Environmentalists welcome the
timely ban of endosulfan in Cambodia. The Environmental Justice
Foundation (EJF) today applauds the Royal Government of Cambodia’s
decision to ban the chemical. Endosulfan is a highly dangerous pesticide,
which has caused dozens of accidental deaths in Colombia, Cuba, the USA,
Benin, India, Malaysia, Sudan, the Philippines and, most recently, South
Africa.
In
February 2003, two South African boys living near Ntabamhlophe, Kwa-Zulu
Natal, died following exposure to endosulfan. Zwelithini Mhlongo (7 years
old) and his brother Siyabonga (10 years old) collapsed after coming into
contact with goats that had been treated with the chemical. A police
officer and three journalists were hospitalised after visiting the site
several hours later.
“Time
and again endosulfan has been responsible for killing farmers and
consumers in some of the world’s poorest countries. Global action against
this hazardous chemical is urgently required,” said Dr Mike Shanahan of
EJF.
Endosulfan’s safe use cannot be guaranteed in developing countries, as
demonstrated by the South African case described above, in which
endosulfan was sold as a veterinary vaccine, when it is in fact an
insecticide intended for use on crops.
The
hazards associated with this pesticide are detailed in the report “End
of the Road For Endosulfan”, published by EJF. EJF’s longer report,
What’s Your Poison?, published last month provides additional
information on the health threats posed by pesticide exposure. Both
reports are available for width="600"load from
http://www.ejfoundation.org/reports.html
“Cambodia is a country with very serious pesticide management problems. We
applaud the steps taken by the government there to address the threat
posed by endosulfan and hope that other countries follow Cambodia’s lead
in banning this out-dated and dangerous chemical,” said Steve Trent,
Director of EJF.
Country
bans of specific chemicals not only help safeguard health and the
environment there, but can have beneficial repercussions world-wide
through the mechanisms of the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed
Consent for
Certain
Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
“The
time has come for endosulfan to be listed by both of these Conventions.
As more countries ban endosulfan, its listing on these Conventions becomes
increasingly likely,” said Steve Trent.
