ban endosulfan..human life has to be sustainable

1. Endosulfan is an immediate danger to the health of humans, wild and aquatic life.
2. Endosulfan is a threat to the environment.
3. Endosulfan is a persistent problem that has long-term effects on hormones, the immune system and reproduction of both humans and wildlife.

What is endosulfan?

Endosulfan is used primarily to kill insects and mites on crops including tea, coffee, cotton, fruits, vegetables, soya, rice and grains. Applied to cotton grown in 28 countries, endosulfan is one of the most widely-used cotton pesticides. In India, home to the world’s largest cotton farming community, over 3,000 tonnes is applied to crops annually. 

Why is it a problem?

Endosulfan is acutely toxic and is readily absorbed by the stomach and lungs, and through the skin. Symptoms of acute exposure include central nervous system disorders such as dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. In extreme cases, death can result. The chemical has been linked to dozens of accidental deaths in the USA, Colombia, Benin, India, Malaysia, Sudan and the Philippines. Endosulfan may be the most important source of fatal poisoning in West Africa’s cotton farmers. In Benin’s Borgou province, endosulfan poisoning caused many deaths during the 1999/2000 cotton season. Official records state that at least 37 people died and a further 36 became seriously ill, although an independent report estimated that nearly 70 people actually lost their lives.
Long term exposure to endosulfan has been linked to damage to kidneys, liver and developing foetuses. Scientific studies by the US EPA have led to endosulfan being cited “as a potential endocrine [hormone] disruptor.” This means that the chemical has the potential to interfere with normal hormone production and activity. Implications of this may include disruption of development, and promotion of certain types of cancer.
In Kerala, India, endosulfan has been linked to hundreds if deaths and disorders among cashew nut plantation workers and villagers. Aerial spraying over many years has led to shockingly high levels of endosulfan residues detected in blood and breast milk, and cancers and disorders of the reproductive and central nervous systems are very common.
“No other reasonable cause can explain the illnesses experienced by the people, except endosulfan” Romeo Quijano, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of the Philippines.
Endosulfan has harmful effects on aquatic systems and is highly toxic to fish, bees, birds and other wildlife. The effects can be swift and devastating. Farmers in Benin have observed frogs and birds dying after they eat insects in fields sprayed with endosulfan. Mass deaths of fish have been documented in five continents after endosulfan has run-off fields into streams and rivers.