Local Physician describes the destruction due to pesticide spraying
Subject: An e-mail I just received
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 04:28:52 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulationcc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read an e-mail I just received:
From: "Jayakumar" <thanal@md4.vsnl.net.in
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 17:44:24 +0530
Subject: copy of the letter
from shripathy To, Dr. A. Achuthan Chairman Committee appointed by the Government of Kerala on the Pesticides Spraying Issue
From, Dr. Sripathy Kajampady M.B.B.S Kajampady Nursing Home Perla. 671552 Kasaragod District Kerala
Phone: 0499-895088Respected Sir,
Since 1984 I am an active General Practitioner attending my own village people at Kajampady Nursing Home, Perla about 7 Kilometers my house at Kajampady in Padre village of Enmakaje Panchayath. I completed my graduation at Kasturba Medical College, Managlore in 1982.
I am one of the so called 'environmental activists or environmental enthusiasts' refer to in the report on the visit of the Expert Team and in the Thought Paper of the Kerala Agricultural University signed by Dr. Abdul Salam and Prof. Samuel Mathew - on the issue of Aerial Spraying of Endosulfan by the Plantation Corporation of Kerala Ltd. on their cashew plantations in Kasaragod district. I am not at all enthused by those references even though I am very much concerned with general public health of my native place. All my efforts in this regard are due to a kind heart I have and a non corrupt responsive and a responsible brain I possess (at least I am thinking so). Living amidst the totally neglected, ignorant and innocent people of Padre and seeing their plight in the recent past one has to be no less than a 'Buddha' to remain unemotional. But I am sure even 'Buddha' would not have remained unconcerned. One has to spend only a few hours in this area to convince one self that it is not a media creation or sensationalisation of non-issue but madness at its best in the name of scientific farming!
What has been my experience? All these years I was noticing the death of honey bees, fishes, frogs in the vicinity of my house soon after the aerial spraying of? endosulfan by the PCK. I have seen reptiles moving down the hills on to the main road many a time in large numbers during that time. I have seen dogs showing apathy towards food and staying inactive, at times vomiting. Cattles come trembling, sometimes bringing out froth from their mouth. This time a lady called Korapalu of Nellikkunje in Padre village reported the death of two pregnant cows in the following weeks after the spray. The cattle had gone for grazing on the hillocks. The deaths were confirmed by Dr. Mahesh of Veterinary department and Mr. Padmanabha Pai a veterinary practitioner. I have similar experiences at my house too. Cattles go weak, refuse to take food, show strange behaviour, give birth abnormal offsprings people have a lot to complain. But the sad point is that they only know to curse their fate rather than go to the Police Station for complaining. Only recently we came to know that it is the duty of the PCK to get those cows post-mortemed and pay adequate compensation to the aggrieved. Where will the PCK have such a morality?
There are a lot of fertility problems also in veterinary practice. The poison affects the birds, squirrels, jackal's etc. I have personally photographed a dead bird on the second day after the spray just to give a small 'proof' to some such committees who are really interested in knowing about the things around that time. But many of the committees instead of taking note of these killings, tried to kill the agonizing story itself.
Sir, may I now go over to the problems faced by the human beings? To name a few acute problems we come across in general practice- headache, vomiting, and giddiness, cramps-especially in children and adolescents. These problems dominate the rest. Some of the plantation workers themselves had come to me, over the years with the some such problems during the spraying time; strangely though this time nobody turned up! An increase in number of persons with skin lesions, visual problems, general debility is seen during that time- for about 10 to 15 days. I personally experienced that 'drizzle' from the top on my trips on my bike along the main road, for 3 to 4 days in a month, two to three times a year (from September to February) I experienced head ache and nausea. Last time on December 26, 2000 I got cramps all over my body the same day. The smell could be felt even after 10 days at some places near the plantation. Dr. Salam could smell endosulfan after 60 days of spraying at Mr. Koragappa Shetty's place. I never record the acute problems I come across most of the times except in a very few cases where admissions were necessary. Personally I never thought that the 'poison' (a soft insecticide according to some agricultural entomologists.
