CHESS III
Item
- Title
- CHESS III
- extracted text
-
RF_E_8_A_8_SUDHA
To
The Editor
Down To Earth
)
Dear Ms Sunita Narain,
I found your article on the endosulphan very comprehensive and well
investigated. Since you mentioned the visit of Mr Ganesan to CHC I would like to add
something more from that interaction. The conversation was basically around the industries
concern about the ‘misinformed activists’ campaign against endosulphan, which was a ‘relatively
safe pesticide alternative’ today. As a health training and policy action group committed to
community health concerns and action initiatives, I informed him that we were neither anti
industry or anti-pesticide per se but pro people’s health and our concerns and interests were
around ‘evidence’ of dangers to community health of any nature. Also as an Occupational Health
consultant I have been interested in this issue ever since I did a large ICMR study on
Occupational Health hazards of tea plantation workers including pesticide hazard.
1 requested him to provide us with all the information the association/industry had about
endosulphan, which he promptly gave me in a note with questions and answers on endosulphan.
Over the last few months two of our younger team members Dr Anur Praveen and Dr Rajkumar
Nalarajan have done a detailed literature review. I am sending this to you as our commitment to
public education so that your readers can decide whether this is ignorance of an industry or a
deliberate misinformation campaign.
At the end of last month we facilitated a very interesting three day Community Health
Environment Skill Share (CHESS), where over 100 professionals and activists gathered from all
over the country to share their concerns about pesticides, mines, industrial hazards and other
environmental hazards and explore ways and means of studying them and collecting health
evidence. We had the unique privilege of a presentation by Dr Sayed, Director of National
Institute of Occupational Health who summarised the findings of their study on endosulphan in
Kasargod, which has been submitted to the National Human Rights Commission. The findings
not only substantiate the literature review we have compiled in CHC but is a sound, scientific,
evidence based contribution to the controversy. As a contribution to people’s science I think
Down To Earth should formally write to NHRC and N1OH (on behalf of your readers and the
affected victims of the endosulfan disaster) to release this report and make it a public document
to support the right of information.
ICMR ethical guidelines published last year clearly states that one of the ethical principles are
Y
Regards,
Dr Ravi Narayan
Community Health Cell Adviser, CHC, Bangalore
sochara@vsnl. com
5^
CH
Lc
I
INDUSTRY VERSUS SCIENCE - IGNORANCE OR MISINFORMATION
Compiled by Dr Anur Praveen and Dr Rajkumar Nalarajan ( CHC)
Questions
Answers
( What the Industry provided us*)
What is
Endosulfan?
What we have to say
(The actual facts)
- Endosulphan is an organochlorine
Endosulfan is a popular insecticide
pesticide belonging to the same family
used worldwide in more than 60
countries including USA, Japan, many (cylodicnc sub group) as Aldrin, Endrin,
Dieldrin, Heptachlor, Chlordane and
European and Asian countries. It is
Mirex all of which are Persistent Organic
recommended for control of insect
pests in a variety-of field and----------- ! Pollutants (P0Ps> andbanned by the------- ,
International POPs Convention Treaty.
plantation crops such as Cotton,
(Quijano. R. F., International Journal of
Vegetables, Wheat, Paddy, Mango,
Occupational Health. 2000)
Cashew. Tobacco. Coffee. Tea.
- Endosulfan itself is banned in Germany,
Sugarcane, Spices, etc.,
Singapore, Norway, Sweden and Belize.
Agricultural scientists call Endosulfan Its use in rice fields is not allowed in
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea and
as a “selective insecticide” as it has a
Thailand.
very low toxicity towards beneficial
- Its use is severely restricted in USA, UK,
insects such as honeybees and insect
predators/parasites and crop pests. It is Japan, Russia, Australia, Great Britain,
Finland, Netherlands, Denmark, Sri lanka,
therefore considered to be the most
Thailand, and Kuwait. (Hoeshcst, 1991;
ideal insecticide for use in IPM
(Integrated Pest Management) systems. IRPTC, 1993; PRC, 1994)
- Latest data reveal it is highly toxic to
bees, aquatic animals and other wildlife. It
is moderately to highly toxic according to
scale of Hodge and Stemer(1956).
- It is easily absorbed in the body
following ingestion, inhalation and skin
contact. (IPCS, WHO-EHC 40, 1984.)
- There is no authority or reference
quoting endosulfan as a selective or ideal
insecticide.
- Acute intoxication or systemic toxicity
causes neurological manifestaitions like
irritability, restlessness, muscular
twithieng, seizures, cyanosis, pulmonary
* Note provided by Nir Ganesan of
oedema and death. (IPCS, WHO-EHC 40,
Pesticide Manufacturers Association
1984 and
Gosselin. R. Et al, Toxicoloogy of
Commerica! Products, 1984.)
No.
2. Does
Insecticides of Organo chlorine group
endosulfan
contain mainly the elements Carbon,
belong to the
Hydrogen and Chlorine. Whereas,
insecticide
Endosulfan additionally contains
group 4
oxygen and sulphur in a functional
Chlorinated
Hydorcarbons” sulphite group. Hence, in 1986, WHO
i similar to
i rrecla^siliedTBiidosuifarraK
reclassified Endosulfan as sulfurous
ester of a chlorinated cyclic diol. In he
I DDT?
handbook of International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC),
Endosulfan is designated as sulphite.
3. How does
WHO rank
endosulfan for
its toxicity?
The UN body WHO has classify
pesticides as follolw.
Class la : Extemely Hazardous
Class lb : Highly Hazardous
Class IT : Moderately Hazardous
Class III: Slightly Hazardous
1 Endosulfan comes under the Class II
“Moderately Hazardous” pesticide.
Endosulfan is a Persistent Organic
Pollutant belonging to the organocholrine
group and cyclodiene sub group. It
belongs to the same family as Aldrin,
Endrin, Dieldrin, Heptachlor, Chlordane
and Mirex all of which are Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs) and banned by
the International POPs Convention Treaty.
(Quijano. R. F., International Journal of
Occupational Health, 2000)
Although endosulfan is classified as
sulphurous acid ester of chlorinated cyclic
diol by WHO, it is still an organochlorine
and its degenerated product endosulfan
sulfate is very persistent and as toxic as
the parent compound. (ASTDR, US Dept
of health & human Services, 1993)
WHO basis for Class II (moderately
hazardous) is based on LD 50 value taken
from company generated* acute toxicity
rate . (Quijano. R. F., International Journal
of Occupational Health, 2000)
★This data was challenged because the
lab that did theses tests was charged with
fraudulent practice.
In India, endosulfan is classified as an
"extremely hazardous64 pesticide (ITRC,
1989)
According to USEPA, endosulfan is
classified as “extremely hazardous” class I b (US Environmental Protection
Agency, Consolidated Chemicals List, 2nd
February, 1990)
EXTONET classified it as a highly toxic
chemical. (European union, 1998)
4. What is the
fate of
; endosulfan in
the
environment?
&
5. Is use of
endosulfan
safe for man
and
environment?
Fate in EnvironmentIn soilDegradation and dissipation of
The time taken for the concentration of
Endosulfan is rather fast from all
I
xrnnpanments-<yfthex^
------- endosulfan sulfate to reduce toT Tfrts----concentration in soil is 60- 800 days
(soil, water, air and organisms). Tn
(Stewart and Cairns, Journal of
Indian conditions, dissipation of total
Agricultural Food Chemicals, 1974)
Endosulfan residues occurs to the
Endosulfan was found in soil after 3 years
extent of 95% within 28 days after
of usage. (Rao DMR, Murthy AS, Journal
application. On most fruits and
vegetables 50% of Endosulfan residues of Agricultural Food Chemicals, 1974)
Concentration of endosulfan in sediment
is lost within 3-7 days after
is 32,000 times greater than in the water
application. In soil, it is degraded by
column.
(NRCC,1975)
microorganisms. It is practically
insoluble in water. The half line of
Endosulfan in water is estimated to be In watcrThe time taken for the concentration of
4 days.
endosulfan to reduce to half its
concentration in water in 3-days - 5
At the recommended rate/s and
method/s of application, Endosulfan is months depending upon pH of water, 02
(dissolved in water) and pollution in
safe to man and environment and is
water.
unlikely to lead to any user or public
(NRCC, 1975)
health problems.
Endosulfan has been found in
Studies and reviews by WHO/FAO
and US show that Endosulfan does not groundwater at deep soil layers upto 20
days after spraying. (Paningbatan EP et al,
have carcinogenic/mutagenic
The Phillipine Agriculturist, 1991.)
,teratogenic effects. Endosulfan does
Endosulfan is lethal to fish, even at
not cause endocrine disruption.
acceptable levels in water bodies. (IPCS,
Endosulfan enjoys good user safety
WHO-EHC 40, 1984)
record, though used in a variety of
situations worldwide.
In air
Endosulfan has been carried over long
distances and found in air and snow
samples in Arctic regions.
(Gregor and Gmmmer, 1989)
I
.........
Endosulfan bioaccumulates in aquatic
species like fishes, (Naquvi SM,
Vaishnavi C, Comp Biochem Physiol C,
1993; Fernandez Casalderrey A, et al.
Comp Biochem Physiol C, 1991; IPCS,
WHO-EHC 40, 1984) Kingfishers that fed
on fish which were killed or incapacitated
by endosulfan aerial spray died.
(Douthwaite, 1982)
Endosulfan and its residues have been
found in foods like vegetables, crops and
infant foods. (Pordrebarac DS, 1984,
BureatrofPiantIndtistry-phrhipines,
1995)
Safety of endosulfan for man and
environmentNo chemical pesticide is completely safe!!
There has been no studies on to prove the
toxicity of endosulphan as it is ethically
and legally not permissible to perform
tests on humans with pesticides. However,
sufficient proof is available on the
mutagenic , carcinogenic, teratogenic and
geno toxic effects on animals. Naturally,
these studies are used to predict the
possible effects on human beings.
Endocrine disruntionEndosulfan has reproductive and
endocrine disrutping effects leading to
reproductive toxicity and changes in
reproductive organs. (Soto A, Colbom. T,
Van Saal F. S., Environmental Health
Perspectives, 1994)
Mntagenicity (Cancer causing)
A 1992 study concluded that endoulfan
could act as a tumour promoter.
(Fransson-Steen R, et al. Carcinogenesis,
1992)
It has produced high rates of
lymphosarcoma (cancer of lymph
nodes)(Industrial Biotest, 1965)
Genetic defects (genotoxicity)
Endosulfan has caused damaged to genes,
chromosomes and cell cycle kinetics.
(Yaquan Lu, et al, Environmental Health
Perspectives, 2000; ASTDR, 1993)
Birth defects
Low birth weight and adverse behavioral
'■
effects have been noted on the offspring
of exposed rats. Endosulfan may produce
both maternal and developmental toxicity
in humans. (ASTDR, 1993)—————|
I
I
I
Nervous system:
Acute intoxication or systemic toxicity
causes neurological manifestations like
irritability, restlessness, muscular
twitching, seizures. Long term effects of
exposure to endosulfan have caused
seizures and mental retardation. (ASTDR,
1993)
TmmunotoxicitvThis is the most sensitive endpoint of
endosulfan toxcity and humans are at risk
of adverse immune effects. . (ASTDR,
1993)
Tn environment"
I Endosulfan is lethal to fish, even at
acceptable levels in both fresh water and
sea water. (IPCS, WHO-EHC 40, 1984)
Endosulfan has been proven toxic for
terrestrial birds and organisms like
beetles, mallards, kingfishers. (IPCS,
WHO -EHC 40,1984, Hudson et al, 1972)
The National Wildlife Federation US
states that endosulfan is extremely toxic to
wildlife and acutely toxic to bees. (NWF,
1987)
The Danish government has classified
endosulfan as acutely toxic to birds.
(Hanson OC, Ecotoxicological
Evaluation of Endosulfan, 1993)
Toxicity of endosulfan in roots and leaves
have been reported. (IPCS, WHO-EHC
40, 1984)
Released by CHC, Bangalore in public interest to support the campaign against
hazardous use' ofpesticides.________ ___ __________________ _ ______ ____________
i
WHOEHC: World Health organization Environmental Health Criteria
1PCS:
International Program on Chemical Safety
A TSDR: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Register, Atlanta
1TRC:
Industrial Toxicology Research Centre
A-
)
CHESS prep-work discussion paper
DOCUMENT INPUT:
1. BROCHURE:
Summary of CHESS-1
List of Participants :CHESS-1
List of Participants: CHESS-2
Profiles of all organizations participating in CHESS-2
Background Papers from key resource people
Expected-Ou-teewes
\k ><
Agenda of CHESS-2
2 . MANUAL ON LAY EPIDEMIOLOGY
Prepared by Community Health Cell, Bangalore.
3. POISON FREE EARTH- A CD Compilation of all toxics-health
literature.
>
Prepared by Greenpeace India for public use .
4 . ELOOR TRI REPORT
Prepared by Greenpeace India as part of the RTK/Health
campaign
5. REPORT-DOCTOR-INTEREST MATERIAL
6. REPORT-CONSUMER INTEREST MATERIAL
PROPOSED AGENDA:
DAY ONE: 26/7/2002:
9 am- 10am:
Registration and Tea.
10am to 1:30 pm: Sharing in large/small groups of the work of
individuals and groups.
1:30 to 2:30pm: Lunch
2:30 to 4:30pm: Lay Epidemiology: one day skillshare:
Elizabeth Guillette and Community Health Cell: Session 1
4:30 to 5:00 pm Tea
5:00 to 6:30pm Lay Epidemiology: Session 2
7pm: Cultural Evening: Welcome Dinner.
DAY TWO: 27/7/2002:
9am-10:30am: Lay Epidemiology: Session 3:
10:30-11:00am: Tea
11:00 to 1:30pm: Final Session of Lay Epidemiology
1:30 to 2:30pm: Lunch
2:30 to 4:30pm: A short summary of the CHESS-1 and the
ideas that emerged over the year.
Campaign Ideas Presentations
4:30 to 5:00pm: Tea and snacks.
5:00 to 6:30pm: Campaign Session -2:
Small Groups interactions cum brainstorming on
Toxics and Health Issues with:
--- A National Platform for Radiation survivors.
--- Legal action to address Corporate
Liability?
--- Womens' Health issues in hotspots
--- A Consumer Campaign(???)
--- Worker Health Remediation/Liability
--- Community Health Surveys
--- Pesticides and Health
--- Media as part of the Campaign.
--- And any other issues of concern...
The Format: One resource person presents a discussion
paper to provoke people into a discussion/debate. The process is
documented by the resource person to gather a complete picture of
what everyone wants to campaign on.
7:00pm onwards: Fringe meetings-
'building bridges'!!!
DAY THREE: 28/7/2002
9 am-10:30 am: Campaign Session-3: Small groups come in the
larger forum. Sharing of insights into the national campaigns.
10:30-11:00 am: Tea
11:00 - 1:30 am: Campaign Session 4: Debate and Discus
sion on the Statement of Collective Concern.
Lunch
1:30 -2:3 0pm:
2:30 - 3:30 pm: Final Plans for the 2nd year of the cam
paign.
raising
3:30 - 4:00 pm: Discussion on Budget and Resource4:00- 4:30 pm: Individuals and Organisations taking key
responsibilities.
4:30- 5:00 pm: Tea and Snacks
5:00 to 5:30pm: Travel to the City Centre.
5:30 to 7:00 pm: Public Activity and Press
Briefing.(Release the statement of collective
concern)
THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE EVENT:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Prepare an exhaustive List of Invitees—Manu, Bidhan
Contact/Meet them.—Bidhan
Prepare first draft of brochure: by june 15 th —Sanj u
Complete Brochure out by July 1st.— Sanju
5. Make a list of resource persons.—Manu
6 . Contact and Meet them.— Manu
7 . Prepare discussion papers on various sub-issues.—Nity(??)/
Manu
Participants
to bring existing indigenous research of their on to
8.
feed into PFE..Bidhan
9. Venue and Travel Logistics - Nimi
10. Budget and Funding— Ananth +any volunteers from the prepteam
11. Full Set of Documents for CHESS-2: by July 10th: Sanju
12 . Consultations with CHESS-1 team at all stages.—Manu
13 . Media Interphase:
14 . Public Activity : Manu
15. Draft Statement of Collective Concern: Nity(???), Dr.Ravi(???),
Ananth(???), Jayan(???), Manu
16 . Fund Raising: The CHESS planning group and any other
organisationsfc individuals
PROPOSED LIST OF RESOURCE PERSONS/
Invitees with issue focus:
Pesticides and Health:
•
•
•
Dr. Elizabeth Guillette
S. Usha
Jayakumar C.
Psychological/ Neurological Health: —y
•
Dr. Mohan Isaac,NIMHANS
A National Radiation Campaign:
• Achin Vanaik
• Praful Bidwai
Womens' Health
• Dr.Thelma Narayan
Worker Health and Liability:
•
•
•
Babu Mathew
Ganguly-CITU
Vijay Kanhere is a labour activist
compensation of workers in industry.
Emai1: sujvij@vsnl.com
Media Campaign:
«
who
has
worked
for
the
•
•
•
•
P. Sainath
Darryl D'Monte,Corpwatch-India
Nityanand Jayaraman
Dr. Unnikrishnan, OXFAM
Consumer Action:
•
Bejon Mishra
Lay Epidemiology:
Dr.
Dr.
Dr.
Dr.
Ravi Narayan
Thelma Narayan
Murlidhar
Veena Murlidhar
Legal Action:
•
•
•
•
Colin Gonzalves, India Centre for Human Rights and Law.
Deepika, Human rights law network.
Prashant Bhushan, Supreme Court Lawyer.
Justice Kuldip Singh(???)
PROPOSED LIST OF PARTICIANTS: (being updated)
EXPECTED PARTICIPATION:
15
• Doetors:
5
• Lawyers:
5
• Consumer Associations:
• Activists:
35
• Survivors (affected communities) :
• Trade Unions and Workers:
•
• Youth groups:
85
TOTAL:
Doctors:
. Piaveen Anut is an intern from Kempegouda Institute of Medical
Sciences, Bangalore who, was .a special volunteer with CHC during his
Community Medicine posting and was primarily responsible for all
communications and facilitation of organisational dimensions of CHESS1.
Ema i1: anurpraveen@hotmail .com
■Lalit Narayan is a first year mtdical student at St. John's Medical
College, Bangalore wnd —1 .as been interested in environmental issues
right from high school.
Emai1: lalit n@hotmail.com
Dr. Rajan Patil is an epidemiologist and is presently a Research/
Training Assistant in CHC with a special interest in vector bourne
diseases. He has been involved with creating an interactive science
teaching module on mosquitoes and their control.
Email: raj anpatil@yahoo.com
Dr. Girish Rao
Dr. Girish Rao is an Associate Professor of Community Medicine in M.S.
Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore with a longstanding interest in all
aspects of hospital waste management. He is also an Associate of CHC.
Address: Faculty of Community Medicine, M.S. Ramaiah College, MSRIT
Post, Bangalore- 560 054
Phone: 080-3600968
Emai1: girishrao@hotmail.com
Dr. Sukanya, Achyutha Menon Center for Public Health,
Trivandrum.
Dr. T. Venkatesh
is the Professor of Biochemistry at St. John's Medical
Dr. Venkatesh
of the George
College and the Director of 'Project Lead Free'
Foundation. He is also the head of the National Referral Centre for
Lead Poisoning in India.
Address: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, St. John's Medical
College, Bangalore- 560 034
Phone: 080-5532146/ 2065058
Telefax: 080-6640293
Emai1: venky tv@hotmail.com
Dr. Murlidhar V is a Mumbai based doctor with experience and interest
in community health surveys and environmental health issues.
E mail: murlidharv@vsnl.com
Dr. Veena Murlidhar is a medical officer with Navi Mumbai Municipal
Corporation. Her work involves control/ surveillance of epidemic
diseases and campaigns such as Polio Eradication.
Emai1: murlidharv@vsnl.com
£
Dr.Rakhal Gaitonde and Dr.Subhasri Gaitonde
Dr. Rakhal is doing his post graduation in Community Medicine in CMC,
Vellore. He has a special interest in peoples movements and using
epidemiological skills in activism. Dr.Subhashri is an obstretician
and gynaecologist in CMC, Vellore.
Address: 636-B, PG Quarters, CHAD, Bagayam, Vellore
Phone: 0416-260988
Ema i1: subharakhal@yahoo.com
Sachin Dz souza
Sachin is a final year medical student at St. John's Medical College,
Bangalore
157,
Wheeler Road,
Frazer Town,
Ranka
Plaza,
Address:
203-F,
Bangalore- 560 005
Phone: 080-5090150
Emai1: mustardjuice@postmark.net
Dr. Ravi Narayan is the Community Health Advisor of CHC with
professional interest and training in public health, industrial health
and preventive and social medicine. Earlier as an Associate Professor
of Community Health at St. John's Medical College he worked on
occupational hazards of the tea industry and the health effects of
agricultural development.
Ema i1: tnarayan@vsnl.com
2
Dr. Thelma Narayan is the present coordinator of CHC. She is an
epidemiologist with a doctorate in public health policy. She has been
involved as a resource person for studies on the Bhopal health
disaster and is currently a member of the Karnataka Government Task
Force on Health and Family Welfare.
Email: tnarayan@vsnl.com
Dr. Biju, Dr. Nandakumar from the Karimugal Carbon Black
factory, Cochin.
pv S-s-xp
/
r?
ev- _
Trade Unionists/ Labour Activists/Workers:
Vijay Kanhere is a labour activist who has worked for the compensation
of workers in industry.
Ema i1: sujvij@vsnl.com
S.A. Mahindrababu and K. Gopalakrishnan are members of the Ex Mercury
Employees Association and are fighting for cleanup of the mercury and
better compensation for the workers in Kodai.
Daniel Francis is a machine orperator in the Mercury Thermometer Plant
of Hindustan Lever Ltd. in Kodaikanal.
Mohan, Trade Union Movement Researcher, Bangalore.
Consumer Associations:
Bejon Mishra, Consumer Voice, New Delhi
Bharat, Consumer Action Group, Chennai.
Uanki Shah, Bangalore.
Activists and Individuals:
Usha S. is involved in environmental
studies and campaigns among farming
agricu 11ure . thanal@vsnl . com
education among students and
communities on chemicals in
involved in campaigns against industrial pollution in
Sridhar R. is
Floor and Mavoor in Kerala, He is also involved in the issue of waste
management and has worked on the socio-economic impacts of the
newsprint and pulp industries. thanal@vsnl.com
Rajasree V.V. is involved in Thanal's activities on pollution and
toxicity and is specifically working on hospital waste management.
thanal@vsnl.com
Jayakumar C. is the coordinator of Thanal Conservation Action
and Information Network. thanal@vsnl.com
Anand Mazgaonkar and Swati Desai's work involves trying to mobilize
affected communities along a 200km stretch from Vapi to Mehsana in
Gujarat on issues of ground and surface water contamination^, hazardous
solid waste, air pollution, health effects and TNCs.
pss@narmada.net.in
Michael Mazgaonkar, Paryavaran Suraksha SamitizPSSz Gujarat.
pss@narmada.net.in
Mahalakshmi Parthasarathy is working with mining struggle sroups. She
is also involved with legal and media advocacy and information
documentation.
