Subject: high incidence of diseases in our village, pesticide's 'prasadam'?
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 11:39:31 +0530
From: "Padma Rajagopal" <poumai@eth.net>
dear friends,
This is a mail sent to me by a (pen) friend, a journalist
and environmental activist. In India, there is a legal provision that in case
the govt. finds it necessary, they can spray pesticides anywhere, aerially if
necessary, and recover the costs from local land-owners if they want to! Look
at what has been happening in this man, Shree Padre's village. We all,
everywhere, must start to raise our voices against the use of such toxins. The
dangers don't leave anyone untouched.
THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE
AND IN FACT, ARE NOT EFFECTIVE IN THE LONG TERM AGAINST THE INSECT PESTS THEY
ARE MEANT TO DESTROY!
Insects, because of their huge numbers and fast rate of
multiplication, can produce several generations within a single growing
season. Survivors from a spraying pass on genetic immunities to certain toxins
to their offspring, and then a new poison has to be pressed into use. Most of
these toxins get into the ground-water, into the foods we eat, and kill pest
predators like lizards, frogs, birds. We are destroying ourselves and our
allies in this crazy war. Integrated pest management systems are information
intensive and can control pest attacks by using catch-crops, natural
predators, herbal pesticides, etc. Mixed farming, bio-diversity within the
borders of the farm itself, accomplish more - at low economic and ecological
cost - than chemical pesticides can. We must stop using such toxins worldwide.
Their effects can show up far from their place of application, spread through
the action of wind, rain, running water, etc. We don't need them. Agriculture
is not solely the business of the government and farmers - we're all part of
the chain.
Padma - SEED
Trust
Article Below:
Killer Diseases strike Kasaragod Village
In Kasaragod Dt of Kerala, India, since the last three
decades, Cashew Corporation has been spraying endosulphan thrice a year
through helicopters to prevent tea-mosquito attack.
Two decades ago, at one farmers house, successively, 3
cows gave birth to calves with severely deformed limbs. His tank, wherefrom these cattle drink water is by the side
of Cashew Corporation’s garden & every year, it used to be contaminated
by the spray.
Now, belatedly, people are realizing the direct
ill-effects of endosulphan spray. Local
villagers have started protesting. In Mulleria, Periye and Padre local people
protested, but in most places, corporation went ahead with the spray under
police protection. In Mulleria, reportedly, 122 policemen were employed to
shoo away the protestors.
Dr Y.S.Mohankumar, MBBS, has been practicing in our
village since last two decades. He
says that incidence of mental retarded cases, blood cancer & psychiatric
cases are high in these areas which gets sprayed.
There are two rivulets, flowing in the middle. These two
rivulets join together at a point. People
who consume water recharged from these two rivulets (residing nearby) seem to
be the worst victims. Diseases are found in all class and casts of people
without sex and age differentiation.
According to Dr YSMK, incidence of these diseases is high
on both sides of Padre rivulet, that totals to an approximate area of 5 sq. km
(approx.400 families). Here, says doctor, in the last 10 years, there were
30cancer deaths. Present depression and Psychotic cases exceed 70; Epilepsy
cases-30; Infertility-10, Suicidal deaths are on increase, 10 suicides in last
5-6 years. Asthma-many. On enquiry, this figure is increasing day by day.
Latest tally of victims of cancer (including dead), Psychiatry, Mentally
Retarded & Epilepsy cases total up to 160 as on 4th Jan 2001.)
Dr Y MK has realised this unusual development and has
written a letters to the editor to "Kerala
Medical Journal" 4 years ago, inviting attention of medical researchers
to the issue .He is of the opinion that, residues of insecticide sprayed on
hilltops of these hilly tracks get washed down to the rivulet and other
waterbodies, thus getting into the bodies of people living around through
water.
Dr.Kangila Krishna Bhat, an ayrvedic practitioner,
practicing in this area since 45 years, says: "Though I have to look into
the records to get the exact numbers, there must be around 300 cases of asthma
& skin diseases like psoriasis, itching, contact allergy I come across
from around this area. This I can surely attribute to the aerial spray
because, immediately after the spray, for about a month, patients come pouring
in."
What Toxicological Science Says?
According to a publication by US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) dated March 1998, "Recognition and Management of Pesticide
Poisonings", some organochlorines including "endosulphan are
efficiently absorbed across skin", and "pesticide-laden aerosol or
dust particles trapped in respiratory mucous and subsequently swallowed may be
vehicles leading to significant gastrointestinal absorption". "Endosulphan
has caused blindness in sheep."
Another publication says, " Endosulphan has a proven
toxic effect on the human fetus (and on mammalian fetus) and produces
mutations. Organochlorines in general have the whole range of possible toxic
effects on liver, kidney, bone marrow, blood, brain (loss of intellectual
functions and psychiatric illness), carcinogenicity, damage to reproductive
system and to fetus/embryo. Organochlorides differ in their most prominent of
toxic effects, in the amount needed to trigger short-term poisoning symptoms
and long-term poisoning, and the most easy route of ingestion/absorption into
the body." (Source: a German publication from 1988:Gefährdungen der
Gesundheit durch Pestizide - to be translated as "Health dangers arising
from pesticides" - by a team of authors: Irene Witte, Ruth Jähne, Rolf
Weinert, Kilian Köbrich, Heike Jacobi )(Frankfurt, Germany, 88)
Shree Padre
Journalist
Post Vaninagar
Via Perla 67155
Kerala-India
Tel :0499-866148 ; 08251-47234
E-mail : spadre@vsnl.com
If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing
information on pesticides, Email Us.
with "subscribe" in the subject line.
Click Here to Add Comment