Can there be any harder inference than that?) Would do any long-term damage to the general public. Only recently when somebody said " you have to look for the problems caused by organochlorines, then only you will find them'. He was right, because all these cases can be found in a non-spraying area also. But look at the density! One has to have only a kind heart, open eyes and a receptive brain to come to a conclusion. Find some time to go through the literature on the studies (whatever little some people have done on organochlorines - and not by the industry, or by labs or scientists sponsored by the industry) the living examples are there for you to see and believe. The correlation is so obvious that now I feel unless proved otherwise every problem over here is due to some kind of chronic poisoning - most likely endosulfan. You may not find any literature on the effects on human beings because this is the first major attempt by the PCK and Co to experiment aerial spraying and pesticides on living beings in Kasaragod district. The initial reaction of the members of the KAU committee to CSE findings was that even if endosulfan there in the blood, how can you be sure that the pesticide itself is the root cause for the health problems seen over here?
Sounds nice, isn't it? A 'medicine' applied to cashew trees turning poisonous - something our entomologists cannot digest. Are we committing a grave mistake if we say that the benefit of doubt in this case should be given to the victims over here rather than the 'extremely hazardous' pesticide producing industries? But for those who come for 'research tourism' (or a cruel tourism as far as we are concern) say 'no conclusive evidence was available for implicating endosulfan in the malady'. How can learned entomologists who have personally confessed with me that they do not know much about the pesticide be so casual about such a serious problem?
Apart from not admitting the gravity of health hazards the KAU report is downplaying the whole issue and calls us "panic-stricken people". The team was also almost sure that minimal soil contamination would not have caused the health hazards reported. Why should one depend on reports and not report whatever he has seen for himself? Here again unless you know something about human chemistry you won't see anything even when you hold your eyes wide open. On top of it if there is a mental block the whole report becomes a eye wash. For this I think we need a thorough epidemiological study. The Helsinki declaration reads "concern for the interests for the subject must always prevail over the interests of science and society". Will our policy makers understand what it means?
I have personally seen many Central Nervous System related cases in this area in a relatively short time. Dr. Mohankumar alerted me and being a local man I started supporting the issue. The respected lady members of the Committee, which came about one month back, wanted 'proof' for everything including the CSE lab reports. Sir, do you sincerely think the below middle class, the working class, the innocent and the ignorant people over here will ever come out of their shell spending what ever resources they have, braving taboos, still have the energy to fight the might of the industry people? But there are a few lucky or unlucky ones who have gone to the hospitals, now strongly feel that the so called scientists and decision makers have erred with them and are still playing a dirty game to satisfy their own 'ego' and ulterior motives of 'higher ups'. I asked many a scientist to suggest a foolproof test, which can prove or disprove chronic endosulfan poisoning.
None answered satisfactorily. Until now nobody has dared to challenge the CSE reports and I sincerely feels that the battle cannot be won through 'lab reports' or 'press meets' but through some sensible humane approach. Almost everybody including the KAU committee, the industry people agree that the aerial spraying at Padre was an act of stupidity but does any body willingly take the moral responsibility for sanctioning the same? Entomologists themselves say an untimely spray can cause more damage to the crops than proving beneficial. Do the scientists properly examine the strength of the tea mosquito family before asking for a spray? Never. Dr. Bhaskar Rao from NRCC Puttur went on record saying that exposing the public to a single pesticide thrice a year for about thirty years is a blunder. It is likely that after five - six year of exposure, the tea mosquito would have developed resistance to the pesticide, also. Our day today experience says that cashew is a forest crop which needs minimal human intervention. Almost all the private farmers don't use any pesticide in this area. Those who grow cashew in an organic way are illiterate and stupid. Aren't they?
When we found out that the poisoning by the PCK is proving costly, we approached every one possible. Nobody came to our rescue other than the Honourable Munsiff Court of Kasaragod. But for the Court's intervention the PCK would have sprayed for the second time in January 2001. In spite of Court orders they sprayed manually at some places.(unashamedly violating the court orders) Am I to believe then that the so called scientists, the decision makers, the politicians only have big pockets and hearts of chicken?
Has the very word 'endosulfan' poisoned their brains also? When the establishment and established custodian of science behave in a petty manner, develop an attitude that is anything but scientific, General Practitioner like me also forced to take up people's cause. All our energy is getting wasted in attending the Committees and giving 'evidence' only to get cover up reports which naturally satisfies somebody, drops somebody like me to the rock bottom and the affected to the dust bin. Sir, yours is the fifth official team we are attending to even though your name was the first to appear on the newspapers soon after the problem arose. All these 8-9 months people like me are not allowed to settle down to do any methodical work on this issue. Whenever I got some time I utilized to trace the most affected families. Let me quote some glaring examples including the one noted down by the esteemed KAU committee. Intentionally I am giving some fictitious names in my reference just to keep the secrecy of the concerned victims.