Emai1: pmahalakshmi@yahoo.com
V.T. Padmanabhan is currently studing the genetic effects of natural
biological radiation in villages in Kerala. sambhavana@vsnl.com
Bharati Chaturvedi, coordinator of Chintan Environmental Research and
Action Group.
Kanan, Palani Hills conservation Council, Kodaikanal. Email:
kanan@vsnl.com
Vishnu Kamath, Citizens for Alternatives to Nuclear energy (CANE),
Bangalore.
_ Xavier Dias, Mines, Minerals and People.
—— AS Mohammed (SJANMS)
|a /ne ru
AS Mohammed is the Asst. Professor of statistics and demography in the
Department of Community Medicine, St. John's Medical College and has
been involved in numerous studies and reports on health care and
evaluation. He is a society member of CHC.
Address: Department of Community Health, St. John7 s Medical College,
Bangalore- 560 034
Phone: 080-2065043
Email: aa.sjmc@vsnl.com
Rajesh Rangarajan, Toxics Link Chennai, Chennai. tlchennai@vsnl.net
Madhumita Dutta, Toxics Link Delhi, New Delhi. mdutta@vsnl.com
Nityanand Jayaraman
for
Nityanand is an independent journalist working on toxic issues
over 5 years.
Address: 218, 6th Main, 6th Cross, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore-560
098
Phone: 080-8601033
E mail: nity68@vsnl.com
Ananthapadmanabhan
Ananth is the Executive Director of Greenpeace India. He ahs been teaching
before for 11 years and then he spent a few years in the Environment Division
of a leading finantial institution.
Email: ananth@dialb.greenpeace.org
Sanjeev Gopal
Sanjeev is currently a trainee campaigner with Greenpeace India.
Email: sanj eev.gopal@dialb.greenpeace.org
Divya Raghunandan
Divya is a trainee campaigner with Greenpeace India.
Email: divya.raghunandan@dialb .greenpeace.org
Bidhan Chandra Singh
Bidhan is a trainee campaigner with Greenpeace India. Email:
bidhan.chandra.singh@dialb.greenpeace.org
Nirmala Karunan
Nirmala is the Administration Manager.
Email: nirmala.karunan@dialb.greenpeace.org
Survivors
(affected communities):
W Purushan, Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, a community based
organization involved in pollution prevention through direct actions in
Eloor, the largest industrial estate in Kerala. Email:
VJ Jose, Ernakulam Rural Action Force and active volunteer of
Greenpeace-India.
Involved in mobilizing the local community using education
material and films from the Greenpeace library. He has also been
instrumental in environmental monitoring of the river Periyar.
Lawyers:
• Colin Gonzalves, India Centre for Human Rights and
Law.
• Deepika, Human rights law network.
• Prashant Bhushan, Supreme Court Lawyer.
• Justice Kuldip Singh(???)
LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS
(a proposal)
1. Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, Delhi
Represented by Bharathi Chaturvedi
Chintan is a Delhi based NG0 working on environmental issues,
particularly waste and toxics.
Address: No. 17, Jangpura Market, 2nd floor, above Om Hotel, New Delhi
110 013
Phone: 011-3381627/ 4314478
2. Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samiti,Kerala
PMVS is a local group of activists fighting the pollution issue in the
Floor and Edayar belts of the River Periyar, where there are about 250
industries of all sorts mainly chemical.
Address: Periyar Malineekarana Virdha Samiti, Floor Depot,
Udyogmandal P.O., Kochi, Kerala.
Phone: 98460-13483
E-mai1: thanal@vsnl.com
3. Endosulfan Spray Protest Action Commitee, Kerala
ESPAC was formed at Perla, Kasergod by local farmers and the affected
people to fight the aerial spraying of endosulfan and they have been
very sucessful in bringing this issue to a larger media and people's
attention.
Address: c/o Kajampady Nursing Home, P.O. Perla-671 552, Kasargod
District, Kerala
Phone: 895088
E-ma i1: shreepadre@sancharnet.in
4.
Palni Hills Conservation Council
Represented by Kanan.
A NGO based in Kodaikanal fighting for the cause of workers affected
in Mercury factory of HLL.
Email: kanan@vsnl.com
5. Sambhavna
Represented by V.T. Padmanabhan
Sambhavna is a Bhopal based voluntary organisation engaged in
delivering holistic medical services to gas affected people. It has
undertaken several pioneering initiatives in the field of community
health, particularly in the context of communities affected by
industrial pollution.
Address: Sambhavana, Berasia Road, Bhopal
Ema i1: sambavna@bom6.vsnl.net.in
6.
Mines, Minerals and People(MMP)
Represented by Mahalakshmi Parthasarathy
MMP is a national network of mining- affected communities and
community groups and working with mining affected communities in any
manner.
Address: 1249/A, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad- 500 033
Phone: 040-6505974
Telefax: 040-3542975
Email: mm _p@satyam.net. in
7.
Citizens
Bangalore
for
Alternatives
to
Nuclear
energy
(CANE),
Represented by Kavitha B.S.
CANE is a Bangalore based NGO working aganist radioactive pollution.
Address: #390, 5th main, 12th cross, West of Chord Road, 2nd stage,
Mahalakshmipura, Bangalore-560 086
Phone:080-3592059/ 3592060
E mail: kavayathri@yahoo.com , aravinda@cisco.com
8. Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat
Represented by Anand Mazgaonkar and Swati Desai.
PSS is a voluntary self help organisation working primarily in South
Gujarat on a variety of issues, including Industrial Pollution and
Right To Know.
Address: 37/1, Narayan Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Rajpipla-393145, Gujarat
Phone: 02640-20629
Email: psstgnarmada . net, in
9.
Thanal Conservation
Thiruvananthapuram :
Action
and
Information
Network,
Represented by Usha S., Sridhar R. and Rajasree V.V.
Thanal is a community oriented organisation working on conservation
issues and toxic related issues. Currently engaged in a community
Right to Know campaign in Eloor, Kerala and a proposal to move
Kovalam toward a zero waste model.
Address: Post Box No: 815, Kawdiar, Thiruvanthapuram, 695 003, Kerala
Phone: 0471- 311896
Email: thanal@md4.vsnl.net.in , shreepadre@sancharnet.in
io .Toxics Link,Chennai
Represented by Rajesh Rangarajan
Address: 8, 4th Street, Venkateshwara Adayar, Chennai- 600 020
Phone: 044-4460387
Telefax: 044-4914358
Email: tlchennai@vsnl.net
ii.Occupational Health and Safety Centre, Mumbai
Represented by Vijay Kanhere, Dr. Murlidhar V. and Dr.Veena Murlidhar.
Pasta Road,
Dadar(E),
Address:
6,
Neelkant Apartments,
Gokuldas
Mumbai-400 014
Phone: 022-766 0178
Emai1: webmaster@ohscmumbai.org
Website: www.ohscmumbai.org
12 .Community Health Cell, Bangalore
Represented by Dr. Ravi Narayan, Dr. Thelma Narayan, Dr. Rajan Patil,
Dr. Praveen Anur and Lalit Narayan.
CHC is volulntary health organisation and community health resource
and policy centre working closely with the governments and communities
to improve health and access to health care. Also involved in training
health workers to empower communities at grass root level.
Address: 367, Jakkasandra 1st Main, 1st Block, Koramangala, Bangalore560 034
Phone: 080-5531518/ 5525372
Telefax: 080-5525372
Ema i1: sochara@vsnl.com
12.Greenpeace India
Represented
by
Nirmala
Karunan,
Manu
Gopalan,
Navroz
Ananthapadmanabhan, Dvya Raghunandan, Bidhan Chandra Singh.
Address: J- 15, Saket, New Delhi- 110 017
Phone: 011-6962932/ 6536716
Telefax; 011-6563716
Mody,
email: manii.gopalantodialb.greenpeace.org
13. Consumer Voice
F-71,Lajpat Nagar-II, New Delhi-110024
ph:011-6918969,011-6315375
fax:011-4620455
Bejon Misra: 9811044424
email:bej onmOhotmail.com
14.Consumer Action Group
Represented by Bharat Jaiaraj.
No.7, 4th Street, Venkateshwara Nagar, Adyar, Chennai-600020.
15.Samvada, 303 , II Floor,Rams Infantry Manor,
Bangalore.
Ph:080-5580585
Represented by Anita Ratnam, Benson Isaac.
Infantry Road,
16.Human Rights Law Network,
Represented by Deepika D'souza, Colin Gonzalves.
Engineer House, 4 Floor, 86,Bombay Samachar MArg, Mumbai-400023.
Ph: 022-2217078/2204948
Fax:022-2220822/2227233
17.Alternative Law Forum,
Represented by Chitra.
Infantry Roadz Bangalore.
18. Indian Ocean, New Delhi.
Represented by Rahul Ram.
19 . Association of Consumer Action on Safety and Health(ACASH),
Mumbai.
Servants of India Society, SVP Road, Gurgaum, Mumbai.
Ph: 022-3886556
20. AIIMS National Poison Information Cell.
Dr.SD Seth. Ph: off:011-6512880;horn:011-6593282;fax:011-6859391
21. The Goa Foundation, Above Mapusa Clinic, Mapusa-403507
Goa.
Claude Alvares
22. The Centre for Science and Environmental, Tughlakabad
Institutional Area, New Delhi-110062.
Ph: 011-6081110,011-6083699,fax:011-6085879
email:cse@sdalt.ernet.in
Nidhi Jamwal
23.Center for Indian Trade Unions:198,N Avenue, New Delhi110001.
PK Ganguly
email: pkg@mail-me .com,citu@vsnl.com
phone: 011-3221288/1306
fax: 011-3221284/3794230
24. CEC, 173 A, Khirki Village, Malviya Nagar.
J John
Phone: 011-6686841,011-6671858.(o) 011-6688455
email:j j ohnOvsnl.com
25.Development Alternatives,
B-32,Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110 016
Ashok Khosla
Phone: 011-6851158
Fax:011-6866031
26.India Centre for Human Rights and Law,
5th Floor, CVOD JAin School, 84,Samuel Street, Dongri, Mumbai400009.
Ph: 022-3702592/3790699
Deepika D'souza.
27.Hind Mazdoor Sabha,125, Babar Road, New Delhi-110001
Umrahomal Purohit
Ph:011-3413519
Fax:011-3411037
28.Humanscape,11,Yogniti,18,SV Road,
Phone:022-6106197
022-6119513
Santacruz(W), Mumba i-400054
29. Himal, Himal South Asia, GPO BOx:7251, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Email: thomasm@himalmag.com
30.ICRA, Bangalore.
Email: icra@bgl.vsnl.net.in
icrOvsnl.com
31.Living on the Edge.
Ph:011-6180952/53
Fax:011-6189130
Monica/Nandini
32. Pallikkoodam School, Vadarathoor PO, Kottayam-686010
Ph:-0481-578123
0481-570576
Email: pallikoodam@yahoo.com
Mary Roy.
33.Himal Association,
PO Box:166, Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur,Kathmandu,Nepal
Ph:433100,542544.
Mohan Mainali
34.PIRG,
Ph:011-2432054
Fax:011-2224233
Kawaljit Singh
35.PSI,
252/1, Vasanth Vihar Enclave, Dehradun,-248006, UP.
Ph:0135-763 64 9,0135-773 84 9 .
36.PUCL, 32,Kachaleeswarar Agraharam St. Off., Armenian Street,
Chennai-600001.
phone: 044-5233639,
fax:044-524541
email:counsels@vsnl.net
37.Pravah,15/10(2nd Floor)Kalkaji,New Delhi-110019
Tel:011-6440619
email:pravahOndf.vsnl.net.in
38. Bandhua Mukti Morcha, 7, Jantar Mantar Marg, New Delhi110001
Phone:011-3366765/3367943
Fax:011-3368355
Swami Agnivesh
39.VHAI, 40, Institutional Area, Tong Swasthya Bhavan, Near
Qutab Hotel, New Delhi-110016.
Ph:011-6518071/72
Fax:011-6853708
4 0.The School, KFI, Chennai.
Sumitra, Arun.
Proposed Budget for CHESS-2 Preparation, Event and Follow-up
Head
Expand
1
Travel (resource people meetings)
1
Travel (Meetings with Participants)
2-GP
Cost Who Pays? 1--Shared
8 meetings
40,000
2
0
25,000
2
0
40000
25000
80 pages X 100 copies (printed, xerox, spiral bound)
10,000
2
0
3
Brochure
3
Manual of lay epidemology
80 pages X 100 copies (printed, xero x, spiral bound)
10,000
1
10000
0
3
Reports (Doctors, Consumers)
40 pages X 2 Reports X 100 copies (slick)
20,000
2
0
20000
3
Poison free earth (reproduction costs) Rs. 90/CD*100 copies
9,000
2
9000
3
Skill share proceedings document
80 pages X 100 copies (printed, xerox, spiral bound)
10,000
2
0
10000
4
Venue + food
100 peopleX 5 daysX Rs. 500
175,000
1
175000
0
4
Transport
6 minivan trips @2500/trip
15,000
1
15000
0
4
Public Activity
15000
0
4
Travel support (if necessary)
30000
4
Travel Support for resource people
4
Stationary & banners etc
4
Meeting T-shirt
7,000
2
4
Elizabeth Guillette Travel
6
Media Interphase
Rs. 1000 X 30
Rs.75/person *100 people
10000
0
15,000
1
30,000
2
0
20,000
1
20000
0
7,500
2
0
7500
$2,500/ 125,000
2
0
125000
25,000
2
0
25000
Rs. 70/shirt *100 people
0
7000
4
7
Manpower costs (1 travelling campaigner)
20,000
2
Total costs who pays?
Budgets and Funding
0
20000
shared
GP
INR
Preperation
3000 pages X 10 copies
TRI (Floor)
2
8
0
0
TOTAL
488,500
Contingency
48,850
Cost per head
2350
Grand total
537,350
Delegate Fee
number of paying delegates
Income from delegate fee
From GP
From Direct Fundraising:
500
60
30000
253,500
253,850
235,000 253,500
a
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Just an instance of the many ways in which health surveys help campaigns...
cheers,
manu
------ Start of forwarded message -----From: davey garland <thunderelf@yahoo.co.uk>
Subj ect: [DU-WATCH] Unique health survey implicates Hinkley Nuke power
station
Date: 7/14/2002 12:18:17 AM
Unique health survey implicates Hinkley
A group of committed parents has conducted a unique
doorstep survey of its own community and discovered
appalling levels of cancer just five miles from
Hinkley Point nuclear power station. A report
analysing the responses of some l,bU0 people shows
cervical and kidney cancer at over five times the
national average with four times the average leukaemia
diagnoses and double the national rate for breast
cancer.
The questionnaire survey was conducted by a group of
Burnham residents called ’Parents Concerned About
Hinkley' and analysed by Dr Chris Busby who, over the
past two years, has found high cancer mortality in the
Lown. This differs from all previous studies as it
examines the number of people reporting cancer in a
questionnaire.
The survey confirms Dr Busby’s findings published two
years ago (1) showing that breast cancer deaths in
North Burnham electoral ward were double the national
average. It also exposes other high cancer rates not
available from the Office of National Statistics from
which he drew his earlier conclusions.
Dr Busby said, "This is the first citizens’ health
survey of this sort in the UK and 1 applaud the group
for their very hard work. They were forced to go down
this road as the Health Authority refused to publish
its figures. Now we see a picture confirming my fears
that Hinkley discharges are responsible for severe
health problems here. All the epidemiology points to
that conclusion."
Dr Busby’s work has been testing the hypothesis that
radioactive particles discharged into the sea arc
deposited on the local mudbanks, blown downwind and
inhaled by residents on a chronic basis, triggering
the cancer. This theory is supported by the survey
which shows over half of those diagnosed with cancer
have hobbies involving the sea, eg water-sports or
digging for bait on the beach. Out of ninety five
people with cancer going back to 1989, forty-nine
(52%) took part in sea connected activities.
Fourteen of the cancer group had outdoor jobs (15%)
and twelve ate local fish or shell-fish regularly
(thirteen per cent). Twenty per cent (20.7%) of the
cancer sufferers were smokers, which is less than the
twenty seven per cent average of smokers in the UK
(’Action on Smoking’ figures) or the 35 per cent of
hospital cancer patients who are smokers.
The survey sponsors. Stop Hinkley, are currently
campaigning against a new nuclear power station
proposed for Hinkley and together with ’Parents
Concerned About Hinkley’ held an opinion poll in
Burnham in January on the subject. Eighty three per
cent of Burnham residents said they did not want
another nuclear plant.
In a report from the DTI published in the New
Scientist last week, the government has suggested
compensating local communities for ’perceived
disbenefits’ of new nuclear build. Jim Duffy, the
group’s coordinator said, "We are certainly witnessing
some severe disbenefits of living under a nuclear
power station and the government should surely
compensate these individuals and their families for
shortening their lives. But a new power station must
be completely off the agenda now.. People prefer their
health to any amount of money"
Jim is also concerned about the stance of local health
officials. He had asked Somerset Health Authority at
the start of the survey how many cases of leukaemia
existed in Burnham and was told ’none’ but the survey
revealed four cases. He said, "Our distrust of the
Health Authority cannot be overstated."
Dr Busby was recently shocked when, using the Data
Protection Act, he uncovered internal health authority
papers with Burnham cancer statistics, in an email,
the health authority described a ’quick and dirty’
study they had put together but had made a basic error
leading to lower the apparent cancer risks. The
population figures for the year 2000 were wrongly
applied to a ten year study that ended in 1998. This
according to Dr Busby falsely deflated the apparent
cancer incidence due to the increase of both the
general population and the elderly population giving a
higher expectation of cancer.(2)"
d, ’’The authorities now should meet with me and
He said
terms of a study in which all parties can
agree the
t.
have confidence."
Dr Busby will announce the full findings of the survey
and its implications in a public meeting at the
Princess Hall in Burnharri-on-Sea at /.oupiu on Jury
18th.
A demonstration will take place at 11am on the
Saturdays either side of the public meeting on Burnham
Reach to draw attention to health risks from the
polluted shoreline.
Jim Duffy 01984 632109 M: 07968 975804 E:
stophinklcyOaol.com
Stop Hinkley Coordinator
Chris Busby 01970 639315 E: christo.@cato5.demon.co.uk
Green Audit
Julie Gilfoyle 01278 794788 M: 07971 744372
Parents Concerned About Hinkley
Table 1: (correct on 11th July ’02 in advance of the
final report but subject to updating)
These preliminary results show cancer INCIDENCE not
mortality. This gives a tighter correspondence to
environmental causes and confirms the findings of
local cancer mortality studies Dr Busby has undertaken
over the past two years (1).
Cancer Findings Nos expected Relative
Risk+ Significance*
Cancer incidence in a six year period from 1996-2001:
Kidney cancer 5 cases 1.26
3.96 poisson .01
Cervical cancer 3 cases 0.54
5.6 poisson .01
Breast cancer 16/17 cases 8.1
1.97 / 2.1 poisson .004
Leukaemia 4 cases 1.46
2.73 poisson .05
Cancer incidence over four years: 1998-2001
Kidney cancer 5 cases 0.84
5.95 p .001
Cervical cancer 2 cases 0.36
5.6 p .01
Breast cancer 9 cases 5.4
1.7 p .08
Leukaemia 4 cases 0.96
4.09 p .02
+ Relative risk or multiplier of national average, pg
RR 5.6 means 5.6 times the national average or more
accurately, times the expected number, weighted for
age and other factors.
* Statistical significance is proportionally higher
with a lower poisson factor, eg a poisson factor of
.01 means 1 chance in 100 of this occurrence randomlly.
P .001 is one chance in a thousand.
All the above figures are statistically significant!.
Table 2:
Figures for All Cancer diagnoses: The ’doorstep
survey’ showed a reduction going back in time,
probably due to the death of those diagnosed in
earlier years or their commitment to in-patient health
care. For this reason rhe study examines only the last
six years in detail.
Year: zuui zouu 1999 1998 199/ 1990
1995 1994 1993 1992 1991
Cases: 15 12 8 8 10
7 6 4 2 4
3
1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1996-19/1
1 3 0 3 1
4
Expected cases per year: 11.
(1) Dr Chris Busby, Breast Cancer and Proximity to
Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station, April 2000. Green
Audit, Aberystwyth.
(2) Call lor fax copies of HealLh AuLhoriLy infernal
email and regional press coverage.
End of forwarded message
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
LochessLwo-unsubsuribetsyahoogroups .co. in
■
^^3-^
CHESS proceedings
Subject: Ro: CHESS proceedings
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 20:33:02 -0500
From: Nityanand Jayaraman <niw68@vsn1.com>
To: ’’Communiiy Health Cell” <sochaxa@vsal.coni>
CC: mangoforu@vsnl.net. pss@narmada.net.in. thanal@vsnl.com
hello lalit and dr. praveen:
I’m afraid i have bad news, i do not think i will be able to put together the white paper, i over -committed and will not
be able to meet this commitment, mv apologies.
ciao nity
; I
At 11:26 PM 9/4/01 +0530. vou wrote:
Dear Nityanand, We were just in the process of putting together the proceedings of the
skiiishare ana were wondering if vou couid send us a note of the white raner which was
going to be sent to the Plaxming Commission. If you have not already got the final copy
ready a note detail-mg the points which are going to be raised will suffice. We plan to
bung out tiic piuuccuiiigs m about 2 weeks tunc so if you can give us the Imai
submission by then that would be great. Regards Dr. Praveen and Lalit narayan
Community Health Ceil
367, 'Srinivasa Nilaya', Jakkasandra Isi main,
1st block. Koramangala, Bangalore- 560 034
Phone: 5531518 Fax: 5525372
9/5/01 10:53 AM
Of 1
12)^
(^9
b
Gl
I
Write to help the people
Subject: Write to help the people
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 12:45:59 -ri)530
From: "Jayakumar" <thanal@md4.vsnl.net in>
To: CIIESS:@md4.vsiil.nct.ia
CC: kadaiamaf^yahooxom
A -
I
'■i
I
dear all
I remind you the earlier postings on endosulfan poisoning in Kerala.me pesticide industry is here and trying their best
to lift the ban.
‘ 'l
If you can write one mail that is going to change the balance and tilt the issue towards the people* We are looking fof
about 500 + mails, please bcc the mail to us. If any of you like to writ? the newspapers on th? issu^ we will be i /
extremely happy to give you the mail ID . We need yoursupport now. Please help.
’
here is a draft letter addressed to the chief minister of kerala. Pleas add your name and address at xxxx s s
.....
TO.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister A.K. AntonV
Government of Kerala.
