers concluded that “our study

results suggest that endosulfan exposure in male children may delay sexual maturity and

interfere with sex hormone synthesis.” Increased incidences of cryptorchidism have beenobserved in other studies of endosulfan exposed populations.

A 2007 study by the California Department of Public Health found that women who livednear farm fields sprayed with endosulfan and the related organochloride pesticide dicofolduring the first eight weeks of pregnancy are several times more likely to give birth to

children with autism. This is the first study to look for an association between endosulfan

and autism, and additional study is needed to confirm the connection.A 2009 assessment concluded that epidemiology and rodent studies that suggest male

reproductive and autism effects are open to other interpretations, and that developmental

or reproductive toxicity occurs only at endosulfan doses that cause neurotoxicity.

Endosulfan and cancer 

Endosulfan is not listed as known, probable, or possible carcinogen by the EPA, IARC,or other agencies. There are no epidemiological studies linking exposure to endosulfan

specifically to cancer in humans, but in vitro assays have shown that endosulfan can

 promote proliferation of human breast cancer cells. Evidence of cancinogenicity inanimals is mixed.

Environmental fate

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Endosulfan breaks down into endosulfan sulfate and endosulfan diol, both of which,

according to the EPA, have “structures similar to the parent compound and are also of 

toxicological concern…The estimated half-lives for the combined toxic residues(endosulfan plus endosulfan sulfate) [range] from roughly 9 months to 6 years.” The EPA

concluded that, “[b]ased on environmental fate laboratory studies, terrestrial field

dissipation studies, available models, monitoring studies, and published literature, it can be concluded that endosulfan is a very persistent chemical which may stay in the

environment for lengthy periods of time, particularly in acid media.” The EPA also

concluded that “[e]ndosulfan has relatively high potential to bioaccumulate in fish.” It isalso toxic to amphibians: low levels have been found to kill tadpoles.

Endosulfan is subject to long range atmospheric transport, i.e. it can travel long distances

from where it is used. For example, a 2008 report by the National Park Service found that

endosulfan commonly contaminates air, water, plants and fish of national parks in theU.S. Most of these parks are far from areas where endosulfan is used. Endosulfan has

also been detected in dust from the Sahara Desert collected in the Caribbean after being

 blown across the Atlantic Ocean.In 2009, the committee of scientific experts of the

Stockholm Convention concluded that “endosulfan is likely, as a result of long rangeenvironmental transport, to lead to significant adverse human health and environmental

effects such that global action is warranted.”(source-wikipedia)

WHAT HAPPENED IN KASARAGOD

May I show some of the pictures of the victims of endosulphan, which helps you to

understand how deadly it is.

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These are only some of the pictures, I could find. There are more pictures of the same and

can be found on google image search.

Endosulphan is a life hiller as these images clearly states. The problem of endosulphan

was known to public, when the people of Muliyar, a small panchayath in Kasaragoddistrict, has started protesting against the same. Due to it’s harmful effects, The Kerala

High Court has banned the same for a period of 10 years, in2002. Due to this only, manycountries in the world has banned endosulphan. Today there is being a convention going

on in Geneva for disscussing endosulphan related issues and for banning endosulphan. It

can be considered as a victory for the people of Muliyar. But the central Government hastaken a decision to support endosulphan.

The decision taken by the central government was so worse and it indirectly tells the

 people of kasaragod to die simply just because of endosulphan. Even if the Indian

government supports endosulphan, the entire people is against it. This can be proved by

the hunger strike conducted by the kerala cheif minister, V S Achuthanandan, on 25-04-2011 at Thiruvananthapuram.. Anyone viewing videos of the same can understand how

much people has come to participate in the same and it will count more than tens of athousand. On the same day, protest against the same was conducted on all the 14 district

head quarters of the state. Many unreported protests were also conducted. And those

reading this article can imagine how much the people of kerala participated for the same.It may count trillions or more.

Still, the Indian government is taking an action which can support the company making

endosulphan only. If something is making more harmful than it’s beneficial side, then it

must be considered harmful. Here, endosulphan cannot be considered just harmful, but

deadly. It is very much understood for the central goverment. Many studies wereconducted by kerala government and state government and concluded that the essence of 

endosulphan is still there in the farms, where endosulphan was sprayed. The interesting

fact is that the use endosulphan was gradually reduced from 1965 and by 1980, it’s usehas been minimized by the people themselves and by 2002, endosulphan isbanned by the

government. Still, the new born babies in the endosulphan victim areas is still having

 physical and metal problems. Look, how much it affects. Kasargod is neither anHiroshima or Nagasaki nor America has attacked there, still the problem is just like an

nuclear bomb.

