This document summarizes the impact of endosulfan application on human health and the environment in Kerala, India. It provides background on endosulfan, including its introduction, uses as an insecticide, and timeline of events related to its spraying in Kasaragod, Kerala starting in 1978. The summary describes health effects observed in humans and animals exposed to endosulfan, including deaths, birth defects, neurological and reproductive issues. Environmental impacts discussed include toxicity to aquatic life, persistence in soil and water, and bioaccumulation in the food chain. The document concludes with international regulatory actions taken to restrict and phase out endosulfan due to its toxicity.

1. IMPACT OF ENDOSALFAN APPLICATION ON
HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENT IN KERALA
By
AJITH M P
PhD. Scholar
ajithmptnr@gmail.com
Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Mehrauli Road,
New Delhi, Delhi 110067
October 2018
School of Environmental Science

2. What is Endosulfan ?
 Organochlorine insecticide and acaricide
 First introduced by Hoescht, under the trade name
Thiodan, in Germany
 In India, Hindustan Insecticide Lmt. is the producer.
Sold under the trade names – Tionex, Endocil, Phaser,
Benzoepin
 2 Conformational Isomers - α and β
 Technical Endosulfan - 7:3 mixture of α and ß
stereoisomers

4. Cyclodan, Devisulfan, Endocel, Endocide, Endosol,
FMC 5462, Hexasulfan, Hildan, Hoe 2671,
Insectophene, Malix, Phaser, Thiodan, Thimul,
Thifor and Thionex.
Names in which it is available in market

5. Why Endosulfan?
 Wide spectrum of applications
 Insect pest - Whiteflies, Aphids, Leafhoppers,
Colorado Potato Beetle , Cabbage Worm etc.
 kills many types of mites, ticks, taste flies etc.
 unique mode of action - controlling insects
resistant to other forms of insecticide
 Extremely effective

6. Brief Background and Timeline of the Endosulfan
events at Kasaragod, Kerala
 The aerial spraying of endosulfan over the cashew
plantations in Kasaragod was started in 1978
 Done trice a year - covering 15 Grama Panchayaths
 Many warning signals - the mass deaths of bees, fishes,
frogs, birds, foxes and congenital deformities in
domestic animals -cows
 Since 1979 - local outcry from farmers and media
 In 1994, a local doctor, Dr. Mohankumar revealed that
there was a rising incidence of cases of mental illness
and congenital anomalies in Kasaragod

7.  He had a letter on this issue - Indian Medical Association,
asking the experts to conduct a study in the area
Later in 1998, Leelakumari Amma, a staff of the Krishi
Bhavan at Periya Panchayath witnessed the deterioration
of health of her two children and herself – loss of voice
and hormonal problems – after she came to live in a
village inside the spraying area
 She then lodged a complaint in the local court along with
two other farmers
 In 1998, Sub-court temporarily stopped the spraying of
endosulfan in Periya Panchayath
Several national and international groups conducted
health and toxicological studies between 1998 and 2002
and concluded that the abnormal health problems were
due to the spraying of endosulfan

8.  Noted unusual diseases were neurobehavioral
disorders, congenital malformations in girls and
abnormalities of reproductive tract in males
 Later the Kerala State Health Department conducted
medical camps in various regions and subsequently
they also conducted a study. The report reaffirmed the
relationship between endosulfan and the health
problems in Kasaragod.
 In 2002 the Kerala High Court banned the sale and use
of endosulfan in Kerala and the State Govt. also issued
a ban order in 2003
 In 2005 the Central Govt. issued an order - labels on
the pesticide bottles must carry a message that this
pesticide is not for sale in Kerala.

10. Fate in Humans and Animals
Easily absorbed by stomach, lungs and skin (all routes of exposure
can pose a hazard)
Not easily dissolve in water and can’t easily excreted.
Clinical signs of acute exposure - salivation, hyperactivity,
respiratory distress, diarrhea, tremors, hunching, convulsions,
nausea, unconsciousness, permanent brain damage, coma, and death
(WHO, 2004)
Detected in the air in schools at levels exceeding levels-of-concern
for young children derived from EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency)
 Mothers who lived near applications of Endosulfan during the first
trimester of their pregnancy are more likely to have children who
develop autism.
 “Endocrine disruptor”, associated with reproductive and
developmental effects such as miscarriages, reduced sperm quality
and count, impairment of sexual organs and delayed sexual maturity
Young animals are more sensitive than mature animals

11.  500 deaths since 1995 have been officially acknowledged
 As the plantations are mostly in mountainous areas, the
pesticide drains and get washed down the slopes during
rains into drinking water below
 A number of health problems among school children living
in the exposed area (National Institute of Occupational
Health, 2001)
 Children had significantly lower intelligence level and a
very high incidence of various sexual disorders. (The Hindu,
26.11.2010)
 For 26 years Kerala Govt.
sprayed in government owned
cashew plantations under
Plantation Corporation of
Kerala (PCK).

