Acting on an e-complaint from a United States-based neurologist against disinsection of aircrafts, allegedly with cancer-causing pesticides while passengers are onboard, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday sought response from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India and all other airlines concerned.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar also sought responses from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The complaint was filed via e-mail by Dr. Jai Kumar, a neurologist and director of the Primary Stroke Centre at Baylor Hospital in Texas.
“It is averred in this application that the Indian rule of mandatory spraying of planes with pesticides Phenothrin 2 per cent, a organophosphorus neurotoxin which is injurious to human health as its use carries risk of causing cancer, auto-immune diseases like lupus, Parkinson’s disease and memory loss, etc,” the Bench noted.
“Airlines are mandated to present empty bottles of this poison to Indian authorities after landing...It is shocking that India is still spraying this toxin in planes before landing and putting all travellers at risk of cancer, auto-immune diseases,” Dr. Kumar added.
“It is further stated that the spraying of this pesticide is done while the passengers are onboard. According to him, all other airlines have stopped spraying of pesticides while passengers are onboard. But this practice is prevalent in all the Indian airlines operating internationally,” the Bench noted.
Dr. Kumar also annexed an article which read how countries like Belize, Chile, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica also have ended spraying in aircrafts.
The WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization specify two methods for aircraft disinsection — spraying the aircraft cabin with an aerosolized insecticide while passengers are onboard or treating the aircraft’s interior surfaces with a residual insecticide while passengers are not onboard. Announcements are made before the spraying that the spray has been cleared by the World Health Organisation as not having any harmful effects on human health.