This is not a picture not only of Muliyar, but of 11 panchayaths of Kerala. Cases of 

endosulphan were also reported from some areas of Kannur and Wayanad of Kerala. Itwas heard that some areas of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are also experiencing problems

due to endosulphan.

I am writing this article to show my strong protest against the indian government for 

taking the decision to go against the ban of endosulfan in the Geneva conference. Maythis be read by someone over the conference and may they will get the clear picture that

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the people of endosulphan victim areas and people of kerala is not with the central

government and they still want to ban endosulphan.

Ban ENDOSULPHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ndosulfan is insecticide and India is an important producer and exporter of endosulfan.

Some 60 countries including the 27 EU members States and 21 in Africa, have favoured banning the endosulfan.

US and the EU have banned endosulfan. It is not approved to be used in rice fields in

several other countries. The use is severely restricted in others.

The Stockholm Convention, to which India is a signatory, requires parties to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment. While a POP Review Committee of the

Convention agreed on categorising endosulfan as a POP, a final decision would,

however, be in the hands of a Conference of Parties.

The agitation against endosulfan has now reached a feverish pitch in India with the Chief Minister of Kerala going to the extent of resorting to a day long fast, demanding that the

Government Of India should ban the use of endosulfan all over the country immediately.

The linkage between endosulfan and human miseries had come to the surface for the first

time in Kerala state in India in the 1980s, when several cases of ailments and deaths werereported in the Kasargod district. .A few years back, the National Institute of 

Occupational Health (NIOH) had presented a report to the Government of India linking

endosulfan to the prevalence of health disorders.

While there have been huge concern about the use of endosulfan in India amongstenvironmentalists,. Indian pesticide industry have opposed listing of endosulfan as a

Persistant Organic Pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention.

Perhaps, the argument of Indian pesticide industry is that endosulfan has been under usefor several decades in India and not many accidents have been reported. Obviously, the

 problems is due to the indiscriminate spraying of endosulfan without following the

stipulated standards by the innocent farmers and failure of pesticide industry to instruct

and guide the farmers suitably.

The Government of India should follow the stand taken by several countries includingthose in European Union and ban the use of endosulfan in India, particularly in the

 present conditions, when the pesticide industry and the government agencies are unable

to restrict the use of endosulfan within the prescribed standards. There are other  pesticides which can be used to substitute for endosulfan and Indian pest control efforts

will not come to a halt with the ban on use of endosulfan.

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Of course, the industries producing endosulfan in India would suffer. That is the price

that they have to pay for the environmental concer 

Yesterday [25 April] Kerala witnessed a large scale protest that cut across political parties of various hues. It was a protest against the use of a pesticide called Endosulfan.

Endosulfan is one of the cheapest pesticides used in horticulture crops. The activists whodemand the ban of the pesticide claim that “Endosulfan is a neuro-toxin, a carcinogen and

an endocrine disruptor.” Malayalam TV channels show regularly the pictures of manyvictims who have been severely affected by the use of the pesticide in their localities.

The pictures are heart-rending; but not enough to move the hearts or brains of our 

 political leaders, it seems. Dr Manmohan Singh and his ministers like Jairam Ramesh arewaiting for more reports of casualties! The pesticide is already banned in Kerala.

Jairam Ramesh is of the opinion that there are lobbies working actively both for and

against the pesticide and he does not want to fall prey to any lobby. He wants to study

the effects of the pesticide scientifically before banning its use in the country. I would

like to believe Ramesh is honest.

The simple fact is that Endosulfan is banned in more than 63 countries, including the

European Union, Australia and New Zealand, and other Asian and West African nations,

as well as the United States of America. Why should India wait for more proof, onewonders.

Today’s Business Standard reports that “Endosulfan formulators and manufacturers in

India allege that the move to ban its use is a conspiracy by the EU and US to push in their 

costly products in India, as Indian companies manufacture and sell almost 70 per cent of the global production of Endosulfan. The remaining 30 per cent is shared between

Brazilian and Israel-based companies.” Business Standard goes on to quote PradeepDave, president, Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India: “Thetruth is that the original manufacturer of Endosulfan, a German company, has not

supported its new registration because it had a competing high priced product ready. Due

to this, many European countries had stopped the use of Endosulfan. But there is no ban,as is being claimed. This is a conspiracy by multinational crop protection companies to

 push their costly products in India by the raising the bogey of health concerns.”

