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By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter
Three Senate committees will hold two separate
hearings on the lifting of the ban on endosulfan, a highly toxic
pesticide, and on its being transported by the ill-fated MV Princess
of the Stars.
The Senate Committee on Public Services headed
by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile will look into the shipment when it
reviews the franchise given to Sulpicio Lines, the owner of the
sunken ship that killed hundreds at the height of Typhoon Frank.
Enrile said that he would support the revocation of the franchise of
Sulpicio Lines because it had been involved in a number of maritime
disasters.
The Senate Committees on Health and on
Environment and Natural Resources, both headed by Sen. Pia Cayetano,
will look into the reasons behind the lifting of the ban by the
Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) on endosulfan.
The search and retrieval operations inside the
Princess of the Stars were halted when Del Monte Philippines said
that the ship contained 10 tons of endosulfan that it had imported
for use in its pineapple plantation in Bukidnon.
Cayetano said that the investigation by her two
committees would start after the convening of the Second Regular
Session because she is more interested in remedial measures than in
determining who is at fault.
FPA to be questioned
“The FPA should tell us why it granted the
request of Del Monte to import endosulfan. We also want to know the
effects of the chemicals on the environment and on the health of
people,” she said.
She pointed out that the inquiry should start
with the pesticide authority, because it is the regulatory agency
that allowed the entry of endosulfan.
Wikipedia says endosulfan is used in agriculture
to control white flies, aphids, leafhoppers, cabbage worms and other
pests. Endosulfan is acutely neurotoxic to both insects and mammals,
including humans, and responsible for many fatal pesticide poisoning
incidents around the world.
It also says that symptoms of acute endosulfan
poisoning include hyperactivity, tremors, convulsions, lack of
coordination, staggering, difficulty in breathing, nausea and
vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, unconsciousness. Doses as
low as 35 mg/kg have been documented to cause death in humans, and
many cases of sub-lethal poisoning have resulted in permanent brain
damage.
It cited a 2007 study by the California
Department of Public Health showing that women who lived near farm
fields sprayed with endosulfan and the related organochloride
pesticide dicofoll during the first eight weeks of pregnancy are
several times more likely to give birth to children with autism.
Endosulfan is banned in 17 countries. Because of
its high toxicity and high potential for bioaccumulation and
environmental contamination, a global ban on the use and manufacture
of endosulfan is being considered under the Stockholm Convention.
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