But I will assure you that I would reveal all those names to you personally, when the need arises.
Case no. 1 Mr. Nair. 46 years, lives very close to the plantations happen to be a very close relative of a plantation worker. His house is just 100 meters away from the plantation area. He has psychological problems, he has cataract since 18 years. He got his left eye operated six years back, his right eye still has a mature cataract.
His wife - Grossly anemic. Had abortions thrice. Has only one child -
sick- is taking treatment from KMC Mangalore, her HP report says case of Cervicitis. Features of non-secretary endometrium.
His father - Died of renal disease 20 year back.
His mother - Had psychiatric problems - died 10 years back.
Case no. 2 G. Bairi - 40 years, living close to plantation has chronic cough increased during spraying time. Turns asthmatic at times during the spray. (No family history of asthma)
His daughter - 8 year old. Gets fever and cough on and off, wheezing at the time of spray.
His son - 10 months old. Development of brain stopped at third month confirmed by scanning and by experts like Dr. Ganesh Pai and Dr. Muralidhar Pai (Mangalore) The baby started getting repeated convulsions from the fifth month. Has been referred to Sri Chithra Institute-Trivandrum. Baby has capillary haemangioma on its face.
Case no. 3 R.K. Bhat - 67 years, living close to the plantations. Has leukoderma since 17 years increased since last 6 years.
His daughter - 43 years old, Married childless.
His daughter - 41 years, first child died of unknown cause 12 years back at the age of one year.
His daughter - 38 years, childless. His son - 36 years has brain tumor since one year is on chemotherapy from Mangalore His daughter - 32 years, a divorcee His sister - died of jaundice 8 years back. This sister had a 17-year-old mentally retarded daughter died 4 years back. One more daughter 16-year-old has stunted growth. Her son 21-year-old is physically handicapped deaf and dumb. Son younger to him is diminutive in structure.
His brother - 60 years. Married childless His brother - 50 years. Married childless All the above said persons were living in the same house for a good number of years.
Case no. 4 Dr. Abdul Salam and Dr. Samuel Mathew had visited a house on 19th February,
2001 during their first visit in the report dated 20-2-01 they wrongly mentioned family, where they had their sumptuous food in the after noon as Sree Hari Sajjangadde Bhat, Perialadkam. I am just giving an example of the haphazard way in which the so-called scientists report to the University or the Government. Even the sample collecting by the team and by the PCK all must have been done in a similar unscientific manner - possibly. In the KAU report no word is there about the precautions the PCK takes before spraying.
High concentrations of the pesticide upto 9 litres in 140 litres (when enquired they only say that it is 5 litres in 250 litres) was being sprayed and Dr. Salam had taken note of this which he conveniently forgets to write in his report. Dr. Salam had seen for himself the topography of the region, the unworthy precautions they take, the water bodies, the height to which the chauffer has to ascend before spraying etc. Plantation workers themselves have told him that they spray round the clock braving the breeze.
But Dr. Salam never thinks it right on his part to indict the PCK on this issue. Because he had said if aired in a loud manner the national interest would be compromised and it would severely damaged the export prospects.
Then itself I had asked him 'the national interest! at what cost and at whose cost'. Coming back to the family they visited on 19th February, 2001 Sri. N. S. Kodenkeeri 55 years old of late turned diabetic. His wife - 45 years (her blood proved positive for endosulfan by CSE lab) She is a border line diabetic of late onset. She has leukoderma. She has asthma (of recent origin) and endometriosis. No family history of any of these diseases. His brother - 50 years, attempted suicide some years back. His wife has depression. She is anaemic, complains of backache and numbness in limbs etc.
His brother - 35 years has eczema taken treatment from Kasaragod. His son also has eczema. His daughter 6 years old has epilepsy on high dose of anti epileptic drugs prescribed by neurologists from Mangalore.
Now, compare these reports with KAU reports. If one has some patience and an academic brain I am sure, one can extract some more details. Regarding some other persons interviewed on that day, the report says "the people believed that they were not affected by the aerial spraying". Sir, even educated persons like me till the other day thought that the poison being poured from the top was slightly stronger than "cocoa cola". That's all. Does one's methodical report depend on beliefs of lay persons or on hard facts on ground realities?