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One litre of Endosulfan is priced at Rs 286, while its alternatives are priced between Rs

2,000 and Rs 13,000 a litre, according to Business Standard.

So, the games are for pushing costlier pesticides and not for promoting the well-being of the people or the environment! Or, are countries like India trying to give cheap pesticides

to their farmers? But what will be the long term impact of the cheap pesticide on thehealth of the people and that of the environment?

How many centuries more should we wait for a human civilisation to bloom, acivilisation that will care for the welfare of all the creatures on the earth rather than that

of a few policy makers whose concerns revolve round their bank balances?

Is India too joining those self-aggrandising policy makers? The Hindu reports [26 April]

that “India is seeking a postponement of the decision on a global ban on Endosulfan tothe next meeting of the conference of the parties to the Stockholm Convention in 2013.”

India want to promote the interests of certain parties for one more year – but whose? The

 people’s or the industrialists’?

As the world watches, India takes a stand against the ban on Endosulfan proposed atthePersistent Organic Pollutants' Review Committee of the Stockholm Convention in

Geneva. This is despite the requests from the Kerala government to ban the killing

 pesticide, that has left about 15 villages of its Kasaragod district on the doorstep of death.Reasons laid by India before the Committee include the fact that Endosulfan has not been

"proved" to be the cause of the disaster in Kerala.

Aren't the faces of the dying kids, the cries of the deformed newborns, the pleading

voices of a billion reason enough to ban the pesticide?! Wherein lies the senses of our 

leaders! Can they not hear the struggles of men who fell victim to the sustained use of 

endosulfan, and the consequences of the malicious "bio-weapon"?

There are many young minds working to help the victims make their two ends meet.

They have dedicated their lives to the consolation of these kids and their parents. Willtheir work have no meaning in the eyes of the feudal lords who say no to the ban? Surely

what has happened cannot be erased, unless from our minds. But we can, rather we must,

learn from our past mistakes, and rectify them for the betterment of our futuregenerations.

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All of us must be aware about the pressing need to banEndosulfan, and thus, in our own ways, try and oppose the stand our country has taken at

an international level, which is totally unacceptable in the court of human justice,

especially when there are people 'midst us, who have suffered the pangs of the deadlyEndosulfan!

Just a few weeks ago, amidst the heat and the dust generated by the World Cup tamasha,

a 72 year old ex-army jawan; a school drop out hailing from a poor family inAhmednagar district in Maharashtra became the toast of the country. Our headlines

hungry media pounced upon this man's crusade for probity in public life, and overnight,

Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare, aka Anna Hazare, was heralded as the New Messiah, asort of Hercules come to clean the Augean stables of Indian sleaze and corruption.

Our media mavens were not slow to realize that the World Cup fever was evanescent,

and that the heroics of Dhoni and his men in blue could be written about only thus far.They needed new grist for the mill, something that could guarantee headlines and TRPs

during the coming weeks. Hazare fit the bill perfectly. So they went to town on this one.

And how !

Here was a situation that was resonated with today's generation - Munnabhai at Jantar 

Mantar, with Page 3 fashionistas in attendance. At last, (whew !) India's own Tahrir Square. What more could journos hope for? Added to this was the mandatory and rapidly

growing presence of the people's movement on social media. The Support Anna Hazare

Against Corruption page on Facebook, quickly garnered almost 2 lakhs members, and

Twitter was abuzz with tweets. Even our Bollywood diva Piggy Chops, that queen of Indian twitters, added her "leee'l bit of support" for the fasting crusader with her tweet:

"what's remarkable is the uprising of the youth of the country in support of Anna Hazare.

I pledge my support to this cause." There, even the Queen Bee had thrown in her weight behind the aging warrior. Could one ask for more?

Also, the questions that Anna Hazare was raising were headline grabbing. A lone mantaking on the political might of the UPA machinery in a fight against corruption made for 

sexy copy and tantalizing sound bytes. Particularly, in a nation that was reeling and

roiling under the impact of a slew of scams. In a "season of extraordinaryrevelations," the time was ripe for reporting a new revolution. 3 G, Raja, Tata and the

Radia tapes were, frankly, getting a bit tedious. And the Commonwealth Games scam and

the Shunglu report were passe. We all knew where that one is headed for.

