Endosulfan is now one step closer to a worldwide ban

Pesticides Action Network: End to Endosulfan Closer

Endosulfan is now one step closer to a worldwide ban.

Last Friday we cleared a major hurdle in securing a global endosulfan ban.

Endosulfan is among the worst pesticides still in use. It is a persistent neurotoxin that has accumulated in people and ecosystems everywhere. That’s why we’ve tackled it via international action at the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Last week, PAN joined partners on the ground at these international treaty meetings in Geneva and today we’re bringing you good news.

“We’re thrilled endosulfan is one step closer to a global ban,” says PAN scientist Karl Tupper, who was at last week’s meeting in Geneva. “Alternatives for this chemical have been in use for years, and no one can deny the harm it’s causing around the world.”

Endosulfan (still legal in the US) is a DDT-era poison used on popular foods like cocoa, tea, and tomatoes. Its frightening dangers – which scientists have been reporting for years — will now be evaluated for inclusion on the Stockholm Convention — a treaty that protects human and the environment from persistent organic pollutants.

Dr Alison Bleaney:

Endosulfan is used extensively in Australia

Ask those who export tomatoes and had their produce rejected by NZ last year!

Ask why DAFF delegates supported its banning in Geneva and yet the APVMA support its continued registration and use.

Why is the Minister’s office at odds with his own department?

Could it be due to industry pressure? What other reasonable explanation could there be?
via Dr Alison Bleaney