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INTRODUCTION
HISTORY
Endosulfan, a highly toxic organochlorine pesticide was sprayed in the cashew plantations in Kasargod District since 1978, till 2001 regularly three times every year. The aerial spraying of Endosulfan was undertaken to contain the menace of the tea mosquito bug.
Endosulfan is a harmful insecticide. It causes several health hazards in human beings. The terrain was unsuitable for aerial spraying considering the relatively high rainfall and its geological structure. Unusual diseases and even deaths were observed in and around the region. Children were found to be the worst affected with congenital anomalies, mental retardation, physical deformities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, hydrocephalus etc. From the mid of 1990’s, the community living near plantations had been complaining against the spraying of Endosulfan.
Today villages in Kasaragod District are complaining from peculiar and complex variety of diseases unprecedented in this part of the country. All these villages lie in the mid-lands and laterite hill area of Kasaragod District, the northernmost district of the Kerala State. None of these diseases were known to the people of the area about two decades ago.
WHAT IS ENDOSULFAN?
Endosulfan is a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide of the cyclodiene subgroup which acts as a contact poison in a wide variety of insects and mites. It can also be used as wood preservative. It is used primarily on food crops like tea, fruits, and vegetables on grains.
Endosulfan is sold as a mixture of two different forms of the same chemical and is cream to brown in color and has the smell of turpentine. It is a highly toxic substance and the WHO classifies Endosulfan in Category II (moderately hazardous) based mainly on the LD 50 value taken from the manufacturer, whereas the US Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as Category 1b (highly hazardous) pesticide. Endosulfan is easily absorbed in the stomach, by the lungs and through the skin
HISTORY
Endosulfan, a highly toxic organochlorine pesticide was sprayed in the cashew plantations in Kasargod District since 1978, till 2001 regularly three times every year. The aerial spraying of Endosulfan was undertaken to contain the menace of the tea mosquito bug.
Endosulfan is a harmful insecticide. It causes several health hazards in human beings. The terrain was unsuitable for aerial spraying considering the relatively high rainfall and its geological structure. Unusual diseases and even deaths were observed in and around the region. Children were found to be the worst affected with congenital anomalies, mental retardation, physical deformities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, hydrocephalus etc. From the mid of 1990’s, the community living near plantations had been complaining against the spraying of Endosulfan.
Today villages in Kasaragod District are complaining from peculiar and complex variety of diseases unprecedented in this part of the country. All these villages lie in the mid-lands and laterite hill area of Kasaragod District, the northernmost district of the Kerala State. None of these diseases were known to the people of the area about two decades ago.
WHAT IS ENDOSULFAN?
Endosulfan is a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide of the cyclodiene subgroup which acts as a contact poison in a wide variety of insects and mites. It can also be used as wood preservative. It is used primarily on food crops like tea, fruits, and vegetables on grains.
Endosulfan is sold as a mixture of two different forms of the same chemical and is cream to brown in color and has the smell of turpentine. It is a highly toxic substance and the WHO classifies Endosulfan in Category II (moderately hazardous) based mainly on the LD 50 value taken from the manufacturer, whereas the US Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as Category 1b (highly hazardous) pesticide. Endosulfan is easily absorbed in the stomach, by the lungs and through the skin