Doctors reiterate call for endosulfan ban

With talks about endosulfan dying down, the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) reiterated yesterday its call for a ban on the toxic pesticide.

In a press statement, Dr. Geneve Rivera, HEAD secretary general, said the continued use of endosulfan is deplorable especially after its high level of toxicity was exposed in the aftermath of the sinking of Sulpicio Lines’ MV Princess of the Stars.

“After a tragedy exposed the continuing use of massive amounts of endosulfan, let us not wait for another tragedy before we act to completely ban it. Death and disease due to pesticide exposure and poisoning is indeed another tragedy happening in our midst,” she added.

Rivera said the government should learn from the lessons of the tragedy that befell MV Princess of the Stars that carried tons of endosulfan when it capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon.

Dr. Romeo Quijano, HEAD member, said the amount of endosulfan that went down with MV Princess “alone can wreak havoc on entire aquatic ecosystems that stretch across several hundreds of miles.”