Bordallo, M. C. A. (2010). Real-life cases for teaching and learning environmental chemistry. Unpublished manuscript. Page 52

CASE 8 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Read “Endosulfan: To ban or not to ban?”, Background and Problem 2. Form a group and discuss the answers to the worksheet with your

groupmates. 3. Get ready to participate in a class debate.

ENDOSULFAN: TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN?

“Waves as tall as mountains battered the MV Princess of the Stars and within 15 horrifying minutes, the ferry carrying more than 700 people sank.” (Inquirer Staff, 2008, para 2)

“There were many children trapped inside the boat. I could hear them wailing before the boat sank,” said Renato Lanorias, a crew member of the 23,824-ton ferry who survived tragedy. He could not forget the hundreds of bodies floating at sea and the cries for help from the victims as the ship keeled over and went under. (Inquirer Staff, 2008, para 2.).

It was one of the worst maritime accidents in the Philippines. The MV Princess of the Stars sailed from Manila on June 20, 2008 on a 22-hour trip to Cebu City with over 700 passengers on board. On June 21, at the height of Typhoon Frank, it sank off the coast of Sibuyan Island in Romblon. (Fig. 1) Aside from the passengers, the ship was also carrying a cargo of 10,000 kilos (10 metric tons) of the toxic pesticide, endosulfan.

Fig. 1. The ill-fated ferry MV Princess of the Stars Source: Fengshen strikes Philippines. (2009). CTV.ca. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from http://www.ctv.ca/gallery/html/philippines_typhoon_080626/photo_11.html

Bordallo, M. C. A. (2010). Real-life cases for teaching and learning environmental chemistry. Unpublished manuscript. Page 53

Search and rescue operations were temporarily halted on June 27 following the discovery of the toxic cargo. Fishing was banned within a 5-kilometer radius from the wreck. The chemical was owned by Del Monte Philippines for its pineapple plantation in Cagayan de Oro City and is used to prevent the pink discoloration in pineapples caused by mites.

Members of various citizens’ groups expressed outrage over the toxic shipment. They demanded the total ban on endosulfan in the Philippines, stressing that its continued use is like a ticking “toxic time bomb."

“To reduce the unacceptable threat of endosulfan to human health, wildlife and the environment, we ask the government to ban endosulfan and revoke all exemptions without delay,” Dr. Romy Quijano of the Pesticide Action Network-Philippines (PAN) and the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) said. PAN and IPEN, along with other groups, have been campaigning for a global ban on endosulfan for a long time.

FPA officials said endosulfan is now used only in pineapple plantations in Mindanao to kill insects, adding that it is not harmful as long as it is applied properly.

“The point is 20 countries all over the world also use endosulfan and it’s being used with strict guidelines and here in this country, we don’t allow the farmers to use it. You have to be an accredited corporate institutional account (to use it),” Department of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

On October 5, retrieval of all 402 barrels of endosulfan was successfully completed (Fig. 2). There was no apparent leakage into the waters.

Fig. 2. Drums containing endosulfan recovered from sunken ferry MV Princess of the Stars Source: Salvors to finish endosulfan retrieval in 4 to 5 days. (2008, October 3). abs-cbn.News.com. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/03/08/salvors-finish-endosulfan-retrieval-4-5-days

Bordallo, M. C. A. (2010). Real-life cases for teaching and learning environmental chemistry. Unpublished manuscript. Page 54

BACKGROUND

Endosulfan is a synthetic organochlorine insecticide that was first

introduced in the 1950s. It is widely used in the United States, China and India. It is a highly toxic substance and is widely considered to be a persistent organic pollutant (POP). It is so dangerous that it has been banned or severely restricted in 56 countries including countries in the European Union. The United Nations Environment Programme is currently considering a proposal to include endosulfan on the Stockholm Convention’s list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

An investigation in India concluded that the aerial spraying of endosulfan over a cashew plantation was responsible for the increased incidence of reproductive, neurological and developmental diseases, including cancer, in the villages within the plantation. It has been shown to accumulate in bodies of organisms as a result of repeated exposures, even at small doses. This bioaccumulation could eventually lead to poisoning.

Endosulfan is volatile and can be transported to long distances through the atmosphere. Residues of endosulfan have been found in air, soil and water, aquatic plants and animals, crocodile eggs and other organisms. Residues have also been found in food. They were present in dairy foods, meat, chicken, vegetable oil, peanuts, seeds, fruit, honey, rice, and many different vegetables.

In the Philippines, endosulfan was first used in the 1960s. It was banned

by the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) in 1993, but exemptions to the ban were given in 1995 to pineapple industry giants, Del Monte and Dole, to kill the mites that caused the so-called “pink disease” in pineapple plants.

THE PROBLEM Should endosulfan be totally banned (without exemptions) in the Philippines?

Bordallo, M. C. A. (2010). Real-life cases for teaching and learning environmental chemistry. Unpublished manuscript. Page 55

REFERENCES Diaz, Jess. (2008, July 1). Lawmakers eye ban on endosulfan. Philippine Star.

Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=70353 Endosulfan. (2009, November 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Retrieved 18:48, November 9, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Endosulfan&oldid=324032381

GMANews.TV. (2008, July 3). 50 NGOs push for ban on endosulfan. Retrieved

Aug. 25, 2009 from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/104823/50-NGOs-push-for-ban-on-endosulfan

Inquirer Staff. (2008, June 23). Ferry sinks, 700 missing. Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Retrieved from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080623-144207/Ferry-sinks-700-missing

MV Princess of the Stars. (2009, October 31). In Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:54, Nov. 9, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MV_Princess_of_the_Stars&oldid=323111553

Quijano, R. F. (n. d.). Endosulfan poisoning in Kasargod, Kerala, India (Report of

a Fact-Finding Mission). Penang, Malaysia: Pesiticide Action Netwrok Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved November 9, 2009, from http://www.panap.net/uploads/media/endosulfan_report_Kerala.pdf

Bordallo, M. C. A. (2010). Real-life cases for teaching and learning environmental chemistry. Unpublished manuscript. Page 56

WORKSHEET

NAME _____________________________ DATE __________ SECTION _______________

ENDOSULFAN: TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN?

1. General Information on Pesticides and Endosulfan

a) What are pesticides?

b) Fill in the table below.

Table 1. Chemical Families of Insecticides

Chemical Family

Mechanism of Action

Toxicity Level Example

Orgnophosphate

Organochlorine

Carbamate

c) What are the uses of endosulfan in the Philippines?

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2. How may people be exposed to endosulfan?

3. What happens to endosulfan after it is sprayed?

4. What are the effecs of endosulfan on people and the environment?

5. Endocrine Disruptors

a) What is an endocrine disruptor? Is endosulfan an endocrine

disruptor?

b) What are the effects of endocrine disruptors?

6. What is the Stockholm Convention?

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7. List some alternatives to endosulfan and cite their advantages and disadvantages (Table 2).

Table 2. Alternatives to Endosulfan

ALTERNATIVES ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

8. How may you protect yourself and the environment from endosulfan?

9. Should endosulfan be totally banned (without exemptions) in the Philippines?