India.
a
cmkeralarffikersect.ker.nic.in
Dear Sir:
We are writing ihis in appreciation of your decision to suspend all
...............................
, that
»
uses of Endosulfan until further
orders. We are.............
happy to note
responsible leaders like you are prepared to act on the Precautionary' Principle and uphold the priority of the 5
Right to Life over private profits by selling poisons.
4
A"*
Kerala is a beautiful land and we hope that it will continue to regain
so. We were in fact pained to read about the Kasaragod tragedy and
reports about the manner in which the poisonous pesticide Endosulfan has been used in and around tM cashew
plantations in Northern Kerala. Wc did not expect this in a land famous for its natural beauty' and traditional health
systems.
•
Chemical pesticides are all dangerous and such poisons enrich only one constituency — the manufacturers and a 1
dealers. In the long run,
neither the farmers, the emdronment or the regional economy is Kkdy to inherit an^lhiag other than a toxic legacy of
barren farmlands and poisoned people, in fact, it is ironic that chemicals like Carbaryl (or Sevia) — me pesticide
manufactured by Union Carbide in Bhopal at die time of the disaster — continues to be marketed witl# abandon, and
even recommended by the Scientific institutions in India.
There already is overwhelming evidence that these pesticides and
chemicals ate intensely hazardous to die envhonment and human
health, particularly more so in areas like Kerala that are blessed
with abundant rainfall and criss crossing water bodies.
*
Humanity is trapped in a vicious cycle of pesticide use and bold
measures like yours arc needed to got out of it. It gives us all the
more reason to value /our land, people and your products in high
of 2
Vrite to help the people
9/12/0111:115 AM
£
esteem.
we urge you to continue with your good work, and assure you our
support in moving Kerala from the insidious pesticide treadmill onto 4
the path of truly sustainable and equitable agriculture, and show the
world the way forward towards a progressive agncultutal system.
|
Sincerely,
UeXewl X ^KM '
On* -e.< vgl
0#
1
dL ox
xxxxxxxxxxxx
fl
e*cfy>y /o I f
Please change the text if you wish so if you need more information please mail me
e?J lie
Sridhar
/2cc Aio
P cm e. I
cuV9
J
Javakumar C.
.
,l.
.....
'V
'
Co ordinatonThaaal Cohsoj‘r\ atioa /kOtioa and Information Network, P B # 815 , Kawdiar, Thinrcananthapnmm , Ke;
Pin 695 003
mail ■ thana1@vsn1 com
Tel: w 91-471-311896 Tax :. : 91-471-435452
;
?' -‘1
J
of2
■
--K’
2 ofz
10/5/02 5.03 PM
Re: Reply from Ravi Narayan
Subject: Re: Reply from Ravi Narayan
Date: Fri, 4 Oct 200^21:35:05 -0700
From: mnichter'a'enwl.arizona.edii
To: socharafgA siiljipom
i
am
India right now £hd will ££ here, till Got l^th. I will be
cneu&ing niy e-iualx al Oils ctccounl when I am able, but Lhere may be
times this is not possible (especially alter Oct 3rd).
If your tfle^gaae is urgent send a copy of your message (only
a short message — no attached files) to manichteri3hctmail.com
I
KHETI VIRASAT
Working Group of Medicos on Agro-Chemicals & Health
St. No.-l, Kamla Colony. Patiala Gate. Nabha- 147201: Ph# 01765 - 524907: Email: khetivirasat@,khetivirasat.com
Medicos Workshop on" Impact of Pesticides on Health:
A critical and in-depth scientific analysis" will be held on Oct. 27at
Patiala
Dear Healers,
Pesticides use has became an institutional practice all over the world. The health hazards caused
by them are an equally established fact. The decade from 1980 to 1990 alone saw the area under
pesticides in India increase a whopping 20-fold, from six million hectare to 125 million hectare.
The contamination of food products in the country is alarming. About 20% of Indian food
products contain pesticide residues above tolerance level. Studies show that pesticides can cause
health problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur
over a long period of time. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates one million pesticides
poisoning cases and 20,000 deaths every year globally.
In this scenario it is desirable that awareness is created regarding the hazards, which could be
caused by the pesticide residues in the food products and fodder.
As the loop holes are now becoming evident as a result of Green revolution and its effects on the
soil health and environment health: before in our country also pesticides start causing serious
health hazards, it is our earnest duty to prevent this, taking lessons from the countries who are
already facing the doom.
As you are aware ■ Pesticide residues in food, water, soil and fodder
■ Environment pollution
■ Ecological imbalance
Are the areas, which concern far as a physician or healer of any type directly. This is causing the
growth of mutant organisms resistance to drugs and modified picture of the ailments also.
Looking to this we has organized a workshop especially for medical fraternity. To enthuse and
request them to act early on this like by educating the public on this issue. This being an area
where you all can be more effective and acceptable to receive an informative from; we feel your
active participation will go a long way in making this workshop a success. As you are an
established signature in the field, I here by requesting you to attend and participate in proposed
Workshop .Experts from AIIMS, New Delhi, Centre for Occupational and Environmental-Health,
LNJP Hospital, Delhi; Indian Institute of Health Management, Jaipur will also take part in this
workshop. Apart from this several environment activists and representatives of NGOs are also
expected .The officials from Planning Commission, Indian council for medical research and
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare are also invited.
We have already received the confirmation and acceptance by ■ Dr. V.N. Pandey (Former Director, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and
Siddha)
■ Dr. S.K. Mishra (Former Dean, Ayurveda, Lucknow University)
■ Dr. Anand Kumar (Prof. & HOD of Reproductive Biology, AIIMS)
■ Dr. Ajay Kumar (Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist, Apollo Hospital)
■ Dr. D.B. Boralkar (Assistant Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board)
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Dr.S.G.Kabra, (Member Faculty, Indian Institute of Health Management & Research,
Jaipur).
Dr. Ashutosh Halder (Assistant Prof. Deptt. Of Reproductive Biology, ARMS)
Dr. K. Gopal Iyer (Prof, Deptt. of Sociology, Punjab University, Chandigrah)
Dr. C.K. Katiyar (Dy. GM, Dabur Research Foundation)
Dr.A.T.Dudani Agricultural Microbiologist & pesticide Expert
Dr.N.N.Mehrotra, Senior Scientist, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow
Dr.Bhramh Dutt Sharma,School of Environment,JNU,Delhi
Dr.Bharatendu Prakesh,CSV,Bhanda(UP)
The list of confirmation of other experts and resource persons is under process.
With warm regards - and anticipating active cooperation.
Yours truly,
Umendra Dutt
Director
Kheti Virasat
B-36 / G-1 ,Dilshad Garden,Delhi-95
Ph:2270982
.
E-mail:umendradutt@khetivirasat.com |
umendradutt^redi ffmail.com /
For more information please contact:
Dr. N.K. Sharma
Convenor, Working group of Medicos
Samania Gate, Patiala
Ph:0175-321041
E-mail :drnksharma2002@yahoo. com. sg
Note: The registration starts at 8:30 AM on27‘h Oct. 2002. And first session wifi start at
9:15AM sharp. Please make your tour programme accordingly
Headlines: Friday, August 30,2002
Subject: Today’s Headlines: Friday, August 30, 2002
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 10:07:35 -0400
From: ’’World Bank Press Review” <devnews@worldbank.org>
Reply-To: newsbureau@worldbank. org
To: "DevNews Press Review" <devnews@lists.worldbank.org >
Today's Headlines: Friday, August 30, 2002
- Worldwide Toxic Chemicals Ban Agreed.
- US to Spend $1 Billion for Environment, EU Promises Access to Water,
Energy.
- Industrialized Nations Agree to ODA Boosting Target.
- Battle over Trade Issues Continues at Earth Summit.
- Commentary on the Earth Summit.
L/^^>~tYvy
Vl Cr>-'
Worldwide Toxic Chemicals Ban Agreed
-The world's first international agreement to ban the use and production of
toxic chemicals has been reached at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg,
reports the Times of London. All countries will have to ban chemicals that
are hazardous to human health or the environment by 2020. The Frankfurter
Al 1gemoinc Zoitung (Germany) also reports.
-------
It is the most significant step forward at the troubled summit and the
surprise deal was struck only after a U-turn by the US, the story says, It
is a significant victory for the EU delegation, which had expected the US
to hold out until heads of state arrived next week, The US had been
strongly opposing any targets and was worried about the effect of the
agreement on its industry.
The agreement means that 130 countries will have to clamp down on
dangerous chemicals in consumer products, as well as.on factories.that
release toxic chemicals into the environment. The main beneficiaries will
be the billions of people in the developing world who at present.have
little legal protection. Western companies that sell toxic chemicals to
developing countries could be severely affected as could companies such as
Shell and Mitsubishi that have factories there with poor pollution
records .
^Chemicals LhaL face global bans include lindane, paraLhion, pirimlphos and
lead additives for petrol. These are banned in the EU, but European
manufacturers make them in Europe and then sell them to Africa and Asia.
An official of the British delegation at the summit said:
*We are very
pleased that this target has been agreed, It is a target that all UN
countries will be striving to achieve by 2020.. It demonstrates the real
value of this summit." Mike Childs of Friends of the Earth, said: 'The
implications are huge, IL is a vote of confidence In EU proposals and a
huge defeat for the chemicals industry."
The US had said that it opposed all targets and EU governments feared that
that may render the final agreement worthless. This week, however, the US
backed down on targets to protect fish stocks and marine environments. It
is thought that it has made concessions on chemicals and fish for tactical
reasons, making it easier to hold out on targets for providing saniuauion
in the Third World and increasing the use of renewable energy.
A delegation of senior American politicians accused US President George W.
Bush of undermining the war on terrorism by blocking plans to alleviate
world poverty and tackle environmental problems, the story notes. Tue
delegation, all Democrats, said that vetoing efforts to tackle issues that
were 'life and death to hundreds of millions of people" would have
far-reaching consequences. 'You can't opt for multilateral cooperation on
only the things you have an interest in," said George Miller, a California
congressman. 'The President is pressuring governments to fall in line on
p
9/2/02 10:53 AM
Subject: HLL STUDY
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 15:50:21 +0530
From: Community Health Cell <sochara@vsnl.com>
To: Premaia Mascarenhas <Prema!a.Mascarenhas@unilever.com>
CC: cpandav@now-india.net. in, ”Mr.A.S.Mohammed ” <aa.sjmc@vsnl.com>,
"Dr.H.R.RajMohan" <rohcbng@yahoo.co.in>. psychiatry@nimhans.kar.nic.in .
venky_tv@hotmail. com, mki@nimhans.kar.nic. in
Dear Ur. Premaia,
Greetings from Community Health Cell!
Thanks for your letter dated 11th September requesting for a copy of the document.
Attached is a copy of the Peer Preview document that was prepared by CHC based on the HLL presentation
at CHC in November 2001. We are still optimistic about getting a copy of the study report, from HLL. The
hesitation is un-understandable!.
We were invited by the India People’s Tribunal as an expert professional witness for the People’s Hearing at
Kodi a few days ago and Dr. Mohan Isaac presented a summary of this to the Tribunal. We were surprised
to find that no one from HLL medical team was on hand to present your study findings. I think its important
for HLL’s public image to attend these meetings and events as part of corporate social responsibility. Gone
ai c the days when we can dismiss public hearings as the work of misinformed activists. All of us
academics, researchers, NGOs and industry must be ready to be transparent and accountable in our public
work and NGO activists are a ven’ serious professional group nowadays. I think it was a missed opportunity
for the medical team in HLL.
Recently we had a second national workshop where along with professionals from a large number of
research centres including NTOH . National Institute of Miners Health, CEHAT. Achutha Menon Centre Trivandrum, etc, we trained 30 community NGOs dealing with industrial and environmental toxins in lay
epidemiology skills as our contribution to capacity building in research to enhance people’s health.
Best wishes,
vi Narayan,
MD(AIIMS), DTPH (London), DIH (UK),
Community Health Adviser,
CHC / PHM.
Premaia Mascarenhas wrote:
| Dear Dr.Ravi,Further to our telecon,would be grateful if you could let me have a copy of the peer review document that was
| prepai ed by CHC,based on the HLL presentation made to you in November 2001 .Many thanks and regards,Premaia.
Name: Thermometer HLL studyl.doc
j
Type: Winword File (application/ms word) i
i: rl t hermometer HlL study 1 .doci
■Encoding: base64
C
WIL
9/17/02 3;51 PM
Subject: <j\io Subject>
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 15:13:40 +0530
From: "Premala Mascarenhas" <Premaia.Mascarenhas@unilever.com>
To: Sochara <sochara@vsnl.com>
Dear Dr. Ravi,
Fuilnei to oui telecon , would be gr ateful if you could let rue have a copy of the peer review document that was prepar ed by
CMC,based on the HLL presentation made to you in November 2001.
Many thanks and regards,
Premala.
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mines, minerals
PEOPLE
No. 8-2-590/B
Road No 1, Banjara Hills
Hyderabad 500034, AP, India
Tel: 663.7974, Telefax: +91-40-3352488
EmaiI: mmpindia@hd2.dot.net. < n
Website: vvvvw. mm pi ndia .ore
To,
iJuUXCC^
'
Dear
Warm greetings from mm&P National Secretariat. We ourselves are amazed at how quickly a
year goes by as we are preparing for the next annual convention already! We wanted to inform
all the members in advance so that we have the time to plan it together so that the four days that
we meet can be effectively utilized for intensive deliberations on how we wish to take forward
the issues of mining as a national alliance.
The Third National Convention on Mining will be held in New Delhi from 22nd to 25t,‘
October, 2002. We wish to invite you and your community representatives to participate in the
Convention. The Convention will coincide with the international meeting on Climate Change
where several nations will be deliberating on issues of environment and climate change as part of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). The UN convenes the
global negotiations on climate change every year, known as the Conference of Parties (COP).
The next conference (COPS) will be held in New Delhi from October 23-November 1,2002.
As a parallel event to this official conference mm&P is co-organising a meeting on Climate
Change and Justice from 26th to 28th October, along with other international and national groups
like Corpwatch, NFF, NAPM, INECC and others to raise a public debate at an international level
on climate change issues in India and the sub-continent. As mining has a very significant impact
on climate change and people’s livelihoods, this will give us an opportunity for mm&P members
to present various mining issues and highlight them on this occasion. Some background
information on climate change is enclosed with this letter for more detailed information.
With regard to the Third Convention, we’d like to have feedback and suggestions from you on
the themes, subjects and issues that we need to focus this time. In our previous convention, we
concluded with the discussion on the structure and nature of the alliance and decided that we will
all bring to the Third Convention our suggestions and perspective. We hope you are giving a lot
of serious thought to this. You could also give us addresses of groups who are working on
mining issues whom we could invite for the convention. Based n your feedback, we will
prepare the Agenda for the Convention and send vou the detailsTf
4
A
In solidarity.
.|d
Ravi Rebbapragada,
National Convenor
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INDIA - PESTICIDES AND HEALTH MEETING : STH - 10TH OCTOBER 2002
INDIAN SOCIAL INSTITUTE, #24, BENSON ROAD, BANGALORE 46
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
October Sth:
Arrivals and Registration in the morning - Registration starts at 10 am
Informal interactions and discussions upto lunch
2.00 - 4.00 pm
Introductions - all participants introduce themselves and their work briefly and highlight any
work / conditions related to pesticides and health in their area
4.15 - 5.00 pm: Three presentations of case studies -15 mts each
v/* Kasargod Endosulfan by ESPAC/Thanal
* Warangal Poisonings by Warangal
Bhatinda by Kheti Viraasat, Punjab
CONNER: 7.30 PM to 8.15 PM
8J5 pm -10.00 pm: Video Screening
Videos to be screened: Showers of Misery/ln God's own country/Living Dead on Endosulfan;
Elizabeth’s Guillette's film from Mexico; Toxic Trail and so on
October 9th:
•Seston I : Introduction to the subject and setting the tone:Threc Presentations
8.30 - 9.00 am : Welcome and Introduction to the workshop
9 00 - 10.30 am : Global Campaigns against Pesticides: SAROJENI RENGAM
10.30- 10.45 am: TEA
10.45 - 11.30 am: India - campaigns [past and present]: JAYAN
11.30 - 01.00 pm: Pesticides and health - ROMY QUIJANO
01.00-02.00 pm: LUNCH
02.00 - 02.45 pm: Response to the Presentations in the morning
Session II : Moving into the details - the Indian Scenario
03.00 - 04.00 pm: Indian Regulatory Mechanisms and how the industry operates: KHUSHAL
YADAV, CSE
04.15 - 04.45 pm: Three Short Presentations, 15 minutes each
* Cardamon case study : USHA
* Pesticides and Public Health [DDT - Karnataka experience]: Dr RAVI NARAYAN
* ’’Pesticides handling" [transporation, containers, household level use etc]: RAJESH
05.00 - 05.30 pm : "Why have we not been able to eliminate pesticides in India so far?"
PUBLIC MEETING: 6 TO 9 PM; DINNER - AFTER 9 PM
October 10th:
8.45-09.15 am
Beginning of the Day: Introduction to the groundwork done so far from CHESS, follow up
meetings and some of the thoughts brought out from such discussions, for consideration of
this group
Session III: Group i ask in three or four smaller groups
09.30 am to 11.30 am [incl. Tea Break]
"What collective strategies to identify health problems, assess the damage, communicate the
same to the affected and the policy makers, and to launch a national campaign as a coalition
- who are the key targets?"
Session IV: Sharing of group work
11.30 to 1.00 pm
Sharing of group work in the plenary; Panel to respond to the discussions [Romy and Sarpjeni]
1.00 pm -2.00 pm : LUNCH
Session V: Way Forward
2.00 - 3.00 pm
Way Forward: Broad National Strategy and Action Plans [incl. Roles and responsibilities]
3.00 - 3.30 pm
Any oiscussions required on orgafiisarionai mechanisms, name for the coalition and
on
Last Session: Acknowledgements and winding up
3.30 - 4.00 pm
Acknowledgements and winding up of work done in the workshop
|Sth October 2002: Public Meeting in the form of a Panel Discussion
Theme: Pesticides and Health
[Main Speaker: Dr Romy Quijano
Panelists: Shri Muralidharan, Shri Mohan, Shri Narayan Reddy, Dr Prakash, Dr Ravi Narayan
I Dr Renee Borges, Dr Gururaj
i
i
-
-
RE: WSSD Child. Env. Health Indicators Brochure-Review
Subject: RE: WSSD Child. Env. Health Indicators Brochure—Review
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 10:01:37 -0700
From: "Stuart Gross" <stugross@umich.edu>
To: "Madhumita Dutta" <mdutta@vsnl.net>
CC: <schaudhry@ciel.org>, <sochara@vsnl.com>, <rajanpatil@yahoo.com>
Dear Madhu,
Great to have you on board! I will send you a draft as soon as it is
available for review. In case I receive it in paper form, please, forward me
a physical address to which I can send it.
Thanks,
Stuart
Dear Drs. Nayaran & Dr. Patil,
Please, see the original email below regarding a request for reviewers of a
brochure on children’s environmental health indicators to be produced for
the WSSD conference in August. If you would like any more information,
please, feel free to contact me.
Thank you.
Stuart Gross
---- Original Message---From: Madhumita Dutta [mailto:mdutta0vsnl.net ]
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 10:41 PM
To: Stuart Gross; nity680vsnl.com
Cc: schaudhry0ciel.org; sochara0vsnl.com ; rajanpatil0yahoo.com
Subject: Re: WSSD Child. Env. Health Indicators Brochure—Review
Dear Stuart,
I think a good group to review this from India will be Commmunity Health
Cell, a group of community health doctors working in environmental health
issues. Not sure how foccused they are on children health issues or whether
they have time to review the brochure, but I think its worth emailing them.
The people to contact at CHC are: Dr Ravi Narayan or Dr Thelma Narayan
<sochara0vsnl.com>. I am cc’ing them this email as well.
Also Dr Rajan Patil from CHC might be able to help (his email is on the cc
line as well).
Even though we are not children’s env. health experts, but would like to
get a copy of the draft brochure and if we have any comments would pass it
on to you. Also will try and get it informally reviewed by some folks
working on health issues, with focus on children’s health (even if they do
not work on environmental issues).
cheers
madhu
At 05:36 PM 6/3/02
0700, Stuart Cross wrote:
1 of 2
6/5/02 9:53 /
RE: WSSD Child. Env. Health Indicators Brochure—Review
y
Me
yfy
■ Tarra Y'am
M.
C a rsnrri
C73^nO
>My name is Stuart Gross and 1 am an intern at the Center for international
Environmental Law (CIEL) in Washington, DC. I was recently given each of
>your names by Shivani Chaudhry in response to an enquiry T made to her
>rcgarding individuals and/or organizations who might be willing to review a
>brochuze on Children's Environmental Health Indicators to be distributed to
government ministers at the WSSD in August.
>
>Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)is coordinating a collaborative
>effort by government, international organizations, and civil society to
>produce the brochure. In order to ensure that it is so, PSR would like
Representatives from these sectors to review and comment on the brochure
and
>add their names to it as sponsors if acceptable. It is important that these
Representatives come not only from the global north and include a healthy
Contingent from civil society.
>
>If you or someone you know within or without your organization is
Sufficiently familiar with issues related to children's health and/or
Environmental indicators and has time to review a brochure of aprox. 20 pp
>on the subject in the next month or so, please, let me know.
>
>Please, contact me if you need anymore information. Information on PSR's
Environmental health program is available at www.psr.org/enviro.htm.
>
Shank you in advance,
>
>Stuart Gross
> ____________________________________________
>Summer Intern
>Center tor International Environmental Law (CIEL)
>1367 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300
>Washington, DC 20036 USA
Eel: 1 202 785 8700, ext. 26
>Fax: 1-202-785-8701
>stugross@umich.edu
>www. del. org
>
>
>
>
Madhumita Dutta
Toxics Link
H 2 Jungpura, New Delhi 110 014
Phone: +91 11 4320711, 4328006
Fax: +91 11 4321747
email: mduttafevsnl.net
2 of 2
6/5/02 9:53 /
esstwo'TCHESS III plaimirig
Subject: Rc: jtochcsstwoj CHESS Hl planning
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 10:10:42 -0400
From; Elizabeth Guiliette <guillette@zoo.ufl.edu>
Reply-To: tochessnvo@yahoogroups. co. in
To: tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in
Hi to all,
I will be in Bhopal from Feb. 1 to Feb. 15, beginning
research on the second generation of children after the MIC disaster.