12. 613 children of 8 Gramma Panchayat in Palakkad district - living
victims of the banned pesticide Endosulfan
S.Guruvayurappan, South Indian coordinator of Wildlife Protection
Society of India (WPSI) reported thousands of butterflies were
dying every day in the mango orchards
Guruvayurappan wrote a letter to the forest and agriculture
departments and the chief minister in 2005
They reported reptile and monkey deaths & dogs, goats and cows
giving birth to young ones with twisted limbs
The next year the Calicut University Teacher Education Centre,
WPSI conducted a detailed study of 550 families in Muthalamada
174 families had serious health problems; children were suffering
from severe birth deformities, cerebral palsy, mental disorders, skin
diseases, vision loss and cancer and many women were found
infertile
Most of the victims hail from low income families
Palakkad, Mango City of the State Turns to be a
Toxic Hub

14. T Sruthi of Kasargod has been suffering from physical disability due to
the after affects of insecticide sumacaricide, Endosulfan. She has
succeeded in getting admission into homeopathic medical college at
Bengaluru. Chief Minsiter of Kerala gave 4 lakhs for her studies.

15. Toxicological Effects
Acute Toxicity
 Oral route (highly toxic ) - oral LD50 values ranging from 18 to 160 mg/kg
in rats, 7.36 mg/kg in mice and 77 mg/kg in dogs
 Dermal route (highly toxic ) - dermal LD50 values in rats ranging from 78 to
359 mg/kg.
 Inhalation (slightly toxic) - inhalation LC50 of 21 mg/L for 1 hour, and 8.0
mg/L for 4 hour.
 ß isomer is more toxic than the α isomer
 Toxicity may also be influenced by species and by level of protein in the diet
 Technical endosulfan is slowly and incompletely absorbed into the body
whereas absorption is more rapid in the presence of alcohols, oils and
emulsifiers.
Chronic Toxicity
 In rats, oral doses of 10 mg/kg/day caused high rates of mortality within 15
days, but doses of 5 mg/kg/day caused liver enlargement and some other
effects over the same period
 Caused seizures commencing 25 to 30 minutes following dose
administration that persisted for approximately 60 minutes

16. Teratogenic Effects
 An oral dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day resulted in normal reproduction in
rats in a three generational study but 5 and 10 mg/kg/day resulted
in abnormalities in bone development in the offspring.
Mutagenic Effects
 Mutagenic to bacterial and yeast cells
 Metabolites of endosulfan - ability to cause cellular changes
 Mutagenic effects reported in two different mammalian species
 A potent genotosic chemical which can break the DNA
Carcinogenic Effects
Carcinogenic in male and female rats at all sites (Reuber et al,1981)
Potential live tumour promoter in similar manner as the structurally
related chlorinated insecticide like Aldrin (Yuquan Lu et al, 2000)
Organ Toxicity
 Organs most likely to be affected include kidneys, liver, blood,
and the parathyroid gland.

17. Environmental Impact of Endosulfan
Small concentrations in the environment can find their way into
organisms, accumulate in food chains leading to higher doses
causing problems.
Released to water - absorb to the sediment and bio-concentrate in
aquatic organisms
Endosulfan standard not degraded in standard screening tests using
settled domestic waste water as in columns
Does not stick to soil particles readily and transport is most likely to
occur if attached to soil particles
Large amounts of Endosulfan can be found in surface water near
areas of application
In raw river water at room temperature and exposed to light, both
isomers disappeared in four weeks during the experiments
conducted in Kasaragod.
Found in numerous food products like vegetables, tobacco, various
sea foods an milk

18. Environmental Fate
Breakdown in Soil
Breakdown by fungi and bacteria
Moderately persistent in the soil environment - average field half-
life of 50 days
The half-life for the α isomer is 35 days & is 150 days for the β
isomer under neutral conditions
Two isomers will persist longer under more acidic conditions
Breakdown in Water
Breakdown in water is faster (5 weeks) under neutral conditions
than at more acidic conditions or basic conditions (5 months)
Under strongly alkaline conditions the half-life is 1 day
Breakdown in Vegetation
In plants, rapidly broken down to the corresponding sulfate
On most fruits and vegetables, 50% of the parent residue is lost
within 3 to 7 days.

19. Ecological Effects
 Oral LD50 in mallards ranging from 31 to 243 mg/kg and in
pheasants ranging from 80 to greater than 320 mg/kg
 Male mallards from 3 to 4 months old exhibited wings crossed
high over their back, tremors, falling as soon as 10 minutes after
an acute, oral dose
Effect on Birds
Effect on Aquatic Organisms
 The reported 96hour LD50 value in (ug/L):
Rainbow trout - 1.5
Fathead minnow - 1.4
Channel catfish - 1.5
Bluegill sunfish - 1.2

21. International Regulatory Action
The Council of the European Union made the decision
to propose endosulfan for listing in the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for global
elimination (EU July 2007).
The Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam
Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure
agreed to forward to the Conference of the Parties of
the Convention the recommendation for inclusion of
endosulfan in Annex III*. (March 2007)
*Annex III – Severely restricted for health

23. If it’s not safe to
breathe……..
.... is it safe
to eat?
Thank You…..