End Of The Road For Endosulfan
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End Of The Road For Endosulfan
Date:
Mon, 11 Nov 2002 11:18:57 -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
Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
End Of The Road For Endosulfan: New Environmental Justice Foundation Report
Endosulfan, a dangerous pesticide, is posing serious risks to health and the environment, according to a new report by the Environmental Justice Foundation.
Endosulfan is a powerful poison linked to accidental deaths of farmers and consumers of sprayed crops in North and South America, Africa and Asia. In India, long-term exposure to the chemical has been linked to hundreds of cases of serious illnesses including cancers, birth defects and neurological and reproductive disorders. Endosulfan kills indiscriminately and non-pest species, including birds and fish, have died following exposure - mass deaths of fish poisoned by endosulfan have been reported from five continents. The chemical persists in the environment and accumulates in the food chain. It was recorded at 100 times the permitted level in cow milk and meat in India.
The EJF report summarises the health and environmental hazards posed by this chemical and calls for action from to governments, inter-governmental agencies and the agrochemical industry. Endosulfan is banned or severely restricted in over 30 countries and safe application cannot be guaranteed under conditions of use in the developing countries where the chemical is still widely used. The time has come for responsible authorities to take action against this chemical in order to safeguard human health and environmental integrity.
To read this report or request a copy, please visit http://www.ejfoundation.org/reports.html or email mike.shanahan@ejfoundation.org
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