And so the media re-discovered and feted Anna Hazare. He became the face of India's

fight against corruption. Through his organization, the Bhrastachar Virodhi Jan Andolan

(People's Movement Against Corruption), he became a new age Gandhi who was using

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the age old tool of hunger strikes against his favorite targets - politicians. Our 

hysterical TV channels ensured that Hazare's fast at the Jantar Mantar quickly became

the stuff of legend. Here was a classic standoff between the all powerful Government andthe vox-pop as represented by a solitary, frail individual who was threatening to fast to

death. Who would blink first, was the question.

And as anticipated, it was the Government that blinked by agreeing to Hazare's demand

for a joint committe to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill. And as soon as that happened, the mood

changed. The very media that had been lionizing Hazare, begain to question hisantecedents and his motives. Sly headlines lampooning the Anna Hazare Show and the

Anna Carnival began appearing in the national media.

Was it morally and ethically proper to blackmail a ruling government ? Why did he praise Narendra Modi of all people? Is he a closet knicker wallah? Does he have a hidden

agenda co-terminous with the communal tendencies of the Hindu Right ? Is he a

supporter of Raj Thackeray? Would his authoritarian approach to social problems result

in the creation of a Lokpal (Ombudsman) who would undermine the existing judicialsystem? Would the proposed Lokpal end up as a "super monster?" How to make sure

the Cure isn't worse than the Disease ?

In addition, the Empire also decided to strike back. Congress General Secretary Digvijay

SIngh himself led the shouting brigade that launched a malicious smear campaign

against the leaders of the anti-corruption movement. The appearance of a mysterious CDthat cast aspersions on the credentials of the public figures who had associated

themselves with the pro Lokpal Bill movement muddied the waters further. There were

widely publicized reports of dissensions amongst the five representatives of civil societyin the proposed Committee entrusted with drafting the bill, with some of them threatening

to quit.

All these attempts at derailing Anna Hazare's campaign may prove futile in the long run.

Of course, any intelligent Indian is aware of the fact that there is a lot of ground that

needs to be covered before the Jan Lokpal Bill becomes a reality. It is equally simplisticto believe that the anti-corruption movement, in its current form, would be the panacea

for all our social and political ills. Also, the initial mass hysteria created by Hazare needs

to be counter balanced by legislative and constitutional sanction and prudence before

anything productive can come out of it. However, one cannot and should not miss theobvious point that Hazare, single handedly, has managed to unite the nation in a

common cause. What he has succeeded in doing is to open up a national debate on a

subject of utmost importance.. For once, all the constituencies with vested interests in thematter - polticians, bureaucrats, law makers, and the aam admi - seem to have been

finally forced to acknowledge the need for probity in public life as a matter of natural

right, and the might of the citizens of the land to insist upon legislation to enforce such aright. As Hazare said, "my fast was not with any prejudice against any government or an

individual, but against corruption which has burdened the common man."

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So, spare us the sophistry and the snide remarks, please. The least we can do is to

support

After a long and herculean struggle, the people of Kasaragod district succeeded in

getting the Kerala government to ban the deadly pesticide Endosulfan. In the meantime,400 lives have been lost according to government figures, hundreds have been maimed

and a much greater number are bedridden.

So imagine our surprise when we recently found that the Union Ministry of Agriculture

appointed yet another fact-finding committee to establish the link between Endosulfan

and mass ill-health in Kasaragod.

Even more shocking to us was the holding of a conference in Delhi just weeks agosponsored by a pesticide manufacturer. The conference was inaugurated by the President

of India and presided over by the Union Agriculture Minister as chief guest.

Do you need a better example than this to understand with whom the sympathies of our 

 political leaders actually lie?

Here is the true story of Endosulfan and our agony.

Reality and denial: In 2001, when we realized there was a link between Endosulfan and

mass ill-health in our district we approached the agriculture minister in the Left-led

 Nayanar government in Kerala, the late Krishnan Kaniyamparambil.

We showed him an album full of tragic pictures of victims. Our simple request to him

was to stop the spraying of Endosulfan over cashew plantations.

He replied: “In this matter there is no scientific body more superior in the whole world

than the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) in Kasaragod. They say

Endosulfan is absolutely harmless. I can't believe you. If you have a memorandum, giveit and go.”

It took another 10 years, thousands of lives and the painful display of immobile children

on camera to make the political leadership melt. Thanks to the very active Kerala media

and the state's Chief Minister, VS Achyutanandan's sympathetic attitude, the cry to banthe deadly pesticide gained momentum. Of course, Assembly elections were also around

the corner.

