The Hindu : Front Page : CSE findings on Endosulfan pesticide “unscientific”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 17, 2007
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CSE findings on Endosulfan pesticide “unscientific”

Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: Faced with a ban on Endosulfan for its alleged side-effects, the Centre for Environment and Agrochemicals has alleged that the findings of Sunita Narain’s Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the pesticide were “unscientific” and caused loss of image and business to the pesticide industry.

At a press conference here on Thursday, Rajju Shroff of the Centre for Environment and Agrochemicals offered “an award of Rs. 1 crore” to Ms. Narain if high presence of Endosulfan levels in water could be proved ‘scientifically.’ He claimed that the industry lost business to the tune of Rs. 200 crore due to the CSE findings.

The pesticide industry is said to have a turnover of Rs. 5,000 crore per annum. Ms. Narain’s study, as also other studies, showed that the Endosulfan levels in the atmosphere in the Padre village of Kasargod district — where the pesticide was sprayed on cashew crop — caused abnormalities and deformities in the people of the village.

Ms. Narain told The Hindu that she stood by her study. “I will be more than happy to see them in court. Perhaps the poor victims of Padre will get justice.”

NHRC order

The villagers approached the National Human Rights Commission, which directed the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, to do a study.

An Indian Council of Medical Research-NIOH joint study published in 2001 found Endosulfan in the blood samples of the village children and concluded that the pesticide was a “causative factor” for the abnormalities and health problems in the village.

The ICMR later formed the Dubey Committee that gave “an industry-based” report that was challenged by CSE magazine Down to Earth.

This led to the re-opening of the Dubey Committee and setting up of another committee under Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that recommended that the pesticide be banned in Kerala. Now there is a demand to ban it globally.

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