A short trip to Delhi would be possible during that time if anyone
wants to talk. My latest research in Mexico shows that heavily
exposed girls are not developing mammary tissue properly and in some
cases 11 is totally absent. A scarey finding. Keep me updated on
CHESS. Buzzy (Elizabeth)
Elizabeth k. Guiliette, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist, Department of Anthropology
PO Box 117305, university of Florida
^■inesville, FL. 32611-7305
^one: (352) 375-5929 and (352) 392-2253
h'ax: (352) 392-6929
^7/
.47
/
/ 7^ /
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
tochess two-unsubscrlbe@yahoogroups.co.in
-/ /
r/
four use of Yahoo’ Groups is subject to http://in.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
ZZP) UK N
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1/23/03 11:01 AM
e: ftochesstw^ CHESS DI plarming
-fl
Subject: Rc: [tochcsstwoj CHESS Hl planning
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 19:33:26 +0530
From: Community Health Cell <sochara@vsnl.com>
To: guilette@zoo.ufl.edu
Dear Elizabeth,
Greetings tor the New Year trom Community Health Cell, which is now also the
global secretariat of the Peoples Health Movement from 1st January 2003. This is
just to let you know that Thelma and I will be in USA from 27th February till
16th or 18th March on a tour full of speaking engagements, community and media
events on behalf of PHM - USA. Ms.Sarah Shannon of Hesperian Foundation
[Address: Executive Director, Hesperian Foundation, 1919 Addison Street, Suite #
304, Berkeley, California 94704 USA. Email: sarahs@hesperian.org ] is
coordinating this visit. We start with a Bay Area Annual Health Conference at
Berkeley on 'Peoples Health in People's Hands
what works? What doesn't and who
decides?' Then an itinerary that covers Los Angeles, Stanford, Seattle, Boston,
New York, Washington DC and Atlanta. For details of the Bay Area conference
contact Claire Norris at cnorris@uclink4.berkeley.edu .
A few weeks ago, we had 3 environment related workshops at the Asia Social Forum
in Hyderabad. One on 'Environment and Health: A Peoples Campaign'; then a public
hearing on pesticide; and another workshop on 'Toxic wastes'. It was a chance
for CHESS contacts to meet again. Nitya will keep you posted about what next on
the CHESS front.
Best wishes.
navi Narayan
Coordinator,
PHM SecreLarlaL
CHC — Bangalore,
India.
Elizabeth Guillette wrote:
> Hi to all,
I will be in Bhopal from Feb. 1 to Feb. 15, beginning
research on the second generation of children after the MIC disaster.
> A short trip to Delhi would be possible during that time if anyone
> wants to talk. My latest research in Mexico shows that heavily
> exposed girls are not developing mammary tissue properly and in some
> cases it is totally absent. A scarey finding. Keep me updated on
> CHESS. Buzzy (Elizabeth)
> —
CU
> Elizabeth A. Guillette, Ph.D.
> Assistant Scientist, Department of Anthropology
> PO Box 117305, University of Florida
> Gainesville, FL. 32611-7305
> Phone: (352) 375-5929 and (352) 392-2253
> Fax: (352) 392 6929
J7T
pHM
5^
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> tochesstwo-unsubscribeOyahoogroups.co.in
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://in.docs.yahoo.com/info/tcrms/
1/23/03 7:34 PM
■te: rtochesstwol CHESS III planning
Subject: Re: (tochesstwoj CHESS Hl planning
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 16:29:25 +0530
From: ananth@dialb.greenpeace.org
Keply-To: tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in
To: tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in, tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in
CC: pssf@nannada.net.in, thanalf@vsnl.com, mdutta@vsnl.net, samatha@satyam.net.in
Folks,
If I look at the objectives that Nity’s mail puts out for CHESS at the
bottom, I see that objectives 1 and 2 are what I would call
networking and skill building objectives, the third one is a
campaigning objective.
In an earlier round of mails on the subject again at the mtiative of
Nithy we had agreed that CHESS would not be a campaigning
plar.form. I think the rationale that was offered then for the
suggestion is still valid.
has been mentioned in the mail, the ettorts at netwroking and
building skills would lead to actual work possibilities. However
these peices of work need to be carried out and then only do we
have campaign tools.
We at greenpeace have plans in 2003 for tking a number of
initiative that are building on the skills as well as the networks that
emerged from CHESS. In the process, we would be working
togteher with other people involved in the chess process.
I am somewhat surprised at the suggestion that the working
committee be constituted of "people who bring in individual
commitments rather than organisational". I wonder who we are
refering to, as at CHESS II, most participants had organisational
affiliations. I find this suggestion absurd and impractical.
The suggestions regarding individual members pay for their
attendance to meetings in indeed a welcome one. At the last
CHESS despite repeated announcements very few people came
forward to pay their share of the costs, we need better
j^bhanisms for this.
Regards
Ananth
On 77. Jan 03, ar. 16:15, ni r.y68i?vsn 1 .com wrote:
> hello all:
> On 21 Jan, 2003, Madhumita Dutta, Ravi Narayan and i met at
> CHC to begin discussions on CHESS III and beyond. These last
> two years, we have had the CHESS meetings in Bangalore around
> the month of August. However, last year, we had some difficulty in
> mobilising money because preparation did not begin adequately in
> advance. At the bottom of this message, I have restated some of the
> founding principles of CHESS.
> Pl. read the message and comment particularly on item 3 and 4
> (meeting plans and funds)
> Summary of meeting:
> 1. CAPE: Ravi explained the need for more inputs from CAPE into
> the CHESS process. The other members of CHESS are likely to
>f 3
1/24/03 11:57 AM
T’‘-j"
FlMi
“SHT'
'HESS in planning
Subject: CHESS III planning
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 18:33:47 -0800
From: "Centre for Resource Education" <creiiid@hd2.dot.net.in >
To: <nity68@vsnl.com>, <sochara@vsnl.com>, <thanal@vsnl.com>, <pss@narmada.net.m>,
<mdutta@vsnl.net>
Dear Ravi, Nity and Madhu (and thanal and pss),
I agree with the suggestion that we can move away from being
Bangalore-centric. It is good to see some progress with just three of you
doing some thinking. I am not sure why we could not do the same at ASF.
I feel within our small group working on the CHESS PROCESS and committed to
environmental health, there are some serious differences of opinion which
are not being discussed openly. It is a different question whether we need
to address thorn, when the process is to broaden the network and
participation. But another thing is the cohesiveness, which is required for
a strong network. In this background, I feel CAPE has some experience to
share.
"■'rther, I did not understand the desire that CAPE should retain the
jDilical linkages with CHESS. Can somebody elaborate on this?
zAll other points in this mail arc acceptable and clear to mo. However, the
most difficult part is the operationalisation of the three objectives/goals
of CHESS:
1. Develop the skillbase required to monitor and help communities monitor
health problems among pollution-impacted communities
2. Develop mechanisms to intervene to mitigate health problems with an
emphasis on community based solutions.
3. Use the information and experience generated from 1 & 2 above to
influence government policy at various levels, to stop pollution and make
the polluter pay.
There seem to be lot of difficulties in doing this, as the post-CHESS 1&2
work shows. We have to concentrate on these before we plan another CHESS.
more later.
d. narasimha reddy
****************************************************
ase Note change in our office address:
Centre for Resource Education
Plot No 9, first Floor, Zehra House,
Brig Thyagraj Colony, Near AOC Gale,
Secunderabad 500 015
Ph 0091-40-5522 9864
---- Original Message ---From: <nlLyooQvsxil. com>
To: <sochara@vsnl.com>; <thanalQvsnl.com>; <pss@narmada.net.in>;
<mdutta@vsnl.net>; <creind@hd2.dot.net.in>
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 5:35 AM
Subject: RESEND: CHESS III planning
Hello
:
> For some reason, couldn't post to the tochesstwo listserve. so the
> others are not likely to have received it. if you have the list of other
> email addresses, pl. forward this to them as well.
> ciao, nity
Forwarded message follows ----------Self <nity68Qvsnl,com>
> From:
tochesstwoQyahoogroups.co.in
> To:
CHESS III planning
> Subject:
pss@narmada.net.in, thanal&vsnl. com, mdutta&v'snl. net,
> Copies to:
9;38 AM—
-{ESS III planning
samatha@satyam.net.in
> Date sent:
Wed, 22 Jan 2003 16:05:20 +0530
>
> hello all:
> On 21 Jan, 2003, Madhumita Dutta, Ravi Narayan and i met at
> CHC to begin discussions on CHESS III and beyond. These last
> two years, we have had the CHESS meetings in Bangalore around
--- , we had some difficulty in
> the month of August. However, last’ year,
mobilising money because preparation did not begin adequately in
> advance. At the bottom of this message, I have restated some of
> the
> founding principles of CHESS.
>
> Pl. read the message and comment particularly on item 3 and 4
> (meeting plans and funds)
> Summary of meeting:
> 1. CAPE: Ravi explained the need for more inputs from CAPE into
> the CHESS process. The other members of CHESS are likely to
benefit immensely from CAPE's experience. It would be invaluable for
> CAPE to retain its umbilical linkages to the rest of CHESS. To this
> end, it was suggested that CAPE post regular updates on the CHESS
> listserve. For those of you not familiar with this, CAPE (Community
> Action for Pesticide Elimination) as a concept was born after two
> CHESS meetings to focus on the special health- related and campaign
iccds of pesticide-impacted communities. With time and growing
> participation, it is hoped that other similar spinoffs will happen to
> address the health-related and campaign needs of other sectors such as
> communities living near industrial estates, mining-impacted
> communities etc. 2. Dr. S.K. Dave of the National Institute of Miners’
> Health has been an enthusiastic supporter of the CHESS process, and
> has committed to support mining-imp community’s requests for health
> monitoring etc. It *was proposed that his offer be taken up very
> seriously, and be a focus point for CHESS III. Nity and Madhu will
> communicate this to mines, minerals & People and the Women in Mining
> network. 3. CHESS III: It was felt that the next meeting should not be
> held in Bangalore because it precludes wider participation from some
> sections of the country all the time. Two proposals were tabled for
> CHESS III.
a) Hold CHESS III at a place accessible to activists from
■ Bhubaneshwar
> mining areas — Jamshedpur, Ranchi,
etc.. (Any
other suggestions?) For this, we'd have to find a good local host. The
> advantage is that this could create the conditions for more
> mining-area people to participate and for a critical mass to be built
> on this sector a la CAPE.
> b) Hold series of regional and/or sector-specific meetings in 2-3
Places. While this has its obvious advantages, it also means that we'd
< need to identify more than one local host, and collectively deal with
> more than one logistics.
>
> FUNDS/WORK:
> For the work part, it would be important to constitute a working
> committee of individuals who bring in individual rather than
> organisational commitment of time. This group would be responsible for
> brainstorming meeting plans, synthesising inputs from various members,
> raising collective resources, and preparing proposals (workplans,
> memoranda, declarations etc) for the approval of the rest of the
> group.
> FUJ1DS: In keeping with the collective nature of the group, it
> would be important to keep centrally raised resources for the
> meeting to a minimum, to encourage contribution (above and
• ' from
’ ’
> beyond covering own costs)
members
etc. Rather, collective
> resources can be raised for Lhe work component, rather than the
> meeting.
> 1. Groups that have attended previous CHESS meetings and
> plan to attend CHESS III aie encouraged to pay for themselves and
> contribute to the kitty. THIS IS NOT COMPULSORY.
of 3
1/24/03 9:38 AM
itochesstwoi CHESS III planning
Subject: Re: Itochesstwoi CHESS Hl planning
Date; Thu, 27 Jan 2000 16:29:25 +0530
From: ananth@dialb.greenpeace.org
Reply-To: tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in
To: tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in , tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in
CC: pss@narmada.net.in, thanal@vsnl.com, mdutta@vsnl.net, samatha@satyam.net.in
Fo 1 ks,
If I look at the objectives that Nity's mail puts out for CHESS at the
bottom, I see that objectives 1 and 2 are what I would call
networking and skill building objectives, the third one is a
campaigning objective.
In an earlier round of mails on the subject again at the intiative of
Nithy we had agreed that CHESS would not be a campaigning
plar.form. T think rhe rar.ionale r.hat was offered then for the
suggestion is still valid.
has been mentioned in the mail, the ettorts at netwroking and
building skills would lead to actual work possibilities. However
these peices of work need to be carried out and then only do we
have campaign tools.
We at greenpeace have plans in 2003 for tking a number of
initiative that are building on the skills as well as the networks that
emerged from CHESS. In the process, we would be working
togteher with other people involved in the chess process.
I am somewhat surprised at the suggestion that the working
committee be constituted of ’’people who bring in individual
commitments rather than organisational". I wonder who we are
refering to, as at CHESS II, most participants had organisational
affiliations. I find this suggestion absurd and impractical.
The suggestions regarding individual members pay for their
attendance to meetings in indeed a welcome one. At the last
CHESS despite repeated announcements very few people came
forward to pay their share of the costs, we need better
zhanisms for this.
Regards
Ananth
On 7.7. Jan 03f ar. 16:15, nir.y68@vsnl .com wror.fi:
> hello all:
> On 21 Jan, 2003, Madhumita Dutta, Ravi Narayan and i met at
> CHC to begin discussions on CHESS III and beyond. These last
> two years, we have had the CHESS meetings in Bangalore around
> the month of August. However, last year, we had some difficulty in
> mobilising money because preparation did not begin adequately in
> advance. At the bottom of this message, I have restated some of the
> founding principles of CHESS.
> Pl. read the message and comment particularly on item 3 and 4
(meeting plans and funds)
>
> Summary of meeting:
1. CAPE: Ravi explained the need for more inputs from CAPE into
> the CHESS process. The other members of CHESS are likely to
if 3
1/24/03 11:57 AM
> Develop mechanisms to intervene to mitigate health problems with an
> einphasis on community based solutions. 3. Use the information and
> experience generated from 1 & 2 above to influence government policy
> at Various levels, to stop pollution and make the polluter pay.
>
> CHESS is meant to bo a collectively owned and collectively
> operated platform for sharing views and generating shared
> resources to achieve 1, 2 and 3 above.
> To this end, CHESS is neither centrally located nor centrally
> funded.
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> tochesstwo-unsubscribeQyahoogroups.co.in
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://in.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
tochesstwo-unsubscribe@yahooqroups .co.in
Your use ot Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://in.docs.yahoo.com/into/terms/
1/24/03 11:57 AM—
’HESS III planning
Subject: CHESS III planning
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 18:33:47 -0800
From: "Centre for Resource Education" <creind@hd2.dot.net.in >
To: <nity68@vsnl.com>, <sochara@vsnl.com>, <thanal@vsnl.coiiL>, <pss@nannada.net.m>?
<mdutta@vsnl.net>
Dear Ravi, Nity and Madhu (and thanal and pss),
I agree with the suggestion that we can move away from being
Bangalore-centric. It is good to see some progress with just three of you
doing some thinking. I am not sure why we could not do the same at ASF.
I feel within our small group working on the CHESS PROCESS and committed to
environmental health, there are some serious differences of opinion which
are not being discussed openly. It is a different question whether we need
to address them, when the process is to broaden the network and
participation. But another thing is the cohesiveness, which is required for
a strong network. In this background, I feel CAPE has some experience to
share.
’’■■'rther, I did not understand the desire that CAPE should retain the
i>ilical linkages with CHESS. Can somebody elaborate on this?
All other points in this mail arc acceptable and clear to me. However, the
most difficult part is the operationalisation of the three objectives/goals
of CHESS:
1. Develop the skillbase required to monitor and help communities monitor
health problems among pollution-impacted communities
2. Develop mechanisms to intervene to mitigate health problems with an
emphasis on community based solutions.
3. Use the information and experience generated from 1 & 2 above to
influence government policy at various levels, to stop pollution and make
the polluter pay.
There seem to bo lot of difficulties in doing this, as the post-CHESS 1&2
work shows. We have to concentrate on these before we plan another CHESS.
more later.
d. narasimha reddy
■ft*****************************************-**********
ase Mote change in our office address:
Centre for Resource Education
Plot No 9, first Floor, Zehra House,
Brig Thyagraj Colony, Near AOC Gate,
Secunderabad 500 015
Ph 0091-40-5522 8864
---- Original Message ---From: <nlLy68@vsiil.com >
To: <sochara@vsnl.com>; <thanal@vsnl.com>; <pss@narmada.net.in>;
<mdutta@vsnl.net>; <creind@hd2.dot.net.in>
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 5:35 AM
Subject: RESEND: CHESS III planning
Hello Ravi.!
> Fol aome reaaon, couldn't post to the Lociiesslwo llstsezve. so the
> others are not likely to have received it. if you have the list of other
> email addressesr pl. forward this to them as well.
> ciao, nity
Forwarded message follows -----> From:
> To:
> Subject:
> Copies to:
Self <nity68@vsn 1. corti>
tochesstwo@yahoogroups. co.in
CHESS III planning
pss@narmada.net.in, thanalgvsnl.com, mduttagusnl.net,
1/24/03 9:38 Al=
: [todiesstwol CHESS III planning
> benefit immensely from CAPE's experience. It would be invaluable for
> CAPE*to retain its umbilical linkages to the rest of CHESS. To this
> end, it was suggested that CAPE post regular updates on the CHESS
> listserve. For those of you not familiar with this, CAPE (Community
> Action for Pesticide Elimination) as a concept was born after two
> CHESS meetings to focus on the special health- related and campaign
> needs of pesticide-impacted communities . With time and growing
> participation, it is hoped that other similar spinoffs will happen to
> address the health-related and campaign needs of other sectors such as
> communities living near industrial estates, mining-impacted
> communi ties etc. 2. Dr. S.K. Dave of the National Institute of Miners
> Health has been an enthusiastic supporter of the CHESS process, and
> has committed to support mining-imp community's requests for health
> monitoring etc. It was proposed that his offer be taken up very
> seriously, and be a focus point for CHESS III. Nity and Madhu will
> communicate this to mines, minerals & People and the Women in Mining
> network. 3. CHESS III: It was felt that the next meeting should not be
> held in Bangalore because it precludes wider participation from some
> sections of the country all the time. Two proposals were tabled for
> CHESS III.
> a) Hold CHESS III at a place accessible to activists from
> mining areas — Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar etc. (Any
> other suggestions?) For this, we'd have to find a good local host, The
advantage is that this could create the conditions for more
to -be built
mining-area people to participate and for a critical
c-iii—2 mass
-- - 2> on this sector a la CAPE.
> b) Hold series of regional and/or sector-specific meetings in 2-3
> places. While this has its obvious advantages, it also means that ^e'd
rieed to identify more than one local host, and collectively deal with
> more than one logistics.
>
> FUNDS/WORK:
> For the work part, it would be important to constitute a working
> committee of individuals who bring in individual rather than
organisational commitment of time. This group would be responsible for
> brainstorming meeting plans, synthesising inputs from various members,
> raising collective resources, and preparing proposals (workplans,
> memoranda, declarations etc) for the approval of the rest of the
> group.
>
> FUNDS: In keeping with the collective nature of the group, it
> would be important to keep centrally raised resources for the
> meeting to a minimum, to encourage contribution (above and
•eyond covering own costs) from members etc. Rather, collective
> resources can be raised for the work component, rather than the
> meeting.
>
> 1. Groups that have attended previous CHESS meetings and
> plan to attend CHESS III are encouraged to pay for themselves and
> contribute to the kitty. THIS IS NOT COMPULSOr./.
> 2. We'll approach collectives like CAPE and mmP to help by
in their names to take care of
> sending fund-raising proposals
substantial portion of the costs. T suppose from amongst, us, there
> will be people to help with such proposals.
and through
_
> 3. Local fundraising with the help of a letter
> personal contacts.
>
> The meeting will be budget with no fluff. Your comments and
> support arc critical.
> ciaOf nlty
>
> Just to restate the raison d'etre of CHESS:
> 1. Develop the skillbase required to monitor and help communities
> monitor health problems among pollution impacted communities 2.
of 3
be: [tochesstwo] CHESS III planning
1/24/03 11:57 AM
> Develop mechanisms to intervene to mitigate health problems with an
> ejnphasis on community based solutions. 3. Use the information and
> experience generated from 1 & 2 above to influence government policy
> at Various levels, to stop pollution and make the polluter pay.
>
> CHESS is meant to bo a collectively owned and collectively
> operated platform for sharing views and generating shared
> resources to achieve 1, 2 and 3 above.
>
> To this end, CHESS is neither centrally located nor centrally
> funded.
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> tochesstwo-unsubscribeQyahoogroups.co.in
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://in.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
tochesstwo-unsubscribe@yahooqroups.co.in
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://in.docs.yahoo.com/into/terms/
T3
1/24/03 11:57 AM
’HESS III planning
Subject: CHESS III planning
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 18:33:47 -0800
From: "Centre for Resource Education" <creind@hd2.dot.net.in >
To: <mty68@vsnl.com>, <sochara@vsnl.com>, <thanal@vsnl.com>, <pss@narmada.net.in>,
<mdutta@vsnl.net>
Dear Ravi, Nity and Madhu (and thanal and pss).
I agree with the suggestion that we can move away from being
Bangalore-centric. It is good to see some progress with just three of you
doing some thinkring. I am not sure why we could not do the same at ASF.
I feel within our small group working on the CHESS PROCESS and committed to
environmental health, there are some serious differences of opinion which
are not being discussed openly. It is a different question whether we need
to address them, when the process is to broaden the network and
participation. But another thing is the cohesiveness, which is required for
a strong network. In this background, I feel CAPE has some experience to
share.
"••‘rther, I did not understand the desire that CAPE should retain the
±)ilical linkages with CHESS. Can somebody elaborate on this?
zYLl other points in this mail arc acceptable and clear to me. However, the
most difficult part is the operationalisation of the three objectives/goals
of CHESS:
1. Develop the skillbase required to monitor and help communities monitor
health problems among pollution-impacted communities
2. Develop mechanisms to intervene to mitigate health problems with an
emphasis on community based solutions.
3. Use the information and experience generated from 1 & 2 above to
influence government policy at various levels, to stop pollution and make
the polluter pay.
There seem to be lot of difficulties in doing this, as the post-CHESS 1&2
work shows. We have to concentrate on these before we plan another CHESS.
more later.
d. narasimha reddy
****************************************************
ase Note change in our office address:
Centre for Resource Education
Plot No 9, first Floor, Zehra House,
Brig Thyagraj Colony, Near AOC Gale,
Secunderabad 500 015
Ph 0091-40-5522 8864
---- Original Message ----
J, /o3
From: <iilLy68@vsnl.com>
io: <sochara@vsnl.com>; <thanal@vsnl.com>; <pss@narmada.net.in>;
<mdutta@vsnl.net>; <creind@hd2.dot.net.in>
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 5:35 AM
Subject: RESEND: CHESS III planning
> Hello Ravi:
> For some reason, couldn’t post to the tochesstwo llstserve. so the
> others are not likely to have received it. if you have the list of other
> email addresses, pl. forward this to them as well.
> ciao, nity
Forwarded message follows ------------> From:
Self <nity68@vsnl.com>
tochesstwo@Y^oogroups. co. in
> To:
CHESS III planning
> Subject:
pss@narmacia .net. in. thanal&vsnl. com, mciutta@vsnl.net.