In its magnitude, the Kasaragod Endosulfan tragedy is next only to the Bhopal Gas

Tragedy. Like Bhopal it has been a continuous saga of suffering by the people and denial by the State.

In 1979, Somaje Mahalinga Bhat, a local farmer invited me to his farm. He had an

unusual problem. All four calves born recently in his cattle shed had deformed limbs. The

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fourth one was just about surviving. Somaje's farm adjoins the cashew plantations of the

Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK). His cows used to drink water from a nearby tank 

and graze in the hills. Endosulfan was being sprayed here aerially.

After studying all the details, I approached two veterinary doctors. They suspected that

the pesticide Endosulfan had something to do with the condition of Somaje's calves.

Endosulfan was sprayed very negligently. I wrote a feature story titled, ‘Life cheaper 

than cashew,' for an English periodical. I also published stories in Kannada andMalayalam. Years later, Somaje Mahalinga Bhat succumbed to cancer. And 30 years

after that, my district has 8,000 suspected Endosulfan victims. Hundreds are bedridden,

many more seriously ill. They have lost the ability to earn their livelihood.

In 1979, it didn't occur to me that the inborn deformities of cattle might show up inhuman beings too. If a mass alert had been initiated then could we have reduced the

damage? I doubt it. The pesticide lobby's nexus with the powers that be is very strong. To

convince people about the ‘inside truth' of poisons is a Herculean task!

For nearly 25 years Kasarogod received 60 to 70 showers of ‘poison rain.' No other region in the world has endured that. The question being asked is: “Why only in

Kasaragod?” The Plantation Corporation of Kerala, a public sector company, has flouted

every precautionary measure stipulated by the insecticide rules of the Government of India.

Despite very serious health complaints, the corporation never cared to check onsite. Their 

only argument was about the ‘well being' of their own labourers. Now media reports

inform us of a very high rate of disease and death among their own labourers.

Flood of committees: Starting with the Dr Banerjee committee in 1991, three other committees clearly warned that use of Endosulfan near rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea

would pollute their waters. They recommended putting this warning in the certificate of 

registration as a condition. They said it should also be placed on labels and leaflets in thecontainers. Both warnings were totally ignored.

For aerial spraying of pesticides, permission from the Central Bureau of Insecticides

(CBI) is necessary. But the CBI states it hasn't given permission to any agency for aerial

spraying after 1992. Therefore, aerial spraying done after 1993 is illegal and punishable.Though the Plantation Corporation pretends to be innocent, it can't escape the

responsibility of this genocide.

In fact, the Endosulfan tragedy is an act of genocide by many state agencies – the

indifferent agriculture department of Kerala, the district collectors who gave permissionwithout checking precautionary measures, the pesticide company, the CBI which comes

under the Union Agriculture Ministry and failed to act against the Plantation Corporation

 – all have blood on their hands. None of them took action to protect public health.

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Instead we have had one committee after another visiting Kasaragod.

According to media reports 17 fact -finding committees have come here. We have lost

count! Ironically, except for the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH)committee, the rest reached their conclusion after just one flying visit. There was no

thorough investigation, no blood, water and soil analyses! Just one sitting at Kasaragodwas deemed sufficient. Interestingly, many ‘experts' who vouched that Endosulfan is

safe, refused to drink water from our area.

Dr Shripathy Kajampady, my fellow activist, often jokes: “We can even tolerate

Endosulfan but not these committees.” Couldn't this huge sum of money have been spent

on the poor victims? How many times will our mothers have to give their breast milk for 

testing? When will this saga of ‘recommending for a thorough study' end? We fear thecommittees because in the past we have seen quite a few pesticide industry agents

arriving here in the guise of experts.

The NIOH committee concluded that: “The most probable cause for the health problemscould be relatively high and continued exposures to Endosulfan.”

And the Dr P K Sivaraman Committee stated: “Since the committee couldn't find any

other reason that could explain the health hazards in the area, this may be attributed to

aerial spraying of Endosulfan.”

No awareness: Even today, agriculture and medical students graduate withoutknowledge about pesticide abuse and the ill-effects of dangerous pesticides. Even so

called experts are ignorant about chronic poisoning. We were surprised to come across a

few leading doctors who believed that ‘thorough washing' will clear vegetables of all

 pesticide residues. They weren't aware of systemic insecticides at all.

