Toxic Insecticide for Phillipine Pineapple Plantations- found in Capsized Ship

[Guest guest]

Hi Health Activists,

It might not be as safe to eat Pineapples. a heavily coated fruit, that we

thought was not as heavily sprayed according to the Environmemtal Working

Group list of most havily sprayed crops.

arnold

 

June 27, 2008 | GMA News (Philippines)

Greenpeace outraged over illegal cargo in capsized vessel

MANILA - Greenpeace on Friday night expressed outrage regarding the

discovery of an illegal shipment of the super-toxic pesticide, Endosulfan, in

the

hold of the ill-fated MV Princess of Stars, which capsized with 865 passengers

and crew on board during Typhoon Fengshen last week. The highly toxic cargo

was destined for the pineapple farms of multinational corporation Del Monte.

Endosulfan, a neuro-toxic organochlorine insecticide, manufactured by Bayer

Crop Science has been banned in the Philippines since 1994.

Endosulfan is highly toxic and persistent. Studies indicate that it

endangers the health and wellbeing of children, farm workers, and those living

proximate to affected areas. Poisoning symptoms include headaches, nausea,

vomiting, seizures, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness and even death. It is

a

suspected endocrine disruptor, with low dose exposure while in the womb being

linked to autism, male reproductive harm, and birth defects.

" It is outrageous that a shipment of a highly toxic substance was allowed on

board a passenger vessel. We demand that Del Monte and the Fertilizer and

Pesticide Authority be made fully accountable for this unfolding chemical

disaster, the former for continuing the use of such highly toxic chemical and

the

latter for allowing multinational companies to use them despite the national

prohibition and the scientific evidence of their toxicity, " said Beau

Baconguis, Greenpeace Campaign Manager.

" This pesticide has also been found to be highly toxic to birds, fish and

other aquatic organisms. This is the reason why the Philippines has severe

restrictions on the use of Endosulfan especially near or around bodies of water.

The M/V Princess of the Stars disaster has now exposed that a multinational

corporation like Del Monte is using tons of banned pesticides on their

pineapples meant for export. That it took a tragic disaster to expose another

ongoing disaster is infuriating, " she added.

Endosulfan is being considered for global elimination under the United

Nations Convention on Persistent Organic Polllutants (Stockholm Convention) to

which the Philippines is a signatory.

Distributed by: Coalition against BAYER Dangers (Germany)

_www.CBGnetwork.org_ (http://www.cbgnetwork.de/4.html)

CBGnetwork

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Advisory Board

Prof. Juergen Junginger, designer, Krefeld,

Prof. Dr. Juergen Rochlitz, chemist, former member of the Bundestag,

Burgwald

Wolfram Esche, attorney, Cologne

Dr. Sigrid Müller, pharmacologist, Bremen

Eva Bulling-Schroeter, member of the Bundestag, Berlin

Prof. Dr. Anton Schneider, biologist, Neubeuern

Dorothee Sölle, theologian, Hamburg (died 2003)

Dr. Janis Schmelzer, historian, Berlin

Dr. Erika Abczynski, pediatrician, Dormagen

 

 

 

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