> Copies to:
1/24/03 9;38 AM—
<ESS III planning
samatha@satyam.net.in
> Date sent:
Wed, 22 Jan 2003 16:05:20 +0530
>
> hello all:
> On 21 Jan, 2003, Madhumita Dutta, Ravi Narayan and i met at
> CHC to begin discussions on CHESS III and beyond. These last
> two years, we have had the CHESS meetings in Bangalore around
'
■ year,
-- , ive had some difficulty in
> the month of August. However, last
money because preparation did not begin adequately in
> mobilising
j
> advance. At the bottom of this message, I have restated some of
> the
> founding principles of CHESS.
> Pl. read the message and comment particularly on item 3 and 4
(meeting plans and funds)
> Summary of meeting:
> 1. CAPE: Ravi explained the need for more inputs from CAPE into
> the CHESS process. The other members of CHESS are likely to
> benefit immensely from CAPE'S experience. It would be invaluable for
> CAPE to retain its umbilical linkages to the rest of CHESS. To this
> end, it was suggested that CAPE post regular updates on the CHESS
> listserve. For those of you not familiar with this, CAPE (Community
Action for Pesticide Elimination) as a concept was born after two
> CHESS meetings to tocus on the special health- related and campaign
.iccds of pcsticidc-impactcd communities. With time and growing
> participation, it is hoped that other similar spinoffs will happen to
> address the health-related and campaign needs of other sectors such as
> communities living near industrial estates, mining-impacted
> communities etc. 2. Dr. S.K. Dave of the National Institute of Miners’
> Health has been an enthusiastic supporter of the CHESS process, and
> has committed to support mining-imp community’s requests for health
> monitoring etc. It was proposed that his offer be taken up very
> seriously, and be a focus point for CHESS III. Nity and Madhu will
> communicate this to mines, minerals & People and the Women in Mining
> network. 3. CHESS III: It was felt that the next meeting should not be
> held in Bangalore because it precludes wider participation from some
> sections of the country all the time. Two proposals were tabled for
> CHESS III.
> a) Hold CHESS III at a place accessible to activists from
> mining areas — Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar etc. (Any
> other suggestions?) For this, we’d have to find a good local host. The
> advantage is that this could create the conditions for more
> mining-area people to participate and for a critical mass to be built
> on this sector a la CAPE.
> b) Hold series of regional and/or sector-specific meetings in 2-3
•daces. While this has its obvious advantages, it also means that we’d
need to identify more than one local host, and collectively deal with
> more than one logistics.
> FUNDS/WORK:
For the work part, it would be important to constitute a working
> committee of individuals who bring in individual rather than
organisational commitment of time. This group would be responsible for
> brainstorming meeting plans, synthesising inputs from various members,
> raising collective resources, and preparing proposals (workplans,
> memoranda, declarations etc) for the approval of the rest of the
> group.
>
> FUIWS: In keeping with the collective nature of the group, it
> would be important to keep centrally raised resources tor the
> mooting to a minimum, to encourage contribution (above and
> beyond covering own costs) from members etc. Rather,
-- collective
__2’
> resources can be raised for the work component, rather than the
> meeting.
> 1. Groups that have attended previous CHESS meetings and
> plan to attend CHESS III are encouraged to pay for themselves and
> contribute to the kitty. THIS IS NOT COMPULSORY.
of 3
1/24/03 9:38 AM
J
[tochesstwoj (unknown)
Subject:
Fri, 24 Jan 2003 18:06:25 +0530 (1ST)
Date:
From:
nity68@vsnl.com
Reply-T6: (ochessI wo@y a hoogro ups.co.in
aiianth@dialb.greenpeace.org
To:
tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in
CC:
hello ananth:
clarifying the points:
1. CHESS as campaigning organisation: Yes, it was agreed that chess is not a
campaigning organisation, although many members are. my summing up is meant to
convey that the objectives of the work we do in CHESS will equip members to assess
health, design health care interventions and use the knowledge generated to facilitate
policy change. CHESS is not expected to do all the^health studies, or the health care
interventions or the campaigning. Rather it will ^ncrcly facilitate (as a platform)
discussion and resource-sharing ideas for the same./
2. regarding individual v. organisational commitment for the working committee: The
working committee will take on the responsibilities. It doesn’t matter what organisations
are going to be there, it was felt at the meeting that we would need individuals who have
the lime and inclination to lake on and complete the work, i don’t think there is anything
barring an organisation from being pail of the working committee, in the working
committee, it would be useful to have people (in whatever capacity -- individual or
organisational) who arc thinking of CHESS as a whole and for CHESS, rather than
wearing their organisational hat while fulfilling this role. 1 hat, i hope clarifies matters.
Finally, for all concerned, this email is a summary of a discussion between the three of
us. it is meant purely as a proposal, and anything not agreeable to people can be rejected,
modified whatever.
ciao, nily
ananth@dialb. greenpeace. org
wrote
Folks,
If I look at the objectives that Nity’s mail puts out for CHESS at the bottom, I see that
objectives 1 and 2 are what I would call networking and skill building objectives, the
third one is a campaigning objective.
In an earlier round of mails on lhe subject again al the inlialive of Nithy we had agreed
that CHESS would not be a campaigning platform. I think the rationale that was offered
then for the suggestion is still valid.
as has been mentioned in the mail, the efforts at netwroking and building skills would
lead to actual work possibilities. However these peices of work need to be carried out
and then only do we have campaign tools.
We at greenpeace have plans in 2003 for tking a number of initiative that are building on
lhe skills as well as lhe networks that emerged from CHESS. In lhe process, we would
be working together with other people involved in the chess process.
I am somewhat surprised at the suggestion that the working committee be constituted of
’’people who bring in individual commitments rather than organisational”. I wonder who
we are refering to, as at CHESS II, most participants had organisational affiliations. I
find this suggestion absurd and impractical.
The suggestions regarding individual members pay for their attendance to meetings in
indeed a welcome one. At the last CHESS despite repeated announcements very few
people came forward to pay their share of the costs, we need better mechanisms for this.
Regards
Ananth
On 22 Jan 03, al 16:15, nity68@vsnl.com wrote:
hello all.
On 21 Jan, 2003, Madhumita Dutta, Ravi Narayan and i met at
CHC to begin
discussions on CHESS 111 and beyond, l hese last two years, we have had the CHESS
meetings in Bangalore around the month of August. However, last year, we had some
difficulty in mobilising money because preparation did not begin adequately in advance.
At the bottom of this message, I have restated some of the founding principles of
CHESS.
Pl. read the message and comment particularly on item 3 and 4
funds)
(meeting plans and
Summaty of meeting:
1. CAPE: Ravi explained the need for more inputs from CAPE into the CHESS process.
The other members of CHESS are likely to benefit immensely from CAPE's experience.
It would be invaluable for CAPE to retain its umbilical linkages to the rest of CHESS.
To this end, it was suggested that CAPE post regular updates on the CHESS listserve.
For those of you not familiar with this, CAPE (Conununity Action for Pesticide
Elimination) as a concept was bom after two CHESS meetings to focus on the special
health- related and campaign needs of pesticide-impacted communities. With time and
growing participation, it is hoped that other similar spinoffs will happen to address the
health-related and campaign needs of other sectors such as communities living near
industrial estates, mining-impacted communities etc. 2. Dr. S.K. Dave of the National
Institute of Miners’ Health has been an enthusiastic supporter of the CHESS process, and
has committed to support mining-imp community’s requests for health monitoring etc. It
was proposed that his offer be taken up very seriously, and be a focus point for CHESS
III. Nity and Madhu will communicate this to mines, minerals & People and the Women
in Mining network. 3. CHESS HI: It was felt that the next meeting should not be held in
Bangalore because it precludes wider participation from some sections of the country all
the time. Two proposals were tabled for CHESS III.
a) Hold CHESS III at a place accessible to activists from mining areas — Jamshedpur,
Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar etc. (Any other suggestions?) For this, we’d have to find a good
local host. The advantage is that this could create the conditions for more mining-area
people to participate and for a critical mass to be built on this sector a la CAPE.
b) Hold series of regional andzor sector-specific meetings in 2-3 places. While this has
its obvious advantages, it also means that we’d need to identify more than one local host,
and collectively deal with more than one logistics.
FUNDS/WORK:
For the work part, it would be important to constitute a working
committee of
individuals who bring in individual rather than organisational commitment of time. This
group would be responsible for brainstorming meeting plans, synthesising inputs from
various members, raising collective resources, and preparing proposals (workplans,
memoranda, declarations etc) for the approval of the rest of the group.
FUNDS: In keeping with the collective nature of the group, it would be important to
keep centrally raised resources for the meeting to a minimum, to encourage contribution
(above and
beyond covering own costs) from members etc. Rather, collective
resources can be raised for the work component, rather than the meeting.
1. Groups that have attended previous CHESS meetings and plan to attend CHESS III
are encouraged to pay for themselves and contribute to the kitty. THIS IS NOT
COMPULSORY.
2. WeTl approach collectives like CAPE and mmP to help by sending fund-raising
proixjsals
in their names to take care of substantial portion of the costs. I suppose
from amongst us. there will be people to help with such proposals.
3. Local fundraising with the help of a letter and through personal contacts.
i he meeting will be budget with no fluff. Your comments and support are critical,
ciao, nity
Just to restate the raison d’etre of CHESS:
1. Develop (he skillbase required lo monitor and help communities monitor health
problems among pollution-impacted communities 2. Develop mechanisms to intervene
to mitigate health problems with an emphasis on community based solutions. 3. Use the
information and experience generated from 1 & 2 above to influence government policy
at various levels, to stop pollution and make the polluter pay.
CHESS is meant to be a collectively owned and collectively operated platform for
sharing views and generating shared resources to achieve 1, 2 and 3 above.
To this end, CHESS is neither centrally located nor centrally funded. J/
I
■■
-HHESS - III
Subject: CHHESS - III
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 09:41:51 +0530
From: Community Health Cell <sochara@vsnl.com>
To: Manu Gopalan <mangotbru@vsnl.net>, Kavitha Kuruganti <kavitha_kuruganti@yahoo.com>,
Nityanand <nity68@vsnl.com>, Narasimha Reddy Dr <creind@hd2.dot.net.in>,
Ananthpadmanabhan <ananth@dialb. greenpeace. org>, toches stwo@yahoogroups. co. in,
Javan <thanal@md4.vsnl.net.in>9 Madhumita Dutta <mdutta@vsnl.net>
Dear Folks,
Greetings from Peoples Health Movement Secretariat at CHC, India!
I have been reading responses from people to the CHESS II planning
letter circulated by Nity. Just one or two clarrifications since I was
at the small group discussion from which the letter evolved.
1. The suggestion about the individual rather than the ’organization’
was mentioned a bit out of context of what we had discussed. I had
mentioned the PHM experiences of having a National coordinating
committee consisting of networks and organizations and a National
orking group of individuals nominated by their organizations to help
ne process more proactively. The NWG of PHM are all orgnizational
representatives with the full backing of their organization - not
individuals. However since they are identified as individuals there is
continuity and enhanced commitment eg. CHC is a member of the NCC of PHM
India and I represent CHC as a National Working Group.
All NCC nocd not nominate a NWC member. They do so only if they can
spare someone who can give time. No NWG member is an individual. So
Anant’s concern and request for clarification is valid and I hope the
above explains the context.
2.The comment on the linkage between CAPE and CHESS again seems
mentioned ambiguously. CHESS is seen to be a larger expanding network of
organizations and individuals. CAPE is a grouping within this around
Pesticides as an interest group. Similiarly there may bo a Mining and
Health interest group evolving out of and beyond CHESS and perhaps
another one around Industrial estates etc. We should be careful to
ensure that though each of these groups like CAFE, may have smaller
e-group lists they should continue to communicate on the CHESS group as
well. The smaller e-qroupinq will be for campaiqn / advocacy but keepinq
-In touch with the larger e-group will ensure that the ’Pesticides’ or
atever issue is kept on everyone's information agenda at least. So
like CAPE there may be any number of interests or working circles with
the larger CHESS group but everyone is kept involved at some level of
interest always.
3. Having networked for years, I believe that all serious differences of
opinion should be discussed openly but from experience I believe that
’eyeball Lo eyeball’ openness which is possible in an actual meeting is
definitely better and more authentic than email dialogue which however
informally worded is still somewhat formal and doesnot always resolve an
issue and leaves it hanging in the air. Also emails go to everyone
including many who do not know the issue and give all sorts of
connotations to very simple questions / dialogue. This is just a caution
not to use only emails to solve all the issues.
C- U E es -jii
4* Incidentally from 1st January 2003, CHC has also become the global
secretariat of the PHM and this will mean that I shall become fully
involved in a large initiative. Rajkumar is leaving for Australia with
his wife who is starting her MPII course. Rajan is deeply involved in a
study on sericulture and child labour and Praveen will start PG soon.
5o for a while CHC involvement will be more low key till we find
suitable contact. Till then Rajan will be the contact point.
Looking forward Lo others responses.
T2
1/28/03 9;45 Ar
=IHESS - m
3
%
Best wishes,
Ravi Narayan
Coordinator,
PHM Secretariat
CHC - Bangalore
I
j£2
1/28/03 9:45 AIv
Page 1 of 5
Community Health Ceil
From:
To:
Cc:
Sent:
Subject:
Madhumita Dutta <mdutta@vsnl.net>
Community Health Cell <sochara@vsnl.com>; <tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in>
<pss@narmada net.in>; <thanai@vsnl com>; <samatha@satyam.net in>
Saturday, February 08, 2003 6:43 PM
Re: [tochesstwoj CHESS iii planning
Hi rajan,
Excellent, I will second Ranchi. Infact, it will give participants an
oppurtunity to visit some of the mining impacted communities as well as
mining areas. We can make these trips as part of CHESS 3 prog. Also it will
be easier for small struggle groups from Orissa, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh to
raech Ranchi.
madhu
At 17:30 07/02/2003 +0530, Community Health Cell wrote:
>
>Dear friends,
>
>Greetings from CHC I
>
>Just as we are in the process of deciding on the possible venue for the
>CHESS-3 meet, there is a suggestion from one of our associate Dr. Prabir
>Chatterji, to consider Ranchi as a possibility. Prabir has been involved
>with Jadugoda uranium mines campaign and other mines related issues with
>Ajitha, parvez and another Sr. who were part of mining group during CHESS-2.
>There are two Drs with pubiic Health background at SDA health centre at
>Ranchi who could be helpful in facilitating CHESS-3. Additionally, Prabir
>chatterji and two of his colleagues with community health background could
>be good resource.
>
>l could get in touch with them regarding this at any time, if this venue is
>short listed.
>Rajan Patil.
>
>
>
>---- Original Message---->From: <ananth@dialb.greenpeace.org>
>To: <tochesstwo@yahooqroups.co.in>; <tochesstwo@yahooqrQups.co.in>
>Cc: <pss@narmada net in>; <thanal@vsnl.com>; <mdutta@vsnl net>:
><sa iTiatha @ Satya rn. net. iri>
>Sent: Thursday. January 27. 2000 4:29 PM
>Subject: Re: [tochesstwo] CHESS III planning
>
2/10/03
Page 1 of 1
Community Health Cell
From:
To:
Cc:
Sent:
Subject:
<niiy68@vsnl. com>
<sochara@vsnl.com>; <tochesstwo@yahoogroups.co.in>
<pss@narmada net.in>; <thanal@vsnl.com>; <mdutta@vsnl.net>; <samatha@satyam.net.irv
Sunday, February 09, 2003 2:18 PM
Re: Ranchi as venue
hello rajan:
Ranchi was a venue madhu had proposed, and we can find out from mm&P (mines,
minerals and people) if they would along with Prabir take on some responsibility of
organising the meeting, any other opinions?
ciao, nity
sochara@vsnl.com wrote
Dear friends,
Greetings from CHC !
-Just as we are in the process of deciding on the possible venue for the
CHESS-3 meet, there is a suggestion from one of our associate Dr. Prabir
Chatterji, to consider Ranchi as a possibility. Prabir has been involved
with Jadugoda uranium mines campaign and other mines related issues with
Ajitha. parvez and another Sr. who were part of mining group during CHESS-2.
There are two Drs with public Health background at SDA health centre at
Ranchi who could be helpful in facilitating CHESS-3. Additionally, Prabir
chatterji and two of his colleagues with community health background could
be good resource.
I could get in touch with them regarding this at any time, if this venue is
short listed.
Rajan Patil.
2/10/03
Page 1 of 2
Community Health Ceil
From:
To:
Sent:
Subject:
<ananin(gdiaib greenpeace.org^
Community Health Cell <sochara@vsnl.com>
Wednesday, January 2P. 2003 10 37 AM
Rc: [tochesstwo] CHHESS - H*
ravL
I think your words of caution about networks and e-mail is well
taken.
Regards
ananth
On 28 Jan 03; at 9:41 Community Health Cell wrote:
> Dear Folks,
>
> Greetings from Peoples Health Movement Secretariat at CHC, India!
I
> i have been reading responses from people to the CHESS II planning
> letter circulated by Nity. Just one or two clarrificaiions since I was
> at the smaii group discussion from which the letter evolved.
>
> 1. The suggestion about the individual rather than the 'organization'
> was mentioned a hit out of context of what we had discussed I had
> mentioned the PHM experiences of having a National coordinating
> committee consisting of networks and organizations and a National
> working group of individuals nominated by their organizations to help
> the process more proactively. The NWG of PHM are al! orgnizational
> representatives with the full backing of their organization - not
> individuals. Howeyer since they are identified as individuals there is
> continuity and enhanced commitment eg. CHC is a member of the NCC of
> PHM india and I represent CHC as a National Working Group.
>
A?&S
> All NCC need not nominate a NWG member. They do so only if they can
> spare someone who can give time. No NWG member is an individual So
> Anant’s concern and request for Clarification is valid and I hope the
> above explains tha context
> 2 The comment on the linkage between CAPE and CHESS again seems
> mentioned ambiguously. CHECC is seen to be a larger expanding network
> of organizations and individuals. CAPE is a grouping within this
> around Pesticides as an interest group. Similarly there may be a
> Mining and Health interest group evolving out of and beyond CHESS and
> perhaps another one around industrial estates etc. We should be
> careful to ensure that though each of these groups like CAPE, may have
> smaller e-group lists they should continue to communicate on the CHESS
> group as well The smaller e-grouping will be for campaign / advocacy
> but keeping in touch with the larger e-group will ensure that the
c\/
/ / 'le. -x <
l/b>
1/30/03
-—
Why No One Can Say
’’Pesticides Are Safe”
By Mary H. O'Brien
PESTICIDES ARE DESIGNED to kill certain unwanted organisms, whether plant or
animal. They often do more poisoning than they are supposed to, however. A pesticide
that seems at first to be quite "safe" often turns out to cause damage no one foresaw.
This is because there are so many different ways pesticides can cause damage.
1. A Pesticide may kill more than the pest. Lest than one out of 1,000 kinds of insects
are pests, and yet most insecticides kill many kinds of insects, including those that help
control the pest species. By living weight, soil organisms account for half of all living
matter on earth and yet the effects of pesticides on soil organisms may be the leastresearched area of pest control. Earthworm populations are dramatically decreased by
most carbamate pesticides, for example. Fish are sensitive to poisons that contact their
gill surfaces, so pesticides in water in amounts of only a few parts per billion (ppb) often
kill fish. Fish-kill is often an expected consequence of pesticide runoff from agricultural
fields. Mammals and birds are poisoned when they ear poisoned insects and animals or
poisoned baits intended for other animals. Finally, human beings are all to frequently
victims of pesticides.
2. A pesticide may remain a long time in the environment. Organochlorine pesticides
(e.g., DDT, heptachlor, chlordane) are among the most persistent of pesticides, but other
kinds of pesticides, such as the dipyridyl herbicide paraquat and the carbamate fungicide
benomyl, may also persist for long period. These pesticides can accumulate over the
years in soil, pond bottoms, to be taken up later by plants or released by soil organisms to
poison further. For example, the half-life of the organochlorine pesticide toxaphone is 15
years in soil, meaning that 15 years after toxaphene is applied to soil, one-half of the
pesticide will remain in the soil. After 30 years, one-fourth will remain.
3. A Pesticide May Travel Far. Pesticides may travel via air, soil, water, dust or
organisms to affect living organisms far from where they were applied. Persistent
organochlorine pesticides have been shown to travel thousands of miles after being
sprayed before coming down in rain or snow. Certain pesticides also travel through food
webs. Organochlorine pesticides are stored in the fat of animals and then accumulate in
the bodies directly from contaminated water.
4. A Pesticide may turn into another poison. Almost nothing is know about many of
the other changes a pesticide undergoes in the environment, but several are known to
break down into even more hazardous compounds. For example, the organochlorine
heptachlor is changed into heptachlor epoxide, a toxic poison, inside plants and animals.
Parathion becomes another compound four times more toxic when it contracts oxygen.
The organophosphate insecticide acephate turns into another pesticide, methamidophos,
inside plants, animals and sediments. Methamidophos itself is used to kill birds that feed
on crops and is more toxic to birds than acephate.
5. A Pesticide may become more poisonous in the presence of other chemicals.
Sometimes the toxic effect of one pesticide is dramatically increased in the presence of
another pesticide or chemical. The toxicity of many pairs of organophosphate pesticides,
for instance, is increased when they are combined. This effect is called synergism. Non
pesticide chemicals can also interact with pesticides. The toxicity of malathion, for
instance, is greatly increased by a common industrial plasticizer, TOTP, even when
malathion exposure occurs two weeks following the use of TOTP.
6. A Pesticide may poison by methods entirely different than those intended. Since
most pesticides are designed to kill pests quickly, their long-term effects on humans, such
as cancer, genetic damage, andvbirth defects, are all unintended side effects, Phenoxy
herbicides, for example, are designed to kill plants by causing them to grow quickly, but
they also poison animals by damaging their livers and are suspected of causing cancer in
humans.
7. A pesticide may poison in such a way that it is hard to recognize that the
poisoning is taking place. Several pesticide carriers (i.e. part of the formulated pesticide
that is not the active ingredient) have been shown to increase the toxicity of viral diseases
in mice. If a human became ill with a virus after exposure to a pesticide, it would be very
difficult to prove that the pesticide had played a role. And researchers are only now
beginning to learn that exposure to certain organophosphate pesticides may cause
permanent damage to the brain, resulting in sleeplessness, memory loss, irritability, and
other symptoms frequently not associated with pesticide poisoning.
8. Pesticide damage may show up long after the pesticide has left the body. Like Xrays, pesticides that are capable of causing genetic damage or cancer can initiate the
damage in whatever period they are actually in the body. For example, the phenoxy
herbicide 2,4-D is rapidly eliminated from the body, but several cases are known in
which individuals briefly exposed to 2,4-D on their skin developed nerve damage in their
anus and legs several weeks later.
