Article Title: Endosulfan
18-10-2022
Environment & Ecology Prelims Plus
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The Kerala government on Sunday expressed its willingness to meet the demands made by social activist Daya Bai who is on a hunger strike in the State capital seeking relief for the endosulfan victims of Kasaragod.
The SC has banned the manufacture, sale, use, and export of endosulfan throughout the country, citing its harmful health effects in 2015.
Endosulfan is an organochlorine insecticide which was first introduced in the 1950s and is commonly known by its trade name Thiodan.
It is linked to a slew of grave medical conditions, such as neurotoxicity, physical deformities, poisoning and more.
It is sprayed on crops like cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc. for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.
Endosulfan is listed under both the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Impact:
Endosulfan in the environment gets accumulated in food chains leading to higher doses causing problems.
If Endosulfan is released to water, it is expected to absorb to the sediment and may bio-concentrate in aquatic organisms.
The endosulfan ingestion results in diseases ranging from physical deformities, cancer, birth disorders and damage to the brain and nervous system.
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