Go to any state in India, everybody, including agriculture graduates call poisons as

‘medicine.' This is a classic example of the discreet brainwash done by pesticide

companies.

Sixty-three countries have already banned Endosulfan. The Kasaragod tragedy was alsoresponsible for the Endosulfan ban in Cambodia. But for many people in power, “there is

no conclusive proof to accuse Endosulfan.” The fact that 400 people have already died as

 per government records, that humans and animals have been deformed, were not reasonenough to call for a ban.

If you have a child who has been reduced to a cabbage, a relative with deformed limbs,

would you act so mercilessly? Would you speak in an inhuman way and say that you

require more proof to keep a deadly pesticide away?

We, the residents of the ill-fated area of Kasaragod, have just one question. If there is

doubt about this tragedy whom will you give the benefit of the doubt to? Would you

choose the scores of suffering people or the pesticide industries?

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You don't need an expert to answer that question. If anyone with common sense and an

open mind visits a dozen families in the affected area, he or she will have a ready answer 

Frequently Propagated MYTHS About Endosulfan

Myth 1: Endosulfan is a highly hazardous pesticide

TRUTH: WHO classifies Endosulfan under Class II (Moderately hazardous). Other 

 pesticides that belong the same class include Copper Sulphate, Deltamethrin,Cypermethrin, Imidachlorpid, Propoxur, Permethrin etc.

World Health Organization (WHO) classifies pesticides into the following categories based on their intrinsic hazard.

What is Endosulfan?

Endosulfan is a non systemic insecticide with acaricidal properties that has been in

commercial use for over 50 years. It is recommended and used for control of insects, pests and mites on fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, spices, flowers, forage crops and nonfood crops such as cotton & tobacco. In addition to it’s agricultural use, Endosulfan has

recently been allowed in USA (since year 2006) as a veterinary insecticide -- to be used

as ear tag in both lactating and beef cattle for control of ecto-parasites.

Current global usage of Endosulfan is estimated to be in the range of 35 million litres – 

 bringing it the position of top five generic ‘off-patent’ agricultural insecticides in the

world. Countries such as China, India, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Canada,Mexico, Israel, Nigeria and Sudan which account for more than 50% of world's arable

area -- relay on Endosulfan for protecting their agriculture produce.

Addressing world population needs for food grains and optimize existing farms – contain

arable land and conserve forests – we need effective use of our natural resources to strike

this balance. Knowledge sharing and implementation of integrated crop management isnecessary. Routine crop care includes pest management and this is imperative for 

maintaining the quality of farm produce. However, lack of knowledge with regards to

usage and the applications has created a lot of confusion amongst people in general. The

literature that has been published against Endosulfan lacks truth. Numerous storiesrelated to Endosulfan which found origin in Kerala are not true. Other regions such as

Punjab, Gujarat or Maharashtra in India or countries as such as USA, China, Australia,

 Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico have used Endosulfan without any reports of ill

effects. Endosulfan has been in use for over 50 years and as agriculturists we understandthe properties of this pesticide. Based on studies conducted on Endosulfan and experience

of half a decade we have arrived at some strong facts which are listed here.

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Myth 2: Endosulfan is banned across the world

TRUTH: Endosulfan is currently sprayed in crop fields across China, India, USA, Brazil,Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Sudan, Israel and Nigeria etc. These countries

have more than 50% of world's arable land. It must be mentioned that use of a particular 

 pesticide in a country / region is crop & pest specific. Presence or absence of target crop / pest often make the difference between registration and de-registration of pesticides. No pesticide is registered / used universally in all the countries around the world. This is

applicable to traditional as well as latest pesticide compounds. For example, recently

introduced pesticide compounds such as Imidaclorpid and other neo-necotinoids havealready been banned / restricted in several countries. Endosulfan, with an estimated

consumption of 35 Million liters, ranks among the top 5 generic insecticides in the world.

Myth 3: Endosulfan is a typical Organochlorine Pesticide

TRUTH: Endosulfan is not a typical Organochlorine pesticide. In fact in 1988, WHO

reclassified Endosulfan as "sulfurous ester of a chlorinated cyclic diol". In the hand book 

of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the ChemicalAbstracts (CA), Endosulfan is designated as a dioxathiepin.

Unlike conventional organochlorine pesticides, Endosulfan, neither persists for long nor significantly bio-accumulates in human beings and animals.