9. A pesticide may be dangerous even if all label directions are followed. A pesticide,
by definition and design, is intended to destroy at least some form of life, some uses and
storage practices are safer than others and therefore recommended on labels. But the
product itself remains hazardous. Even following the label exactly cannot guarantee it
will cause no harm. In the U.S., it is illegal to print a label that claims a pesticide is
"safe” or "harmless” for this reason. With pesticides manufactured, formulated, or
exported into developing countries, the uncertainties multiply. And even if accurately
labelled when shipped, a pesticide may be repackaged later in a way that fails to protects
handlers and users.
10. A pesticide may cause damage that was never investigated before it was
registered or not discovered during toxicological testing. Testing standards in the U.S.
are the most complete and stringent in the world, yet even these are very inadequate. For
example, in the United States, almost all pesticides are conditionally registered, which
means that not all required health tests have been completed and reviewed before they are
allowed on the market. In 1983, only four out of over 600 active ingredients had been
registered with all required tests. Only 38 percent of the pesticides on the market in the
United States have been tested for cancer causing ability as required by law (i.e. passing
two tests). Only 30 to 40 percent have been tested for birth defects, and less than 10
percent have been tested for genetic damage. In addition, studies of certain pesticide
effects, such as those on children and other especially vulnerable groups, or effects on the
body's immune system, are not required and are almost never done. Thus countries
whose pesticide regulatory schemes have relied on U.S. data have inadequately tested
pesticides on the market as a result.
Although there is no such things as entirely safe pesticides, many safe alternatives to
pesticides are presently available, and many more are under investigation. While far
more research in this area is still needed, there is already a beginning international
movement by fanners away from heavy dependence on synthetic chemical pesticides and
fertilizers, toward less toxic, more sustainable agricultural practices. Household pests too
can frequently be controlled by a variety of techniques emphasizing a thorough
understanding of the pests' life cycles and habitats. Individuals and groups working to
develop and publicize alternatives to unsafe pesticides needs support from everyone,
regardless what country they live in, for it is all the earth's inhabitants that benefit from
their efforts to "detoxify" our planet.
References : Documentation for this paper is available from NCAP; P.O.Box 375;
Eugene, Oregon 97440; USA.
Mary H.O’Brien is information Co-ordinator for the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives
to Pesticides (NCAP), a coalition of citizen groups working for pesticides reform in the
Northwest U.S. She holds a doctorate on Botany and is author of On the Trail ofA
Pesticide: A Guide to Learning About the Chemistry, Effects, and Testing of Pesticides
(Northwest Coalition of Alternatives to pesticides, 1984).
Address: Ground Floor, Central Library Block, BMC Campus, Bangalore-560 002
Amit Nair, an environment toxicologist from Delhi with research experience in the field
and now an environmental consultant.
E mail: amjaya@now-india-net.in
Address: 17, 2nd floor, Khatri Nivas, Bersarai, New Delhi-110 016
Phone:6533170
Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group
Represented by Bharathi Chaturvedi
A Delhi based NGO working on environmental issues, particularly waster and toxics.
E mail: bharatich@hotmail.com
Address: 238, Siddharta enclave, New Delhi-110 014
Phone:0091-11-338 1627
Toxics Link, Delhi
Email: 11 del h i@vsnl.com
Campaign Groups
Thanal Conservation Action and Informatin Network,Thiruvananthapuram:
Represented by Usha.S, Sridhar R, Rajasree VV
A community oriuented organisation working on conservation issues and toxic related
issues. Cuurently engaged in a community RIGHT TO KNOW campaign in Elorr,
Kerala and a proposal to move Kovalam toward a zero waste model.
Email: thanal @ md4.vsnl.net.in
shreepadre@sanchamet.in
Address: Post Box No: 815, Kawdiar, Thiruvanthapuram, 695 003, Kerala
Phone: 0471 311896
Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat
Represented by Anand Mazgaonkar or Rajni Dave or Swati Desai
A Voluntary self help organisation working primarily in South Gujarat on a variety of
issues, including Industrial Pollution and RIGHT TO KNOW.
Email: pss@narmada.net.in
Address: 37/1, Narayan Nagar, Chandni chowk, Rajpipla-393145, Narmada district,
Gujarat
Phone: 02640-20629
Citizens for alternatives to Nuclear energy(CANE)
Represented by Kavitha BS
A Bangalore based NGO working aganist radioactive pollution.
E mail: kavaythri@yahoo.com
aravinda@cisco.com
Address:#390, 5th main, 12th cross, West of Chord Road, 2nd stage, Mahalakshmipura,
Bangalore-560 086
Page 1 of 2
Community Health Cell
From:
To:
Cc:
Sent:
Subject:
<kkurugan@diaib greenpeace org^Community Health Cel! <sochara@vsnl.com>
<ananfh@dialh greenpeace org>
I
I IMC4J ,
Cckn
I
/ fX~7
VrK-'l <4C4I J
OOHQ
I , 4-UUvJ
Dfc/1
•
IVI
Re: Dr Ravi's Repiy
dear dr ravi
thanks for your mail i appreciate what you are saying, i am writing to dr
abhay shukla and hopefully, he will agree to be part of the advisory board,
thanks again, we will most probably be walking up to you now and then for
advice ofcourse.
kavitha
Quoting Community Health Cel! <sochara@vsnl.com>:
> Dear Kavitha
>
> Greetings from the Peoples Health Movement Secretariat at CHC,
> Bangalore!
>
J*.
> Thanks tor your letter. I did see the earlier note. Much as I would have
> liked to be part of the Advisory group. I really feel that at this stage
> of transition between CHC adviser to PHM Coordinator, any new
> commitments may be unfair to PHM and to your study with my doing
> injustice io both commitments, i would suggest Sunil Kaul
> (scowi@satyam.riet.in) or Abhay Shukla (abaysema@pn3.vsnl.net.inor
> cehatpun@pn3.vsni.net.in), both public health trained professionals with
> a strong 'people oriented' commitment Perhaps if you just keep me on
> the mailing list I shall bounce of a few ideas and suggestions from time
> to time but being a formal member at this stage - perhaps no. I am sure
> you will understand my predicament. I have 5-6 such requests everyday
> and for the next year, I am saying 'yes’ only to those that have a
> direct PHM connection to maintain a sense of proportion. No exceptions
> however tempting!
>
>
Cue
> Al! the best in your efforts.
>
6)2
> Ravi Narayan
> Coordinator,
>
I
I tivi
t7lC4l IC41,
>
2/8/03
The Cencept of Environmehtal Health
Definition
branch of public health devoted to preventing illness
Srw through managing the environment and changing
people's behavior to reduce exposure to biological and nonbiological agents of disease and injury.
Environmental health is most concerned with examining the
environment in terms of the agents, pollutants and other
factors affecting human health.
The Environmental Health Perspective
There are two different perspectives to interactions between
health population and the environment (Figure 1). In simple
terms, an environmental perspective is concerned primarily
with the effects of people on the health of the environment.
A health perspective is concerned primarily with the effects
of the environment in the health of the people.
Pre - and Post-transition Societies
In developing an environmental health approach, we need
to consider the similarities and differences in the conditions
of pre-transition and post-transition societies.
Pre-transition societies deal with diseases such as acute
respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases and vector-borne
diseases such as malaria.
In contrast, post-transition societies such as the New
Independent States (NIS) deal with diseases related to the
process of industrialization. Post-transition societies deal
with nuclear issues, such as those in the Ukraine, and toxic
and hazardous pollutants, such as those in the Aral Sea.
These pollutants affect the Central Asian Republics and
have tremendous impacts on human health. Other health
issues, such as lead poisoning, affect people in both preand post-transition societies, especially those living in peri
urban areas.
The Environmental Health Approach:
Prevention
The primary concern of environmental health is the
prevention of illness. Prevention is far more cost-effective
than curative approaches. Environmental health focuses on
preventing illness by managing the environment and by
changing behaviors. To reduce human exposure to agents
of disease and injury, both environmental management and
behavior change are needed.
As illustrated in Figure 2, wellness depends on successfully
blocking the production, transmission and exposure of
specific agents that contribute to illness. To determine
where to intervene, we need to examine the pathways to
maintaining wellness and preventing illness.
Environmental perspective
Health of the environment
Population
Environment
Health of the population
Health perspective
Figure 1. Health-Population-Environment Cycle
Traditional facility-based prevention programs, especially
child survival programs, focus on building up or reinforcing
the resistance of the individual or the host. For example, a
vaccination program is a preventive intervention that
focuses on building up the host's immunity to attack specific
agents in the environment.
The traditional child survival approach has focussed on
strategies such as immunization and breastfeeding, and
measures to prevent low birth weight. All these inter
ventions target the individual and essentially ask the
question: What can we do to enhance the individual’s ability
to resist assault by agents in the environment? The
approach taken by traditional prevention program is shown
on the right of the vertical line drawn in Figure 2.
t
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Production
■ breeding
■ multiplication
■ manufacture.
Transmission
" dissemination
■ emissions
f Exposure \
i R individual
]
\ B household I
\ " community/
Host factors
Illness
Biological
■ bacterial
■ viral
■ protozoal
■ nematodal
■ protect
amplification of
contaminants in
food
■ excreta treatment
■protection of water
■ handwashing
■corraling of animals
■ excreta
containment
■ food hygiene: time/
temp
■ water handling/
purification
■ shoes (certain
helminths)
■ immunization
■ nutrition
■ breastfeeding
■ low birth weight
prevention
Diarrhea
■ protozoal
■ larvicides
■ residual spraying
■ reduce breeding
sites
■drainage
■ filling
■ land use/planning
■ vector diversion
■ surveillance/early
treatment
» housing (screens)
n personal protection:
-bednets
- protective clothing
- repellents
—
r■ chemoprophylaxis
•
■ immunization
■nutrition
■ breastfeeding
■ low birth weight
prevention
■fuel substitution
■ efficient stoves
■ ventilation
■ immunization
■ nutrition
■ breastfeeding
■ low birth weight control
Agents
Non-blological
■air particulates
■carbon monoxide
Malaria
ARI
Figure 2. Pathway to Maintaining Welln ess (Preventing Illness)
Environmental health addresses the determinants, or
causes, of ill health as shown on the left side of the vertical
line in Figure 2. The environmental health approach is to
prevent the environmental agent from attacking the
individual by focusing interventions at three distinct points:
production (destroying mosquito breeding sites);
transmission (use of more efficient stoves); and exposure
(using bed nets to keep off mosquitoes).
Why Focus on Environmental Health
Investments in child survival over the last two to three
decades have significantly reduced mortality and morbidity.
Worldwide, from 1970 to about 1990, a significant increase
in immunization coverage rates was accompanied by a
dramatic drop in child mortality.
However, while immunization and other interventions build
up the individual's resistance to environmental agents and
have been quite effective in terms of reducing mortality and
morbidity, it is still very difficult to reduce mortality much
further and it will take even more resources to sustain the
impact of these interventions.
For example, UNICEF emphasized the importance of
achieving 80% coverage rates with the six available EPI
antigens by 1990. Tremendous resources were directed to
achieve that coverage target: approximately US$17 million
was spent in both 1998 and 1989 to achieve 80% coverage
in Nigeria. Then, in 1991 and 1992, support for EPI went
from US$17 million down to US$3 million, and coverage
rates dropped from about 80% to about 25%, with resulting
increases in child deaths.
Donors and governments are questioning the value of
supporting these kinds of facility-based, commodity
intensive health programs, not because of their results, but
because they are seen as too expensive and unsustainable.
In today s climate of shrinking financial resources, it is
unlikely that these kinds of programs will continue to receive
the same amount of funding, and even less likely that they
will receive more, despite the importance of reducing
mortality. And as long as fertility rates and population
growth remain high, ever greater numbers of people will' be
putting pressure on social service systems, including health
care, education and housing, especially in the developing
world cities.
Sourco:
John Tomarro, Chief Environmental Health Division, Office of
Health and Nutrition, Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support
and Research, USAID. Environmental Health Project Activity
Report No. 16, PVO Workshop on Environmental Health,
Arlington, Virginia. June 29, 1995.
Enviro^msmal meals ta Human Health
cause development of noticeable tumor for decades.
Similarly, environmental change occurring over several
decades, such as stratospheric ozone depletion due to
chloroflourocarbon emissions, may undermine the earth’s
life support systems. So far, modem environmental health
hazards and understanding the environmental pathways
through which the hazards move, is particularly important.
g®a:
Mwa,
iterally, the word "environment" refers to whatever
i - - surrounds an object or some other entity. Humans
experience the environment in which they live as an
assemblage of physical, chemical, biological, social, cultural
and economic conditions which differ according to local
geography, infrastructure, season, time of day and activity
undertaken. The focus of this is on the impacts of
environmental conditions on health, and on the social and
economic conditions that act as "driving forces" and put
“pressures" on the environment (UN, 1993).
The different environmental threats can be divided into
traditional hazards associated with lack of development,
and “modern hazards" associated with unsustainable
development (WHO, 1992a). The changing pattern of
environmental health hazards and associated health risks moving from “traditional" to “modern" with time and
economic development - has been called the "risk
transition.”
One of the differences between the traditional and modern
environmental health hazards is that the former are often
rather quickly expressed as disease. For example, a
villager drinks polluted water today and tomorrow he has
severe diarrhea. Diarrheal incidence can accordingly be a
relatively useful measure of the relevant risk and of our
efforts to control it. For many modern environmental health
hazards, however, a long period of time may pass before
the health effect manifests itself. A cancer-causing
chemical released into the environment today may not
reach a person until it has passed through the food-chain
for months or years, for instance, and even then may not
"Traditional hazards" related to poverty and “insufficient"
development include:
a lack of access to safe drinking water;
■ inadequate basic sanitation in the household and in the
community;
a food contamination with pathogens;
a indoor air pollution from cooking and heating using coal
or biomass fuel;
a inadequate solid waste disposal;
s occupational injury hazards in agriculture and cottage
industries;
a natural disasters, including floods, droughts and
earthquakes; and
a disease vectors, mainly insects and rodents.
"Modern hazards" are related to rapid “development" that
lack health and environment safeguards, and to
unsustainable consumption of natural resources. They
include:
“ water pollution from populated areas, industry and
intensive agriculture;
® urban air pollution from motor cars, coal power stations
and industry;
a solid hazardous waste accumulation;
■ chemical and radiation hazards, following introduction of
industrial and agricultural technologies;
M emerging and re-emerging infectious disease hazards;
a deforestation, land degradation and other major
ecological change at local and regional levels; and
a climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion and
transboundary pollution.
Source:
Health and Environment in Sustainable Development, Chapter 1:
A New Perspective on Health, pp. 6-7. World Health
Organization(WHO) -Geneva. 1997; Illustration provided by IIRR.
Environments Contaminants Produced
dv Agriculture
| industrial activity has always resulted in pollution. But
® agriculture, for most of its history, has been
environmentally benign. Even when industrial technology
began to have an impact in the 18th and 19th centuries,
agriculture continued to rely on natural ecological
processes. Crop residues were incorporated into the soil or
fed to livestock, and the manure returned to the land in
amounts that could be absorbed and utilized.
Since the Second World War, this system was
disintegrated. Farms in industrialized countries have
become larger and fewer in number, highly-mechanized and
reliant on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. They are now
more specialized, so that crop and livestock enterprises are
separated geographically. Crop residues and livestock
excreta, which were once recycled, have become wastes
and disposal became a continuing problem for the farmer.
Straw is burnt as this is the cheapest and quickest method
of disposal. Livestock had been mostly reared indoors on
grain and silage on farms where arable land was insufficient
to take up the waste.
, Coincident with these changes are the growing urbanization
and population densities, coupled with increased effluence
that have intensified the conflicts over land use. Urban
populations which rely heavily on agricultural catchments
for their drinking water, are demanding uncontaminated
food and are increasingly valuing the countryside for
attributes other than food and fiber production. Amenities,
recreation and nature conservation are now important
products of the countryside. Hiking, horseback riding,
angling and camping are pursuits followed by millions.
Thus, not only has the potential for contamination
increased, but also the consequences, because of the
greater value we now place on our environment.
Similar changes are beginning to occur in many parts of the
Third World. The advent of new high-yielding cereal
varieties as part of the Green Revolution, together with
intensification of export crop agriculture, have resulted in a
dramatic growth of pesticide and fertilizer use. Pollution
problems are already apparent and are likely to worsen in
the next few years (Table 1 lists the kinds of pollution
caused by agriculture). Although the use of the countryside
for leisure is confined, at present, to a very few urban
dwellers, many Third World countries are developing strong
conservation movements among whose concerns are the
effects of agriculture on wildlife.
The Nature of Pollution
At its most inclusive, the term “pollution" encompasses all
unwanted effects of human or natural activities. According
to this definition, an unsightly farm building would be
classified as “aesthetic pollution". However, we use the term
as more commonly and narrowly defined whereby a
pollutant is a substance (e.g., a chemical compound or
waste material) or an energy (e.g., noise) which produces
unwanted effects. It is usual to restrict the term pollutant to
substances or energies created by human beings while
recognizing that, under certain conditions, natural
processes generate “pollutants", for example the sulphur
dioxide given off during a volcanic eruption. It is also useful
to make a distinction between a contaminant, which is any
substance or energy introduced by human beings into the
environment, and a pollutant, which is a contaminant that is
causing or liable to cause damage or harm.
The primary environmental contaminants produced by
agriculture are agrochemicals — in particular pesticides and
fertilizers. Contamination occurs when farmers use them for
crop and livestock protection as well as improvement of
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
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yields. Contamination is also caused by various wastes
produced by agricultural processes in the same way that
contamination is caused by industries. The wastes
comprise straw, silage effluent and livestock slurry, and in
the Third World, wastes from on-farm processing of
u
tu.
.......T." 'Ll.
.-.ft
agricultural products such as oil palm and sugar. From the
immediate environment of the farm, contamination spreads
to food and drinking water, to the soil, to surface and
groundwaters and to the atmosphere, in some instances,
reaching as high as the stratosphere.
Table 1. The Principal Pollution Caused by Agriculture
Contaminant or Pollutant
Consequences
Contamination of water
Pesticides
Nitrates
Nitrates, phosphates
Organic livestock wastes
Contamination of rainfall, surface and groundwater, causing harm to
wildlife and exceeding standards for drinking water
Methaemoglobinaemia in infants; possible cause of cancers
Algal growth and eutrophication, causing taste problems, surface
water obstruction, fish kills, coral reef destruction; and illness due to
algal toxins
Algal growth,plus deoxygenation of water and fish kills
Silage effluents
Deoxygenation of water and fish kills; nuisance
Processing wastes from plantation crops (rubber, oil, palm)
Deoxygenation of water fish kills; nuisance
Contamination of food and fodder
Pesticides
Nitrates
Pesticide residues in foods
Increased nitrates in food; methaemoglobinaemia in livestock
Contamination of farm and natural environment
Pesticides
Harm to humans; nuisance
Nitrates
Harm to plant communities
Ammonia from livestock
Disruption of plant and and paddy fields communities; possible role
in tree deaths
Metals from livestock wastes
Raised metal content in soils
Pathogens from livestock
Harm to human and livestock wastes health
Contamination of atmosphere
Ammonia from livestock manures and paddy fields
Odor nuisance, plays a role in acid rain production
Nitrous oxide from fertilizers
Plays a role in ozone layer depletion and global climatic warming
Methane from livestock wastes and paddy rice
Plays a role in global climatic warming
Products of biomass burning (cereal straw,
forests, savannas)
Enhances localized ozone pollution of troposphere; plays a role in
acid rain production, ozone layer depletion and global climatic
warming; nuisance
Indoor contamination
Ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, livestock wastes
Harm to farm worker and animal health; odor nuisance
Nitrogen dioxide from/in soils
Harm to farm silage worker health
Source:
Conway, Gordon and J. N. Petty. Introduction to Agriculture and
Pollution, Unwelcome Harvest. 1991.
Human Health and Agriculture:
The Ecosystem Aunroach
Similarly, public health officials rarely have sufficient
experience or insight into agricultural practices to allow
them to address the complexity of human interactions with
agriculture in their investigations or management plans.
Thus, a new approach to integrating agriculture and health
must be sought.
Ecosystem health has been proposed as a means of
incorporating biological, social and health concerns into
management decisions for a variety of food and resource
sectors. Given the intimate links that agriculture forges
among people, economies and environments, an
ecosystem approach would ensure that health concerns,
ranging from food-borne diseases to community stability,
are explicitly incorporated into the daily farm management.
Yet, despite government and scientific proclamations of
support for an ecosystem approach, the problem of figuring
out how to actually manage resources using this paradigm
still remains.
KS uman health and well-being depenas on agriculture. A
r J safe, readily-accessible food supply is the basis of
security for individuals, communities and nations.
Conversely, food is an effective way to expose people to a
wide variety of health risks. As the consumption of food and
water is the most intimate experience we can have with our
environment, it is not surprising that a wide variety of
environmental health concerns are associated with farming.
While the central management task of economicallyoriented field such as fisheries, forestry and agriculture, has
historically been to produce the greatest crop without
endangering the resources being harvested (Krebs, 1997),
managers must now also consider how to insure a vibrant
industry while addressing the health of human communities.
Few agronomists or veterinarians have sufficient
appreciation of their role as guardians of public health to
allow for the development of management practices that
explicitly address issues relevant to human health.
Many discussions on ecosystem health apply a clinical’
medical model to ecosystems. Emphasis, in this approach,
is placed on identifying critical characteristics that could be
used to distinguish sick or stressed ecosystems from
healthy ones and to identify factors that put ecosystems at
risk (Rapport, 1989).
Arising from this analogy has been the call for “physicians
to the environment" - professionals charged with
maintaining healthy ecosystems (Nielsen, 1992). In simple
terms, the basic function of a physician is to correctly
classify a patient's health and restore it to what is
considered normal. Medicine is a predictive art in which the
practitioner compares observations made on a particular
patient with cumulative observations and experience with
similar patients in order to predict the fate of the patient as
well as the success of potential therapeutic options
(Sackett, et. al., 1991). The question, central to the medical
approach to ecosystems, is whether or not an ecosystem
physician could provide the basic medical functions of
diagnosis, prognosis and treatment
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
’’
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..
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
. "'T
Diagnosis serves to determine how changes in physical or
functional relationship of the parts of a patient's body affect
the entire well-being. This also directs us towards a
therapeutic plan which can restore the patient to what is
considered normal. It acknowledges that the health of a
patient is dependent on a normally-functioning homeostatic
relationship of the parts.
Yet, ecosystems do not have similar feedback mechanisms
to maintain an optimum state, hence, members of the
ecosystem (unlike organs in a body) do not work together
for the health of the system (Scrimgeour, et. al., 1997).
Ecosystems are the set of relationships between living and
non-living parts which insure the flow of energy and cycling
of chemicals necessary for life (Botkin, 1990).
Problems with identifying the boundaries and
characteristics of a specific ecosystem make comparisons
to other ecosystem-patients difficult, hence, preventing
prognostic and treatment predictions based on cumulative
experiences. Unable to consistently identify a patient,
classify its state of health and make reasonable predictions
HWroan4 i
. j ■ ■■ ■ ■ n,, , ■ ■
_ ____
4’Ax..1^ ..ex
_________
on its fate, a physician to the environment" would be hard
pressed to apply a modern medical model to ecosystems.
