The Plantation Corporation of Kerala, run by the state government, has been spraying endosulfan through helicopters for more than two decades over its cashew plantations on the hills in and around Padre to counter the tea mosquito pest. Scientific studies show that endosulfan can affect the unborn child in the womb, among the other health effects (see annexure). Several countries have banned or restricted the use of endosulfan, though the pesticide is not banned in India.

The laboratory results strengthen the suspicion that the Padre residents are subsidizing government’s cashew production with their lives.

One woman’s blood showed 900 times the amount of endosulfan that is permitted in water -- CSE could not find any permissible limit for blood, meaning that it is unlikely that there is a minimum level at which the pesticide would not harm the human body. The woman’s elder son Kittanna, 21, has cerebral palsy; the younger son Sridhar, 16, is mentally retarded. Most of their neighbours complain of similar health problems. Dr. Mohana Kumar Y. S., a doctor who has practiced in the area for 19 years, says he couldn’t figure out the reason for so many disorders of the nervous system for 10 years.

"Cerebral palsy, retardation of mental and/or physical growth, epilepsy and congenital anomalies like stag horn limbs are very common among children. There are too many cases of cancer of the liver and blood; infertility and undescended testis among men; miscarriages and hormonal irregularities among women; skin disorders; and asthma, to name a few. Psychiatric problems and suicidal tendencies have also been rising. The ailments are largely restricted to people below 20 years. The aerial spraying has been on for over 20 years. Scientific literature shows endosulfan can affect the foetus, that it has the capacity to affect the unborn child," says Dr. Mohana Kumar. For the past two decades, residents of Padre village have been complaining about the disappearance of bees, frogs and fish from the area immediately after aerial spraying of endosulfan. But nobody suspected that the pesticide had a role in the health maladies till Dr. Mohana Kumar blew the whistle in December 2000.

Reacting to the results of the laboratory analysis, Dr. Kumar said, "I didn’t expect that the pesticide would show up at all in blood and water as the compound is not readily soluble in water. I had suspected that the unusually high incidence of maladies that I have noticed would be related be related to the pesticide, but I didn’t expect this kind of results. We will surely use these results to in our struggle against this tragedy. Now we have scientific proof to correlate the health effects of endosulfan on human beings."

Srikrishna "Shree" Padre, a journalist and farmer from the village who is one of the leaders in the village’s campaign to rid itself of the endosulfan menace, says he was at a complete loss when he heard about the test results. "This is the first scientific study to strengthen our cause. At the same time, it is terrifying to know the level of contamination in my village. To realise the extent of the damage in my village and thousands of other villages that have no clue about the risks they face. It is a great irony that we have to struggle so hard, put in such a lot of human energy just to put an end to the spraying, knowing fully well that the damage is in all probability irreversible."

The Plantation Corporation of Kerala is still keen on conducting aerial spraying of endosulfan over its plantations. The matter came to a head on December 26, when the corporation conducted aerial spraying despite vocal protests from the villagers. The district administration has refused to heed to the villagers’ protests. The residents have obtained a stay against aerial spraying from the Court of the Munsiff of Kasaragod till February 23.

Anil Agarwal, chairperson of CSE, said the Padre episode shows how a government can get murderous. "This highlights the fact that the government is pushing for modernisation without having a clue about how to deal with its fallouts," he said, adding that the aerial spraying of endosulfan must be banned immediately.

The CSE Environment Monitoring Laboratory has been set up to provide scientific information to communities fighting against environmental pollution. It has been set up with financial support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenaabeit (GTZ) and the European Union.

 ENDOSULFAN: PROFILE OF A KILLER
Endosulfan is an organochlorine insecticide. It is effective against a wide range of pests of crops including cereals, coffee, cotton, fruit, oilseeds, potato, tea and vegetables. Highly toxic substance. Commercially produced endosulfan is generally composed of its two molecular forms (isomers), a -endosulfan and b -endosulfan.

The US Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a Category 1b (highly hazardous). Easily absorbed by the stomach, lungs and through the skin. All routes of exposure can pose a hazard. Exposure may result from:

* breathing air near where it has been sprayed;
* drinking water contaminated with it;
* eating contaminated food;
* touching contaminated soil;
* smoking cigarettes made from tobacco with endosulfan residues;
* working in an industry where it is used.

ACUTE TOXICITY: Endosulfan is highly toxic if ingested orally. It is very toxic when absorbed through skin. Stimulation of the central nervous system is the major characteristic of endosulfan poisoning. Symptoms noted in acutely exposed humans include: incoordination, imbalance, difficulty in breathing, gagging, vomiting, diarrhoea, agitation, convulsions, and loss of consciousness. Tests on rats show those deprived of protein are nearly twice as susceptible.

CHRONIC TOXICITY: Studies on animals show that sustained exposure over two years in rats caused reduced growth and survival, changes in kidney structure, and changes in blood chemistry. Organochlorine compounds are suspected to play a part in the decrease in the quality of semen, in the increase in testicular and prostate cancer, an increase in the defects in male sex organs, and increased incidence of breast cancer.

REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS: Studies on mice show that chronic exposure endosulfan can damage to the reproductive organs of females. In male rats the weight of semen-bearing tubes, which comprise testicles, is lowered by the pesticide. Organochlorines are suspected of disrupting the endocrine system, resulting in harmful effects like reproductive and developmental defects and certain cancers.

TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: A teratogen is an agent that causes malformations in foetuses. A three-generational study on rats showed how endosulfan can lead to abnormalities in bone development in the offspring.

GENOTOXICITY: A substance is genotoxic when it directly affects the functioning of genes, causing changes in their functions. Both a -endosulfan and b -endosulfan have been shown to be genotoxic to human liver cells. The b -isomer is a more potent genotoxin.

MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenicity refers to the induction of permanent changes in the amount or structure of genetic material of cells or organisms, which can be transmitted to the coming generations. Endosulfan has been shown to be mutagenic to bacterial and yeast cells. Endosulfan has also been shown to cause mutagenic effects in mammals. Evidence suggests that exposure to endosulfan may cause mutagenic effects in humans if exposure is great enough. Changes induced in cells by a mutagen can cause cancer, while damage to the egg and sperm can cause adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes.

CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: In a long-term study on mice and rats, the males of both groups experienced such a high mortality rate that no conclusions could be drawn. The females of both species failed to develop any carcinogenic conditions 78 weeks after being fed diets containing up to about 23 ppm per day. Further testing is required to know if endosulfan is carcinogenic or no.

ORGAN TOXICITY: Animal studies have shown effects on the kidneys, liver, blood, and the parathyroid gland from longer-term exposure to low levels of endosulfan. The ability of animals to fight infection was also lowered, a phenomenon called immuno-suppression.

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
Highly toxic to fish, birds, fowl, bees and wildlife. Breaks down faster than the other organochlorines, leaving the body fairly quickly. Despite rapid degradation in water, it can bind to soil particles and persist for a relatively long period. Doesn’t leach into groundwater, but is particularly prone to runoff immediately after spraying. Its half-life (the time it takes to dissolve into the body or the environment, becoming half the original mass) in water and in most fruits/vegetables is three to seven days. In sandy loam, its half-life is 60-800 days. Endosulfan in soil inhibits the degradation of other organochlorines.

BREAKDOWN PRODUCT
Endosulfan sulphate is more persistent than its parent compound, accounting for 90 per cent of the residue in 11 weeks. Sulphate formation increases with rise in temperatures.