The Government should ban the use of Endosulfan in the Philippines
The Tao at Kalikasan Development Center. Inc. (TKDCI) is calling all its volunteers and supporters to unite in demanding the
government to implement or impose an immediate and complete ban for all uses of endosulfan.
About 10 metric tons of endosulfan, a highly toxic pesticide that sinked with the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars at the height of
typhoon Frank on June 21, 2008 now poses danger to humans and the environment off the coast of Romblon and its adjacent areas. This
incident serves as a wake up call for the government and the Filipinos to be vigilant in protecting our environment. The shipment was
owned by Del Monte Philippines Inc., one of the two biggest pineapple producers in the country.
"Endosulfan is a highly toxic pesticide used on food crops like grains, tea, fruits and vegetables, and on nonfood crops like tobacco
and cotton. It is also used as a wood preservative. The pesticide, a cream- or brown-colored solid that sometimes takes the form of crystals
or flakes, is stored in bottles and cans. It is not flammable and does not dissolve easily in water. It attaches to soil particles floating in water
and to soil found at the bottom of bodies of water.
Some animals living in endosulfan-contaminated waters suffer from kidney, liver, or testes damage and a reduced ability to fight off
infections. Ingesting large amounts of endosulfan by eating the meat of contaminated animals and drinking contaminated water can cause
severe poisoning in humans and lead to their deaths.
Humans are also in danger of breathing contaminated air and having skin contact with contaminated soil.
The Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), which advocates the use of ecologically sound alternatives to pesticides, says
that endosulfan has been linked to birth defects. In the Indian state of Kerala, many residents are suffering from physical deformities,
cancers and disorders of the central nervous system, which are said to have been caused by the decades-long aerial spraying of
endosulfan by the government-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala.
Pesticides intended for the Indian government's cashew plantations reportedly leached into the soil and contaminated the residents'
drinking water. Kerala imposed an indefinite ban on endosulfan in 2002, because of the high incidence of health problems in the area,
The Philippines' Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority banned endosulfan in 1993, but lifted the ban two years later to control a dreaded
disease that threatened the country's pineapple export industry.
According to PANNA, endosulfan is banned in Bahrain, Belize, Cambodia, Columbia, Germany, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Oman,
Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Tonga and United Arab Emirates.
Endosulfan has been severely restricted in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, Honduras, Iceland,
Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Norway, Panama, Russia, Serbia & Montenegro, Thailand, Taiwan, the United
Kingdom and Venezuela, PANNA said". (source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)
To avoid the hazard and threat of endosulfan to human health and the environment, the Tao at Kalikasan Development Center, Inc.
(TKDCI) asks the government to totally ban endosulfan in the Philippines. TKDCI also supports the call for a global ban on endosulfan.
government to implement or impose an immediate and complete ban for all uses of endosulfan.
About 10 metric tons of endosulfan, a highly toxic pesticide that sinked with the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars at the height of
typhoon Frank on June 21, 2008 now poses danger to humans and the environment off the coast of Romblon and its adjacent areas. This
incident serves as a wake up call for the government and the Filipinos to be vigilant in protecting our environment. The shipment was
owned by Del Monte Philippines Inc., one of the two biggest pineapple producers in the country.
"Endosulfan is a highly toxic pesticide used on food crops like grains, tea, fruits and vegetables, and on nonfood crops like tobacco
and cotton. It is also used as a wood preservative. The pesticide, a cream- or brown-colored solid that sometimes takes the form of crystals
or flakes, is stored in bottles and cans. It is not flammable and does not dissolve easily in water. It attaches to soil particles floating in water
and to soil found at the bottom of bodies of water.
Some animals living in endosulfan-contaminated waters suffer from kidney, liver, or testes damage and a reduced ability to fight off
infections. Ingesting large amounts of endosulfan by eating the meat of contaminated animals and drinking contaminated water can cause
severe poisoning in humans and lead to their deaths.
Humans are also in danger of breathing contaminated air and having skin contact with contaminated soil.
The Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), which advocates the use of ecologically sound alternatives to pesticides, says
that endosulfan has been linked to birth defects. In the Indian state of Kerala, many residents are suffering from physical deformities,
cancers and disorders of the central nervous system, which are said to have been caused by the decades-long aerial spraying of
endosulfan by the government-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala.
Pesticides intended for the Indian government's cashew plantations reportedly leached into the soil and contaminated the residents'
drinking water. Kerala imposed an indefinite ban on endosulfan in 2002, because of the high incidence of health problems in the area,
The Philippines' Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority banned endosulfan in 1993, but lifted the ban two years later to control a dreaded
disease that threatened the country's pineapple export industry.
According to PANNA, endosulfan is banned in Bahrain, Belize, Cambodia, Columbia, Germany, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Oman,
Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Tonga and United Arab Emirates.
Endosulfan has been severely restricted in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, Honduras, Iceland,
Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Norway, Panama, Russia, Serbia & Montenegro, Thailand, Taiwan, the United
Kingdom and Venezuela, PANNA said". (source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)
To avoid the hazard and threat of endosulfan to human health and the environment, the Tao at Kalikasan Development Center, Inc.
(TKDCI) asks the government to totally ban endosulfan in the Philippines. TKDCI also supports the call for a global ban on endosulfan.