Myth 4: Endosulfan persists for long in the environment

TRUTH: In a study conducted by T.S. Kathpal of Haryana Agricultural University, India – it was found that dissipation of Endosulfan occurred in the soil to an extent of 92-97%

in the first four weeks following the application (Pesticide Science, 1997, 50 21-27)

Endosulfan does not persist for long in the environment. In tropical and subtropicalenvironment degradation of Endosulfan is rather faster. It is degraded by the following

 process.

Classification

Class

I a

: Extremely hazardous

Class

I b

: Highly hazardous

Class

II

: Moderately hazardous

Class

III

: Slightly hazardous

• Consumption by soil micro-organisms

• Chemical breakdown in reaction to sunlight(Photolysis)

• Chemical reaction with water (Hydrolysis)

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Myth 5: Endosulfan bioaccumulates in Human & Animal bodies

TRUTH: One significant property of Endosulfan is that it quickly leaves the body anddoes not bio-accumulate. As recently as 2006, WHO had observed "Endosulfan and

Endosulfan Sulfate do not bio-accumulate in organisms due to the extensive metabolism

with enzymatic hydrolysis of Endosulfan and Endosulfan Sulfate forming more polar metabolites. 

Myth 6: Exposure to Endosulfan causes cancer

TRUTH: Endosulfan is not a carcinogen (cancer causing agent). International Agencyfor Research on Cancer (IARC, a body of WHO) does not classify Endosulfan to be a

carcinogen. United States - Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) also supports

this conclusion. Several other research publications also confirm this.

Myth 7: Exposure to Endosulfan causes birth defects

TRUTH: Evaluations by WHO / FAO / JMPR, 1998 on Endosulfan have placed on

record that “no genotoxic activity was observed in an adequate battery of tests for mutagenecity and clastogenecity.” Birth defects are triggered by substances that have

following characteristics:

Myth 8: Endosulfan causes hormone imbalance

TRUTH: WHO / FAO / JMPR, 1998 had categorically stated that there was no evidence

to estrogenic activity involving Endosulfan. Besides, US- EPA, in the year 2007,concluded that Endosulfan is not an anti-androgen, i.e. it does not affect sperm

 production, sperm count, motility etc

 

Myth 9: Endosulfan exposure killed and maimed many people in the state of Kerala,

India

TRUTH: Further to the reports that surfaced about mal effects of Endosulfan in Kerala -

investigations have revealed that the incidents were particularly generated and propagated

 by Center for Science & Environment (CSE), an environmental NGO that receives heavyfunds from Europe. As per CSE's claims -- alarming levels of Endosulfan was found in

 blood samples of people. It was a scientific fraud hatched by CSE. The team at CSE

alleged that an activist - Dr. Mohan Kumar's blood sample had shown Endosulfanresidues to the level of 119 ppm -- it is scientifically impossible as 0.86 ppm of 

Endosulfan residues in blood can prove very fatal. Mohan Kumar continues to live

healthy life. When an explanation was demanded to support their theory and prove their case the CSE was silent.

Mutagenic : A substance capable of introducing changes in cells.

Genotoxic : A substance capable of damaging DNA of an organism.

Clastogenic : A substance that can cause break in chromosomes resulting is loss or gain

or rearrangement of chromosomal segments.

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Still dependent on traditional farming practices, countries like India and China must

evaluate how a move to ban Endosulfan by the Stockholm Convention will augur for 

them, especially when it has no substitutes

This week will see a milestone in the journey of the debated pesticide Endosulfan, the use

and benefits of which have been argued the world over. The Stockholm Convention isnow estimated to seal the fate of the active ingredient used globally for more than half a

century. The premise of this ban will be the persistence of Endosulfan in theenvironment. It is being enlisted as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) although the

World Health Organization classifies Endosulfan as ‘moderately hazardous.’ This

development is estimated to ensure its global eradication. Developing nations withsimilar stakes in the outcome of the Convention for agriculture, such as China and India

silently mull what the future will holds for them in the absence of Endosulfan.