We have come across cases with undescended testes, gynaecomastia, and decreased male hormonal levels. Because of social stigma, because of the fear of victimization, many, including the plantation workers, don't want to go on records. Plantation workers are scared that if PCK is down and out they may become jobless. Some of the unions, the so-called guardians of down trodden, may be preventing them to come out in open. They are prevented from calling a spade, a spade. (Personally I have a problem that can be related to endosulfan poisoning - which I don't want to mention here)
Sir, I have a genuine fear that all the details given by me may sooner than later, reach the PCK, the "intelligent scientist and the industry" looking after them who in turn will come up with some more distorted versions of the same for some more press 'conferences'.
Who has to conduct the study then? Not an ordinary physician, gynecologist or endocrinologist. Only some dedicated social scientists with a medical back ground who can afford to stay in this area for 2 to 3 years, after winning the confidence of the people and after assuring them that the secrecy of their illness will be safe guarded, can do some justice to the problem? (He needs to be assisted by advanced lab facilities) Definitely not the ones who were on the panels at press conferences by the industry, who can only read some materials provided to them which itself is simply out dated. The press persons, the politicians, the scientists, the doctors, the environmental activists, the KSSP, the LINK - every one of them could feel that very serious problems over here. The spoke persons of the industry, the scientists 'hired' for the job can only think of radiation problem, heavy metal contamination in drinking water, consanguineous marriages, betel chewing etc. The press release by the PMFAI says Dr. Mohan Kumar's claims " are malafide, malicious and misleading. In the next paragraph they say they intend to do a thorough study. Even a buffoon can comment on their ' scientific knowledge' now. If only they had spent some time and money at Internet they would have got better material. Their effort then would have worth the effort and the money than the lavishly arranged press meets and the costly advertisements. The members of KAU team who visited the Padre were hesitant to drink the water offered to them after the full two months after the spray in this area. So the ground reality is totally different.
And if one has pre conceived notions on this issue we can only pray "Oh God they know what they are doing, please don't excuse them". Why was there no transparency in the study done by PCK? How come the report of the study done by FIPAT (sponsored by PCK after spending Rs. 7 Lakhs on it) is released at a press conference by the industry? Is there a nexus somewhere?
We have enough materials to substantiate the cases seen here by eminent scientific work done at U.S, Japan and Germany. The genotoxic effect of endosulfan, its endocrine disruptive effect, its effect on skin and eyes, the carcinogenic effects, its effect on the CNS is all proved beyond doubt.
It is better if you remember that the science doesn't stop at Industry's door steps and it moves, sometimes moves at such a speed that money alone cannot manage it. Can we expect some humanitarian approach by the industry, at least in this late hour? The lab report which says that it cannot find any endosulfan in the samples stealthily collected by the PCK does in no way affects the case study we are presenting. In the case of tobacco and its various forms producing diseases in many ways, you go by the history of exposure and not on lab findings or chromosomal study. Similarly there is every possibility is that the dreaded endosulfan may be hitting the unlucky ones at some points in the body producing damages of various degree and doing a vanishing act. Regarding unemployment and foreign exchange - even tobacco industry is upset over the Central and State Government to ban smoking in public places. The decision of the Government may make so many jobless and country loose many dollars. Tobacco industry is much more bigger than our cashew industry. But the Government thinks public health is more important than earning a few more dollars. Organic cashew can not only fetch a good market but also keep India's image and prestige on a high note.
In our own state our Honorable Chief Minister weighed the pros and cons with regard to the prohibition and came out with such a sensible decision which would caused the ex-chequer not less than one sixth of its total revenue.
Sir, I would like to draw your attention to a peculiar disease crippling many a backward community people of Handigodu of Shimoga district in Karnataka.
Inspite of so many scientist's selfeless percevierence no break-through could be possible as to what is the cause for the ailment most likely it was due to a pesticide poured on the paddy fields that was consumed by the crabs and fishes which in turn passed over the same to the people who ate them.
Even the ICMR has failed there. Now they are planning to have a genetic study in detail. So instead of floating so many sans logic theories one has to get down to the real business without going in for publicity.
Suppression of the voices of the affected may only delay the inevitable that is "Satyameva Jayate"
Sir, do you sincerely feel that the time has come for lifting the ban on endosulfan executed by our able Government? Won't you whole heartedly and forcefully recommend a moratorium on testing the pesticides on human beings?
I think... you will, provided you are allowed to breathe freely in your Committee.
Sent to Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) by Jayakumar C.
Co ordinator Thanal Conservation Action and Information Network, L-14 , Jawahar Nagar , Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala , India.
Pin 695 003 mail : thanal@vsnl.com Tel :++91-471-311896 Fax :++91-471-311896 Mobile :98471-89168 (zerowaste team)
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