Despite these limitations, it may be premature to discard a
medical approach to ecosystem health.
An 18” century approach offers several advances. First, the
18h century medical model better describes our state of
understanding of ecosystem health. Just as 18” century
physicians sought to understand the basic pathophysiology
of the circulatory, gastro-intestinal and other body systems
through observation of sick patients, the first task of many
ecosystem health practitioners had been to spend time in
the ecosystems and identify the underlying mechanisms
resulting in real or perceived adverse health effects.
Understanding that the art and science of ecosystem health
is in its infancy, will prevent false hope in the curative
capacity of this approach in the immediate future.
Second, 18” century physicians were able to advance their
medical knowledge and abilities despite conflicting
paradigms of health and imprecise knowledge of the
functioning of their patients. On one hand, this should
nr L ys
i-
Human Health and Agriculture: The Ecosystem Approach
.
encourage potential ecosystem physicians frustrated with
the philosophical quagmires often encountered in this field.
On the other hand, it should remind us that much of
medicine was learned through trial and error and that many
patients died before new insights into the genesis and
control of disease were obtained. Can we afford the same
trial and error approach when ecosystems are the patients?
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a review of the
history of medicine shows that our greatest achievements in
health have come about from improving or altering our
relationhip with our environment. The Sanitary Reform of
the 18thcentury serves as a prime example. Through
improvements in water quality, food quality, housing and
social support, more gains in human well-being and greater
strides in reducing human disease were made than have
occurred since. Eighteenth century medical practitioners
implicitly applied the teaching of Hippocrates who instructed
new physicians that, to know a patient’s health, one must
know how the patient relates to the world around him.
Applying an Ecological Model to Health - an
Alternative Approach?
Understanding how an organism relates to and is affected
by its environment is the science of ecology. Although
components of an ecosystem may not work together to
produce an optimal state of health, it cannot be denied that
all components of an ecosystem are linked together at
s me level and, hence, their health is inter-related. Just as
the health of a cow affects the health of the herd, which in
turn affects the health of the farm, farms have effects on the
well-being of people working on the farm, people
consuming the farm products as well as the general
community. Ecological sciences may serve to reveal how
....... ir;____ ...
3
farm management can affect human health by studying the
interactions with agriculture that determine the distribution
and abundance of health and disease in a community.
An ecological model of health contends that health is a
product of the interactions between individuals and sub
systems of ecosystems (Green, et. al., 1996). Paying
attention to such interactions is nothing new when it comes
to investigating and managing health. Ecological
perspectives have, perhaps unwittingly, been a part of
public health and herd health programs since their
inception. No program intent on manipulating or maintaining
population health can do so without considering external
environmental inputs.
While early efforts at population medicine were almost
exclusively concerned with finding the key environmental
factor that could be controlled to reduce disease, health
promotion programs for people and herd health programs
for animals, now focus more on providing environmental,
social and economic conditions that allow the population to
meet our expectations for health and productivity. An
analogous evolution can be seen in forestry. Modern
forestry is moving away from harvesting systems which do
not consider the ever-changing nature of forest landscapes
and our attitudes towards them, to “social forestry" which is
not only ecologically-based and biologically-sustainable, but
also strives to meet social and environmental expectations
and values (Kimmins, 1997).
Increasingly, legislative changes and market concerns,
demanding that social, health and environmental issues be
addressed, are driving agriculture towards a similar
evolution. Knowing how a community relates to its biotic
and abiotic environment is not only the basis for population
medicine and public health, it is also is becoming a
foundation for resource management.
Perhaps, the key to the ecological approach to health is to
spend time on identifying how the health of the patient,
whether this be the community, the farm or the farmer, is
affected by or reflects the interactions it has with other
components of the farming ecosystem. Without this
understanding, our capacity to predict and prevent adverse
health effects arising from agriculture will always be poor.
Experience in more traditional forms of ecology and
medicine shows us that most gains or improvements in our
knowledge were made by looking at a problem. An
4
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
ecological approach to health management should follow
the successes of ecology and public health by working to
accumulate the insight and experience needed to forge a
theoretical base and predictive capacity by trying to solve or
prevent health problems. While the use of inter-disciplinary
teams in agricultural development is undoubtedly an
important step to integrate health and food production, it is
perhaps equally important to ensure that, training of health
professionals and agriculturists inculcate the Hippocratic
idea that man’s health is a product of his interactions with
the world around him. However, assuring that students and
scientists spend as much time in the community and on
farms as they do in the laboratory or library, will perhaps be
the most important step to increase our understanding of
farming and human health dynamics.
Looking at links between agriculture and human health
through ecological lens is not without problems. Just as
ecosystems are concepts rather than physical entities,
health is defined more by social perceptions and desires
than it is determined by biological mechanisms. While we
may use objective scientific measurements to classify the
disease status of a patient, interpretation of these findings
typically requires some projection of social expectations or
values.
One example is the conflicting interpretation of the available
data concerning human health impacts of salmon farming.
Proponents of the industry see salmon farming as a means
to bolster the socio-economic health of coastal communities
and to produce a consistent, high quality food. Meanwhile,
critics see the industry as creating environmental impacts
that threaten people through drug contamination of wild and
farmed seafood, net loss of wild protein for food production
and threats to other sustainable coastal industries (Stephen
and Iwama, 1997).
The World Health Organization’s definition of health as, “a
state of complete physical, mental and social well being and
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" highlights
the socio-economic characteristic of health. Typically, the
biomedical sciences have not served to establish
community definitions of health, but instead have worked to
try to meet them. Analogously, the role for ecology in linking
agriculture and human health is not to define or judge the
nature of the relationship. Rather, the role should be to
determine if public expectations are achievable and
sustainable in the light of the current set of inter
relationships and to identify management practices that
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
could allow the agroecosystem to meet social demands and
expectations for individual, community and environmental
health.
Another major limitation to the ecological approach is
complexity. Ecosystems are complex, dynamic systems in
which small changes can result in unanticipated effects
(Schaffer and Kot, 1986). Each system that we examine is
imbedded in another system and each farm is unique in
terms of its precise sets of interactions.
Thus, it becomes difficult to select the exact set of
observations in time or space upon which we would choose
to base system-level management decisions. Some authors
have advocated that systems theory be used as a means to
address complexity and dynamic interactions between
systems (Green, et. al., 1996). An alternative is to apply
sound principles of ecology and epidemiology to studies of
health-agriculture interactions. Such approaches strive to
understand the interactions affecting the problem we are
concerned with so as to identify the key components of the
system. These components can be manipulated to reduce
or prevent adverse health effects and to reduce the
likelihood that our management plans result in
unanticipated or undesired effects. It acknowledges that we
do not manage ecosystems, but we do manage our
interactions with them (Kay and Schneider, 1994).
Conclusion
Agriculture and medicine have both been confronted with
unwelcome surprises in recent years. The use of pesticides
has exacerbated some pest problems, the development of
high-yield crops in one region resulted in social inequities in
others and emerging infectious disease have had severe
impacts on trade and economies (Levins, 1995a). Levins
(1995b) suggested that to be prepared for surprises, health
sciences must:
ra improve predictive capacity by studying health problems
in a socio-ecological framework;
n improve our ability to detect and respond to new
problems through inter-disciplinary collaborations
between the sciences and with the public;
® reduce the vulnerability of populations and systems to
change by maintaining adaptable and healthy
environments; and
k try to prevent new problems by expanding prevention
programs into an enlarged ecosystem to influence
events before they result in undesired health impacts.
Human Health and Agriculture: The Ecosystem Approach
5
To do so requires an understanding of how health is
affected by the world around us.
systems. This begins with solving agriculture - related
health problems in an integrated fashion.
Ecological investigations are generally of three types:
1. describing the distribution and abundance of various
organisms;
2. determining the dynamic responses of populations or
communities to immediate factors of their environment;
and
3. uncovering the historical reasons that resulted in the
particular system we see now (Kimmins, 1997).
Some people would look at recent gains in productivity and
conclude that past agriculture management practices have
increased yield, increased wealth and, thus, increased
community well-being. Others would argue that recent
management practices that supported gains in efficiency
have resulted in degraded natural environments, expanding
social inequities in agriculture communities and hence, a
decline in community health. Regardless of the viewpoint,
there is a growing acknowledgment that humans, animals
and the environment make up a farming community and
that altering the health of one component can affect the
health of others. Agriculture, managed to promote human
health, must strive to understand these relationships.
To date, our attempts to integrate health and agriculture
through an ecological approach have failed to fully address
this spectrum of ecological investigation While we have
described a variety of adverse health effects and developed
hypotheses as to how system changes have resulted in
these effects, we have spent little time uncovering how our
interactions with agriculture and agriculture’s interactions
with the environment affect or reflect public health.
Defining a healthy agroecosystem as one that produces
safe and available food while ensuring ecological
sustainability and human health requires that science and
society work together to address such concerns. This
undoubtedly will lead to links between various scientific
communities, with stakeholders and with the general
community, facilitating understanding and improving
decision-making capacity. Yet, an ecological approach,
regardless of its theoretical value, will not evolve if it
remains stuck in philosophical debates rather than being
applied to improve the lot of farmers and the general well
being of society and our environment. Early efforts to adapt
ecosystem approaches to resource management have
often focused on the goal of identifying characteristics of
healthy ecosystems, but have often forgotten to consider
how the health of ecosystem components, including people,
are affected by ecological interactions.
People are typically seen as risk factors, catalysts of
environmental degradation rather than victims or
benefactors of ecosystem change. If we are to view farming
as ecosystem management, we must acknowledge that
people are the key driver of the ecosystem that can affect or
be affected by management practices. It is my contention
that, to improve our ability to predict human health effects of
future agricultural practices, significant efforts must be
applied to find and evaluate the links between people and
the environment they share with agricultural production
References
Botkin, D.B. 1990. Discordant Harmonies. A New Ecology
for the Twenty-First century. Oxford University Press.
Oxford.
Green, L.W., L. Richard and L. Potvin. 1996. Ecological
Foundations of Health Promotion. American Journal of
Health Promotion. 10(4):270-81.
Kay, J.J. and E. Schneider. 1994. Embracing Complexity:
The Challenge of the Ecosystem Approach. Alternatives.
20(3): 32-9.
Kimmins, J.P. 1997. Forest Ecology: A Foundation for
Sustainable Management 2nd ed. Prentice-Hall. New
Jersey.
Krebs, C.J. 1994. Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of
Distribution and Abundance. 4th ed. Harper Collins
College Publishing, New York.
Levins, R. 1995a. Toward an Integrated Epidemiology.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 10(7): 304.
Levins, R. 1995b. Preparing for Uncertainty. Ecosystem
Health 1(1): 47-57.
Nielsen, N.0.1992. Ecosystem Health and Veterinary
Medicine. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 33 (Jan):23-26.
6
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
Rapport, D.J. 1989. What Constitutes Ecosystem Health?
Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 33(1):120-133,
Sackett, D.L, R. B. Haynes, G. H. Guyatt and P. Tugwell.
1991. Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical
Medicine. 2nd ed. Little, Brown and Comp. Toronto.
Schaffer, W.M. and M. Kot. 1986. Chaos in Ecological
Systems: The Coals that Newcastle Forgot. Trends in
Ecology and Evolution. 1(3): 58-63.
Scrimgeour, G.J., D. Wicklum and S. D. Pruss. 1997. What
are Ecosystem Health and Integrity Research Links.
Parks Canada Western Canada. 5(2): 14-15.
Stephen, C. and G. Iwama. 1997. Fish Health. Salmon
Aquaculture Review. Volume 3. British Columbia
Environmental Assessment Office. Victoria. pp.C1-C140.
Source:
Craig Stephen, Director, Centre for Coastal Health Assistant
Professor, Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British
Columbia. IDRC Program Initiatives: Ecohealth. 1997.
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Emissions, Waste anti Natural Resource-Use
he table below shows the types of emissions to air,
water and soil made by selected sectors whose
activities have significant routine environmental impacts.
They include industries producing chemicals, paper and
pulp, cement, glass and ceramics, iron and steel, non
ferrous metals and leather, and those involved in refining
and processing petroleum.
The following factors determine the type and level of
industrial emissions:
■ type and amount of product manufactured and
manufacturing process used;
■ type, amount and content of raw materials used;
■ use of energy, water and air;
■ size of the facility;
■ amount of toxic materials stored on the site; and
■ quality and efficiency of abatement technology (if used).
Another set of factors relates to the human exposures that
can result from industrial emissions and includes:
surrounding environmental conditions (rivers, wind, soil
conditions, etc.); and
■ location of human settlement, vis-a-vis industrial
operation.
Source:
Health and Environment in Sustainable Development, Chapter 3:
Human Activities and Environmental Quality, pp. 63-65. World
Table 1. Overview of Significant and Potential Environmental Impacts by Industrial Sectors
Sector
Air
Water
Soil/Land
Chemicals (industrial
inorganic and organic
compounds, excluding
petroleum products)
■ Many and varied emissions
depending on processes
used and chemicals
manufactured
■ Emissions of particulate
matter, SO2, NOx, CO,
CFCs, VOCs and other
organic chemicals, odors
■ Risk of explosions and fires
■ Use of process water and
cooling water
■ Emissions of organic
chemicals, heavy metals
(cadmium, mercury),
suspended solid, organic
matter, phenols, RGBs,
cyanide water-quality effects
■ Risk of spills
■ Chemical process waste
disposal problems
■ Sludges from air and
water pollution treatment
disposal problem
Paper and pulp
■ Emissions of SO2, NOxl
CH4, CO2, CO, hydrogen
sulphide, mercaptans,
chlorine compounds,
dioxins
■ Use of process water
■ Emissions of suspended
solids, organic matter,
chlorinated organic
substances toxins (dioxins)
Cement, glass, ceramics
■ Cement emissions of dust,
NOX, CO2, chromium, lead,
CO
■ Glass emissions of lead,
arsenic, SO2, vanadium,
CO, hydroflouric acid, soda
ash, potash, speciality
constituents (e.g.,
chromium)
■ Ceramics emissions of
silica, SO2, NOX flourine
compounds
■ Emissions of process water
contaminated by oils and
heavy metals
■ Extraction of raw
materials
■ Metals soil contamination
and waste disposal
problems
Mining metals and minerals
■ Emissions of dust from
extraction, storage and
transport of ore and
concentrate
■ Contamination of surface
water and groundwater by
highly acidic mine water
containing toxic metals (e.g.,
arsenic, lead, cadmium).
■ Major surface disturbance
and erosion
■ Land degradation by large
slag heap
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Table 1... continued
Sector
Air
Water
■ Emissions of metals (e.g.,
mercury) from drying of ore
concentrate
n Contamination by chemicals
used in metal extraction
(e.g., cyanide)
Iron and steel
■ Emissions of S02, NOx,
hydrogen sulphide, PAHs,
lead, arsenic cadmium,
chromium, copper, mercury,
nickel, selenium, zinc,
organic compounds,
PCDDs/PCDFs, PCBs, dust,
particulate matter, HCs, acid
mists
■ Exposure to ultraviolet and
infrared radiation, ionizing
radiation
■ Risks of explosion and fires
" Use of process water
s Emissions of organic matter,
tars and oil, suspended
solids, metals, benzene,
phenols, acids, sulphides,
sulphates, ammonia,
cyanides, thicyanates,
thiosulphates, flourides,
lead, zinc (scrubber effluent)
water-quality effects
n Slag, sludges, oil and
grease residues, HCs,
salts, sulphur compounds.,
heavy metals soil
contamination and waste
disposal problems
Non-ferrous metals
■ Emissions of particulate
matter, SO2, NOX, CO,
hydrogen sulphide,
hydrogen, hydrogen flouride,
chlorine, aluminum, arsenic,
cadmium, chromium,
copper, zinc, mercury,
nickel, lead, magnesium,
PAHs, flourides, silica,
manganese, carbon black,
HCs aerosols
w Scrubber water containing
metals
a Gas-scrubber effluents
containing solids, flourine,
HCs
■ Sludges from effluent
treatment, coatings from
electrolysis cells
(containing carbon and
flourine); soil
contamination and waste
disposal problems
Coal mining and production
■ Emissions of dust from
extraction, storage and
transport of coal
■ Emissions of CO and SO2
from burning slag heaps
■ CH4 emissions from
underground formations
■ Risk of explosions and fires
■ Contamination of surface
water and groundv/ater by
highly saline or acidic mine
water
■ Major surface disturbance
and erosion
h Subsidence of ground
above mines
« Land degradation by large
slag heaps
Refineries, petroleum
products
■ Emissions of SO2, NOX,
hydrogen, sulphide, HCs,
benzene, CO, CO2,
particulate matter, PAHs,
mercaptans, toxic organic
compounds, odors
■ Risk of explosions and fires
a Use of cooling water
a Emissions of HCs,
mercaptans, caustics, oil,
phenols, chromium, effluent
from gas scrubbers
n Hazardous waste, sludges
from effluent treatment,
spent catalysts, tars
Leather and tanning
■ Emissions including leather
dust, hydrogen sulphide,
CO2, chromium compounds
h
Use of process water
n Effluents from the many
toxic solutions used,
containing suspended
solids, sulphates, chromium
h
Source:
Stannels and Bourdeau. 1995; World Bank. 1997.
Soil/Land
Chromium sludges
Toxic / Hazamous Chomicais aod Wastes
‘i here are various kinds of hazardous wastes. Some are
-J highly inflammable - as in many solvents used in the
chemical industry while some are highly reactive - and can
explode or generate toxic gases when coming into contact
with water or some other chemical.
Some have disease-causing agents: sewage sludge or
hospital wastes often contain bacteria, viruses and cysts
from parasites. Some wastes are lethal poisons - cyanide,
arsenic and many heavy metal compounds; many are
carcinogenic (i.e., cancer inducing). Table 1 gives some
examples of toxic chemicals, their use and their potential
health impacts.
Table 1. Toxic Chemicals, Their Use and Their Potential Health Impacts
Chemical
Use
Health Problems
Arsenic
Pesticides; some medicines; glass
Toxic; dermatitis, muscular paralysis, damage to
liver and kidney; possibly carcinogenic and
teratogenic
Asbestos
Roofing insulation; air conditioning conduits; plastic;
fiber; paper
Carcinogenic to workers and even to family
members
Benzene
Manufacture of many chemicals; gasoline
Leukemia; chromosomal damage in exposed
workers
Beryllium
Aerospace industry; ceramic parts; household
appliances
Fatal lung disease; lung and heart toxicity
Cadmium
Electroplating; plastic pigments; some fertilizers
Kidney damage; emphysema; possibly
carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic
Chromates
Tanning; pigments; corrosion inhibitor; fungicides
Skin ulcers; kidney inflammation; possibly
carcinogenic; toxic to fish
Lead
Pipes; some batteries and paints; printing; plastics;
gasoline additive
Intoxicant; neurotoxin affects blood system
Mercury
Chloralkali cells; fungicides; pharmaceuticals
Damage to nervous system; kidney damage
RGBs
Electric transformers; insulator electric equipment
Possibly carcinogenic; nerve, skin and liver
damage
Sulphur dioxide
Sugar; bleeding agent; emissions from coal/some oil
combustion
Irritation to eyes and respiratory system; damage to
plants and buildings
Vinyl chloride
Plastics; organic compound synthesis
Systematically toxic; carcinogenic
Source:
Krishanamurthi, C"
CR ’Toxic Chemical in State of the Environment: Some Aspects, National Committee of Environmental Planning, New Delhi quoted in G. Anandalingam
and Mark Westfall (1987) ‘Hazardous Waste Generation and Disposal: Options for Developing Countries, Natural Resources Forum. Vol. 1, No. 1.
Hazardous Wastes: Sources and Control
How is Waste Defined in the Basel Convention?
Wastes are substances or objects which are disposed of or
are intended to be disposed or are required to be disposed by
the provisions of national law.
What is Meant by Hazardous Waste in the Basel
Convention?
s
ince the beginning of the century, the world has
experienced unprecedented industrialization and
economic growth.
New discoveries, techniques and technologies formed a
basis for accelerated development in the chemical field.
Synthetic fibers such as nylon and terylene for use in
various kinds of textiles; plastics such as PVC and
polythene for use as packing material, in furniture and in
cars; insecticides, herbicides and other pesticides; an array
of new pharmaceuticals, and many other chemically-based
new products came into widespread use. In addition, many
new chemicals were processed, synthesized and used in
industry. In homes, the use of new detergents, types of
paints and other household chemicals marked the
beginning of a new era.
At the same time, the harmful effects of wastes on human
health and on the environment generated by producing and
consuming industrial and agricultural goods have become
increasingly striking. Industry and mining are the main
sources of hazardous wastes, particularly in industrialized
countries. The generation of hazardous wastes is not
confined to large-scale industrial plants, as small-scale
industry, small workshops, garages and very small
production units collectively produce large and diverse
quantities of hazardous wastes.
First, rather than adopting one definition of hazardous waste,
the Convention takes a broad view that there are 45
categories of wastes that are presumed to be hazardous in
the Convention. Eighteen of them are waste streams (i.e.,
clinical wastes, mineral oils, RGB). Almost 27 others are
wastes having clearly-identified constituents (i.e., mercury,
lead, asbestos, organic cyanides, halogenated organic
solvents). However, in order to be classified as hazardous,
these categories of wastes need to exhibit one or more
hazardous characteristics, such as being flammable,
oxidizing, poisonous, infectious, corrosive, ecotoxic.
Secondly, if a waste is considered hazardous by the national
legislation of the Party of export, import or transit, it will be
considered hazardous for the purpose of transboundary
movement by all States involved.
Furthermore, transport services; hospitals, research
laboratories, public buildings, military establishments and
even households are often the identified sources of highlydangerous materials. Within the industrial sector itself, the
chemical industry is by far the main source of hazardous
wastes. In developing countries, small-scale industry is an
important source of ill-defined heterogeneous quantities of
hazardous waste.
One of the most difficult environmental challenges the world
faces is the hazardous waste: large quantities of waste
generated with more and more complex chemical structures.
There are more than 400 million metric tons of hazardous
wastes generated each year worldwide. Some 10% of these
wastes cross national frontiers. Stockpiles of corrosive
acids, organic chemicals, toxic metals and other wastes
pose acute, long-term health and ecological threats, causing
groundwater contamination, leaching and other types of
pollution.
For economic reasons, large volumes of hazardous wastes
are exported from industrialized countries to developing
countries as well as to Eastern and Central Europe where
the disposal costs are lower. Unfortunately, a number of
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
these countries lack environmentally-sound waste disposal
management schemes. In developing countries, future
action in minimizing and managing hazardous wastes is
required because the capabilities and capacities of these
countries in disposal, monitoring and enforcement are quite
weak. Another major problem is the scarcity of sources that
What is Meant by Transboundary Movement?