A group of 172 nations will partake in this decision, even as a fraction of them are

significant users of Endosulfan, or benefit from it at all. Of the 60 countries to have

 banned the pesticide, 27 are EU members. Nations that have been indirectly compelled to ban the pesticide include among others, 21 African countries that depend heavily on

European exports. Recent global news reports have suggested that the move to enlistEndosulfan as a POP at the Convention is only a legal offensive in eliminating its global

use for replacement with patented substitutes. But if this assertion is considered far-

fetched and dismissed, the issue that still needs considerable thought is what farmers indeveloping nations like India and China will use as alternatives in light of such a ban.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has stated that Endosulfan ‘poses unacceptable

risks to agricultural workers and wildlife’ and has linked the pesticide to cancer and long-

term impact on the immune and reproductive systems. Countering this view, the

Shanghai Daily reported that Mr. Chen Zongmao, a professor at Tea Research Instituteand Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences states that extensive soil residue tests

 performed by them found no problems at all. In India, these results have been

corroborated by several government committees, such as those led by Mr. OP Dubey, CDMayee and Dr. Achyutan, among numerous independent studies. China has benefited

from Endosulfan’s use on cotton since 1994, as well as on wheat, tea, tobacco and apples,

among other fruits since 1998.

In China, Endosulfan is sold for the extremely affordable price of 25–32 yuan (USD

3.84–4.91) per litre. As per Mr. Li Maoqing, a quality control director at Jiangsu Anpon

Electrochemical Co Ltd, a ban on the pesticide could therefore hurt Chinese cultivators to

the tune of almost 100 million yuan (USD 15 million) per year. Since analysis in Europeand America have been conducted on Endosulfan’s effects on birds, rabbits and fish, their 

assessment is impractical for China where it is used largely on crops like tea which are

not exported. In the past, several tests have already suggested that Endosulfan degradesmuch faster in tropical climates; but this scientific truth has been omitted from common

knowledge on the issue.

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Endosulfan has been manufactured, used and exported by Europe for 55 years and has

since caught on in developing economies such as India, China, Argentina and Brazil due

to its precise pest control relevance in these climates. In fact, Italy consented toEndosulfan use during a pest attack on their hazelnut crops in 2008 due to lack of an

appropriate alternative pesticide to tackle the problem. China’s Tea Research Institute

and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences is already looking at developing itsalternatives for the tea industry. But Mr. Li asserted that such a product is projected to be

five times costlier than Endosulfan.

If health and ecology were really prime concerns for the ban of Endosulfan, it is strange

that suggested alternatives are harsher. Neonicotinoids, which are blamed for causingmassive honeybee deaths and degrading the natural ecological balance, are among the

substitutes suggested for Endosulfan. Alternatives could be found in organic farming, but

its only drawback lies in scalability of use when it comes to feed billions. Withinadequate replacements in place, developing countries like China, India and Argentina

must now decide whether the risk from Endosulfan can outweigh the risks of food

shortage and additional cost burdens on farming

Vested interests in demanding ban on endosulfan: PMFAI  We observed this update from Press Trust of India (PTI) today on Wednesday, December 

22, 2010. Voice of Keralam has been a staunch supporter of farmers and workers in

  India. The recent Endosulfan controversy and public calls to ban Endosulfan, an

immensely useful insecticide did not go down well with us, after we looked into the real

scientific facts and data. This story validates that Voice of Keralam is the true voice of 

the people of God's own country. We will continue to watch development on Endosulfan

as they unfold and ensure that the truth is presented in its originality from all sides, to

give cut through the noise and bring you the reality.

New Delhi: Domestic pesticide makers today said that the demand for banning

endosulfan pesticide in India is being driven by vested interests of Multinational firms.

"The demand for banning Endosulfan in India, is motivated by the vested interest of 

European pesticide makers, who are interested in promoting their patented products in the

country," Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI)

President Pradeep Dave told reporters here.

European companies, which have vested business interests are lobbying for imposing an

international ban on endosulfan as the ban would create a market for their products in the

third world countries, he said.

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 Endosulfan Workers oppose ban.

 Endosulfan is being used for the last 50

 years

in India with no negative health effects.

The replacement pesticide will be at least 

10 times costlier than Endosulfan.

Dave added that endosulfan is being used in the country for the last 50 years and there

has been no such scientific records available, which indicate that the use of this chemical

has resulted into serious health hazards of any kind.

International Stewardship Centre, an NGO working for chemical industry, said that

replacing endosulfan with any other chemical would be at least 10 times costlier for the

Indian farmers.

"A litre of endosulfan costs Rs 250 to Indian farmers whereas any chemical manufactured

by multinational would cost more than Rs 2,500 per litre thus making the use of 

pesticides 10 times costlier," International Stewardship Centre Chairman R Hariharan

said.

He said that India is the largest producer, user and exporter of endosulfan. The total

market in India for the pesticide is around USD 60 million and the country exports

around another USD 40 million worth endosulfan.