Transboundary movement means any movement of hazardous
wastes or other wastes from an area under the national
jurisdiction of one State to or through an area under the
national jurisdiction of another State or to or through and area
not under the national jurisdiction of any State, provided at
least two States are involved in the movement.
Source:
The Basel Convention, The Global Solution for Controlling
Hazardous Wastes. United Nations Environmental Programme New York and Geneva. 1997.
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
could be allocated to sound hazardous waste management
practices. Transboundary movements of hazardous wastes
have become a global problem, demanding global
solutions. In developing countries, front-line measures are
urgently required to cope with existing problems due to
hazardous waste generation.
What is Environmentally-sound Management?
According to the Basel Convention, environmentally-sound
management of hazardous wastes or other wastes means “taking
all practicable steps to ensure that hazardous wastes and other
wastes are managed in a manner which will protect human health
and the environment against the diverse effects which may result
from such wastes.
Chemical Poliatants: Its Hazards to Human Health
a Smoke from combustion of coal and wood (or other
biomass fuel);
h Tobacco smoke;
a Potentially-dangerous chemical used without health
and safety safeguards (by home-workers and in
occupational setting); and
■ Formaldehyde (mostly from insulation; also some wood
preservatives and adhesives).
Chemicals Found Outdoors in Urban Areas
in the Air (Ambient)
Chemicals Found in Food and Water
■a Lead (in food and drinking water, especially where there
is a combination of lead water pipes and acidic water);
■ Aflatoxins and other natural food toxicants;
■ Nitrates in drinking water (and their conversion into
nitrites in the body);
h Trace pollutants in water supply, many from the agro
chemicals (for instance various halogenated organic
chemicals);
■ Aluminum (food and drinking water); and
h Arsenic and mercury.
■ Lead (exhausts of motor vehicles using gasoline with
lead additive, from external paint, some industrial
emissions);
sa Sulphur dioxide, sulphates and smoke/suspended
particulates (mainly from coal or heavy oil combustion
by industries, power stations and, in some cities,
households);
■ Oxides of nitrogen (in most cities, mostly from motor
vehicle emissions, also some industries);
s Hydrocarbons (motor vehicles, petrol stations, some
industries);
kj Ozone (secondary pollutant formed by reaction of
nitrogen dioxide and hydrocarbons in sunlight);
h Carbon monoxide (incomplete combustion of fossil
fuels, mostly by motor vehicles); and
m VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that are, or may
be, hazardous.
Chemicals Which May Contaminate
Land Sites
Chemicals Commonly-Found in the Indoor
Environment (Home/Workplace)
■ Carbon monozide (incomplete combustion of fossil
fuels);
■ Lead (paint ingested by children);
■ Asbestos (usually from roofing insulation or air
conditioning conduits);
a Cadmium and mercury compounds and other heavy
metal compounds (industrial wastes);
h Dioxins, PCBs, arsenic, organochlorine pesticides
(industrial wastes); and
Micro pollutants (both indoorand outdoor); mixture each
at trace level (with possible additive effects).
Source:
The Environment for Children, United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF). 1996.
fiir Follytisn aiisf its Costs
h ? n C0^ days *n ^e^'’ ln^a>
Poor *ight bonfires of
Vs? tires, trees and rags whose fumes mix with the
exhaust from the city’s two million vehicles, form a thick
smog. On most days in Mexico City, a blanket of pollution
cuts off views of the surrounding mountains. On one
famous occasion, it got so bad that birds fell dead out of the
sky onto the Zocalo, the city’s main square. Throughout the
developing world, smogs in many big cities are getting
worse as more people use cars and more manufacturing
firms belch out pollution. Congestion is on the rise too:
according to one estimate, a car in Bangkok now spends
the equivalent of 40 days a year stuck in traffic. The air in
Asia's cities, like the water in its rivers, is particularly
unhealthy, containing levels of dust and smoke several
times higher than in the rich countries’ cities.
Environmentalists in the developed world also worry about
air pollution in poorer countries, not just out of the goodness
of their hearts but because they fear it may affect their own
backyard. Carbon dioxide emissions, thought to be the
cause of global warming, are growing particularly fast in
developing countries. So are the emissions of sulphur
dioxide, blamed for acid rain, which sometimes falls
hundreds of miles from the source of pollution.
But the harm that air pollution causes in developing
countries is much more serious and immediate. The biggest
causes for concern are indoor air pollution, lead emissions
and small particles. Indoor air pollution in poor countries is
not much talked about, but it is often as damaging to health
as smoking cigarettes.
Around a third of the energy consumed in developing
countries comes from wood, crop residues and dung, which
are often burnt in poorly-designed stoves within ill-ventilated
huts. Studies of women in India and Nepal exposed to
smoke from such fuels show that their death rates from
chronic respiratory disease are similar to those of heavy
smokers.
Lead has long been known to be dangerous in large doses.
Some historians have argued that its use in piping and
amphorae in ancient Rome caused many emperors to go
•mad, accelerating the collapse of the Roman empire. But
Leaden Air
Average blood lead levels of sampled population in
selected cities early 1990s, micrograms per deciliter
0
10
f
20
—+■
-+-
Bangkok L
I ____ ■ ■
30
-4-
.
40
-F
50
H
4
Cairo I
■
•
Budapest
Mexico City JHI
US average
Source: World Bank
only since the 1970s have scientists been aware that
relatively small quantities of lead in the bloodstream can be
harmful to humans. In particular, many studies show a
correlation between levels of lead in children's blood and
lower IQ scores, hearing loss and hyperactivity. In cities in
developing countries, people breathe-in lead from air,
polluted by burning leaded petrol.
But the kind of air pollution that causes the most damage to
human health in developing countries is from small particles
(of less than 10 microns in diameter, known as PM10).
Caused by vehicle exhausts, coal-burning smoke from
factories and dust stirred up by vehicles, these particles
easily find their way into people's lungs. Although doctors
disagree about the precise mechanism by which they cause
illnesses, studies have shown a strong positive correlation
between levels of PM10 in the air and death rates.
Together, these pollutants impose a big toll. The World
Bank estimates that in China, which probably has the
dirtiest air in Asia, air pollution in 1995 caused 178,000
premature deaths among city dwellers and 1.7 million cases
of chronic bronchitis. The bank puts the total economic
costs of this damage at $32 billion, or almost 5% of the
Clearing the air can be politically tricky,
but need not cost a lot
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
Gasping
Health costs* of urban air particulate pollution
1995, $bn
100
______ Other symptoms
MBMI Restricted activity
I
I Chronic bronchitis
80
Premature deaths
60
40
20
J_ 0
1995
2000
10
20
* Social costs of mortality and
morbidity due to exposure to PM10
Source: World Bank
country's GDP. Similarly, preliminary estimates of the cost
from last year’s smog across Southeast Asia suggest that
for some of the countries affected, it may exceed 2% of
GDP.
Indoor air pollution is inextricably linked with poverty and
should, therefore, become less of a problem as living
standards rise and families can afford to switch from dung
and wood to cleaner fuels such as kerosene, liquid
petroleum gas and, cleanest of all, electricity. Energy in
developing countries, like water, is often heavily-subsidized;
in the early 1990s, the average price paid for electricity by
consumers in these countries was four cents per kilowatt
hour, when it costs an average of about 10 cents to
produce. The usual argument for such subsidies is that they
make electricity affordable for poorer people and thus,
improve their lives. But first, new consumers need to be
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
connected to the grid, and in developing countries, that
privilege is largely reserved for the urban middle classes,
who live in places where such luxuries are available.
In practice, therefore, subsidies are not as helpful to the
poor as it is claimed. At the same time, they put a heavy
burden on public spending and they encourage the
profligate use of power. So reducing subsidies and raising
prices, although politically difficult, is a cheap and effective
way of preventing waste. In recent years, many developing
countries have been moving in that direction. In Russia and
Eastern Europe, manufacturing firms once kept going by
subsidized energy, have been allowed to collapse; and in
China, energy intensity (the energy consumed per unit of
GDP) has dropped by 50% since 1980. Even so, energy
subsidies in developing countries remain high.
Another cheap, effective and politically less contentious
anti-pollution policy is for governments to phase out lead in
petrol or at least encourage drivers to use unleaded fuel by
imposing lesser taxes. Typically, it costs between one or
two cents per liter of petrol to modify refineries to produce
that unleaded sort. Although some drivers fret that unleaded
fuel might damage their car engines, the effect is negligible.
In recent years, many developing countries, including
Mexico and Thailand, have copied rich countries in
reducing or phasing out lead in petrol; but others have not.
In Africa and the Middle East, fuel with very high lead
content is still widely used.
In big Asian cities, motorcycles and three-wheelers account
for much of the growth in vehicles because they are
cheaper than cars; but they emit huge amounts of small
particles and smoke. A cheap solution would be for
governments to make four-stroke engines on these bikes
compulsory, or at least encourage their use. Four-stroke
engines are cleaner, and although they cost more (putting
off many would-be users), they cost less in the long run
because they are cheaper to maintain and need less fuel.
Thailand, persuaded by these arguments, is phasing out
vehicles with two-stroke engines.
Source:
The Economist. 21 March 1998.
Maw Air Pollution: “Rulo of One Thousand”
: ■ ndoor air pollution can be particularly hazardous to
U health because it is released in close proximity to
people. The “rule of 1000" states that pollutant released
indoors is 1000 times more likely to reach people’s lungs
than a pollutant released outdoors.
The major source of indoor air pollution in developing
countries is household use of biomass and coal for heating
and cooking, usually involving open fires or stoves without
proper chimneys. Pollutant concentrations can be extremely
high, exceeding WHO guidelines by more than a factor of
100. Women and children are affected most. It has been
estimated that as many as 1000 million people, mostly
women and children, are regularly and severely exposed to
such concentrations (WHO, 1992f).
In addition to fumes from combustion, indoor pollutants
originate from building materials, paints, solvents used in
the home and environmental tobacco smoke. Indoor air
quality is also affected by outdoor pollution sources.
Principal pollutants and their sources are given in Table 1.
Table 1. Principal Pollutants and Sources of Indoor Air Pollution, Grouped by Origin
Principal Pollutants
Sources of Air Pollution
■ SO2 , SPM/RSP
■ 03
h Pollens
« Pb, Mn
■ Pb, Cd
■ VOC, PAH
Predominantly outdoor
a Fuel combustion, smelters
o Photochemical reactions
h Trees, grass, weeds, plants
“ Automobiles
« Industrial emissions
a Petrochemical solvents, vaporization of unburned fuels
■ NOX,CO
« CO2
■ SPM/RSP
Both indoor and outdoor
“ Fuel burning
« Fuel burning, metabolic activity
« ETS, resuspension of dust, condensation of vapors and
combustion products
a Biological activity, combustion, evaporation
Volatization, fuel burning, paint, pesticides, insecticides,
fungicides
Fungi, molds
® Water vapor
■ VOC
■ Spores
a Ra
■ HCHO
■ Asbestos
■ NH3
■ Polycyclic hydrocarbons, arsenic, nicotine, acrolein
■ VOC
“ Hg
■ Aerosols
■ Allergens
“ Pathogenic organisms
Predominantly indoor
■ Soil, building construction materials, water
m Insulation, furnishing, ETS
h Fire-retardant, insulation
■ Cleaning products
h ETS
a Adhesives, solvents, cooking, cosmetics
■ Fungicides, paints, spills or breakages of Hg containing
products
« Consumer products, house dust
■ House dust, animal dander
“ Infections
Source:
Health and Environment in Sustainable Development, Chapter 4:
Environmental Quality, Exposures and Risks, pp. 84-85. World
Health Organization-Geneva. 1997.
Braw BespiroM Infection
Air Pollution and ARI
*ndoor and outdoor air pollution have been
StfS associated with increased childhood morbidity and
mortality. While the precise physiological mechanism is
unclear, exposure to air-borne particulate matter has been
found to be especially significant. Epidemiologic studies
have associated particulates with reductions in lung
function, exacerbation of pre-existing asthma, emergency
room visits, hospitalization, acute bronchitis and non
specific mortality. In addition, mortality from childhood
pneumonia appears to be related to particulate exposure.
Outdoor sources of particulates include motor vehicle
exhaust, industrial activities, power generation, open
burning of solid waste, construction and related activities,
and resuspension of deposited dusts. Indoor exposures to
particulates are greater concerns than those outdoors,
because concentrations are often much higher indoors and
the greater time spent indoors by vulnerable population
sub-groups, including young children.
Acute respiratory infection(ARI), which includes upper
respiratory infections such as colds and sore throats, and
lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia and
bronchiolitis, is the most important single cause of mortality
in developing countries. Among children less than five
years old in developing countries, 28% of deaths are
associated with ARI. The presence of ARI can also increase
mortality from measles, malaria and other diseases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)
International Study Group on Indoor Air Pollution and
Childhood Pneumonia, there are six potential intervention
areas to reduce morbidity and mortality from ARI among
children under five years of age:
1. case management and chemoprophylaxis (e.g., of
severely malnourished children or high-risk neonates);
2. immunization (e.g., new vaccines for pneumococcus);
3. improving nutrition (e.g., encouraging breastfeeding);
4. reducing transmission of pathogens (e.g., reducing
crowding);
5. improving childcare practices (e.g., promoting effective
care-seeking behavior); and
Indoor exposures to particulates are of greater concern than
those outdoors, because concentrations are often much
higher indoors and the greater time spent indoors by
vulnerable population subgroups,
including young children.
6. reducing environmental pollution of the indoorand
ambient air (Kirkwood et al., 1995).
This last intervention is within the purview of environmental
health.
Using a methodology described in Kirkwood, et al. (1995),
WHO has calculated the potential impacts on mortality from
ARI from these interventions (Bruce 1996). According to
these calculations, a 20% reduction of indoor air pollution
from biomass combustion could reduce mortality from ARI
by 4.3% to 7.8%; a 60% reduction could yield decreases in
mortality ranging from 13.0% to 19.5%. These estimates
compare favorably with the expected impact of other types
of interventions, such as reducing the incidence of lowbirth-weight babies by 20% (expected reduction in mortality
= 2.6% to 6.7%); or achieving a rate of 60/55/50 in the
three-dose vaccination for pneumococcus (expected
reduction in mortality = 7%). Additional research on indoor
air pollution and ARI looks at links between this risk factor
and the cause of childhood morbidity and mortality.
Indoor Air Pollution Reduction Interventions
Half of the world's households use biomass fuels for
cooking and space heating, according to estimates from
Smith (1990). Incomplete combustion of these fuels,
principally wood, crop residues and dried animal manure in
inefficient stoves or open fires releases significant indoor air
pollutants, especially suspended particulates and carbon
monoxide. The hazards from these emissions are
compounded by poor ventilation in kitchens, where women
combine the tasks of cooking and child care.
Among children less than five years old in developing
countries, 28% of the deaths are associated with ARI. The
presence of ARI can also increase mortality from measles,
malaria and other diseases.
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
—aBasEgBSaBBaa—agBMBB——BBCM'MFMiIII'BM
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
i' 111
Designing appropriate interventions to reduce indoor air
pollution from cooking and heating stoves calls for an
understanding of the fuels used, the use to which they are
put, the combustion conditions, housing patterns, temporal
and spatial behavior of the population, socio-economic
conditions and physiological status of the population.
Intervention options include the following:
■ Use cleaner fuels - move up the energy ladder
■ Lower emissions - use more fuel-efficient stoves
■ Lower household concentration - improve ventilation
■ Lower exposure - improve kitchen design, change
behavior
Of these, improved stoves, ventilation and behavior change
are the most feasible for the household and community
level.
Improved stoves are-already available. However, most are
designed with fuel-efficiency, rather than improved health, as
a goal. No studies have been carried out regarding the
health impact of an improved stove. WHO is coordinating
such a study in Guatemela, but it is still in the planning
stages.
Improving ventilation is another option. But it is not possible
to increase ventilation enough to make an appreciable
difference in the concentrations of particulate matter indoors.
Incomplete combustion of biomass fuels in inefficient stoves
or open fires releases significant indoor air pollutants,
especially suspended particulates and carbon monoxide.
The hazards from these emission are compounded by poor
ventilation in kitchens where women combine the tasks of
cooking and child care.
Behavior Change
Behavioral change interventions to reduce indoor air
pollution from stoves have not been adequately explored as
to their feasibility and cultural appropriateness. Possible
interventions include keeping children away from cooking
areas, moving the cooking stove outside, changing kitchen
design, and sharing cooking and child care so that children
are kept out of smoky areas. Educational programs that
convey an understanding of the connection between
exposure and disease will likely be a part of the package.
Field tests are needed in this area.
Ambient Air Pollution Reduction
Interventions
Reducing exposure to particulate matter in ambient air
depends heavily on technological, institutional and policy
interventions, such as control of stationary sources of
emissions, conversion to cleaner fuels, improvements in
vehicle fleets, the use of catalytic converters, and
discontinuing the use of diesel-fueled buses. Nevertheless,
some community-arid household-level interventions are
feasible. These include banning open burning of solid
wastes and agricultural refuse, street sweeping, and
keeping children from being too active on high-pollution
days. The latter depends upon the presence of an air
quality monitoring and health advisory system - something
that most developing countries do not have yet.
Source:
Environmental Health Project, Applied Study No. 3, Prevention:
Environmental Health Interventions to Sustain Child Survival.
USAID-Washington. Revised February 1997.
Lead Contamination of the Food Chain
L ; ontamination of crops from lead pollution is often
tW serious in the vicinity of major roads. Grasses and
vegetables growing within 50 meters of major roads in
industrialized countries typically contain up to 200 times
and five to 20 times more lead (Pb), respectively, than at
non-roadside sites. The figures of grasses are of the order
50 - 400 parts per million (ppm) Pb (dry weight) and for
vegetables, 25- 100 ppm. Most Pb in grass and cereal
leaves near roadsides is derived from the atmosphere,
though soil splash during rainfall may be an important
source of contamination. The lead content is higher during
winter.
Lead in Crops
These roadside effects are very localized, however, and are
much less important for agriculture than the impact of
contamination from mines and smelters. In an experiment in
which soil Pb was held constant, concentrations in bean
and lettuce leaves rose with increasing Pb in the air, but
there was no change in tomatoes, carrots or potatoes.
Grass species with hairy leaf surfaces also tend readily to
take up atmospheric lead. Age of the plant is also important.
Young wheat plants near a lead smelter in the UK obtained
more Pb from atmospheric deposition than from the soil,
while for mature plants it was the reverse. The probable
reason is that young plants have a higher proportion of
surface area.
Lead and Livestock
Livestock readily take up lead. Blood lead content is
generally higher in animals grazing in contaminated sites; in
sheep along UK roads, blood Pb is more than four times
that of animals from uncontaminated regions.
Similarly, blood Pb in cattle from heavily-contaminated
farms (soil 1000 - 2000 ppm) was 30 pg /100 ml compared
with 10 pg /100 ml on farms with low contamination (100 200 ppm).
However, few cases of acute poisoning of livestock result
from grazing contaminated forage. In cattle, soil constitutes
some 1 -10% of total dry matter intake, though for sheep,
which graze closer to the ground, this can rise to 30%.
Soil ingestion is greatest in winter months and early spring,
or during very dry summers, when grass is in short supply.
A more acute hazard to livestock may come from
contaminated feed imported onto the farm. In late 1989,
feed compounded in the Netherlands was so contaminated
with lead that cattle in some 1,500 farms west of England
and 330 in the Netherlands were poisoned, causing the
deaths of at least 90 animals in the two countries. Marketing
of meat and milk from English farms was restricted and
some 1.3 million liters of milk were destroyed daily. The
source of lead was rice bran, originating clean from Burma,
but becoming contaminated on board ship. Despite orders
for its destruction, the bran somehow reached the
compounding firm and the feed produced contained up to
1,500 ppm of lead.
Finally, livestock are frequently poisoned when they chew or
lick fences or gates or other surfaces that have been
covered with paints containing lead. Young animals are
more likely to do this, and for them, the risk of lead
poisoning is probably higher from this source than from
contaminated soil or forage.
Lead in Human Diets
Even if crop plants and livestock taking up lead are not
adversely affected, high levels of lead may get into food for
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
human consumption. For most people, food and drink form
the major pathway for Pb uptake, though in extreme cases,
this can be via inhalation of high Pb air derived from petrol
and industrial emissions. On the average, 60% - 70% of
ingested and inhaled lead are derived from food, but not all
the lead originates from the field. Food can be
contaminated during processing, from the widespread use
of Pb solder in cans or from using contaminated water.
Not all this ingested or inhaled lead is absorbed into the
body. In adults, only some 50% is absorbed from the lungs
and 10% from the gut, although these rates rise to about
70% and some 50% respectively in young children. Once
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
inside the body, most inorganic Pb becomes attached to red
blood cells before distribution to other organs. It
accumulates eventually in the bones where it is mostly
isolated and inert. However, there is evidence of a slow
transfer back to other organs, with serious toxic effects.
In general, blood lead levels are higher in cities compared
with rural areas and are even higher in cities with a great
deal of traffic. With the recent switch to use unleaded petrol
in some industrialized countries, blood Pb levels appear to
have declined. In the USA, the decline may also be partly
due to the substitution of non-soldered cans as food
containers.
Sources:
.■
■.
Gordon Conway and Jules N. Perry. Unwelcome Harvest, 1991.
>
Byssinosis ftmsw Textile Workers
What is Bysinnosis or Brown Lungs?
yss*nos's or Brown Lungs is a chronic occupational
lung disease often observed among workers
exposed to cotton dust, flax and hemp dust. Cotton dust
present in the air and inhaled by the worker enters the
alveoli of the lungs. Alveolis are minute air sacs which
make close contact with blood that flows into the lungs.
Here, the blood receives oxygen and discharges carbon
dioxide. As the cotton dust penetrates the alveoli, it
accumulates in the lymphatics (very fine tubes in the
central area of the lung). Continuous accumulation of the
dust in the lungs damages the alveoli and reduces the
capacity to retain oxygen. As the cotton dust
accumulation increases, the worker develops brown
lungs and suffers from byssinosis. The prevalence of this
disease is more common in cotton mixing, blowing,
carding, winding, spinning and weaving sections, where
the dust level is high.
Terminal bronchiole
Alveoli
—------
A
The main symptoms of byssinosis are cough and phlegm
or suptum along with varied types of chest tightness,
chest irritation, breathlessness and low fever. The first
indications of this disease are occasional chest tightness
or respiratory irritation on the first day of the working
week. This is commonly known as Monday Sickness. In
the second stage, the symptoms are noticed on the first
day of every week and by the time the disease reaches
the third stage, the patient complains of tightness of the
chest and shortness of breath all through the working
week. In the final stages of the illness, these symptoms
become more acute and that the patient suffers from
permanent incapacity because of reduced breathing.
In the final stages, byssinosis cannot be distinguished
from chronic bronchitis and asthma, which are nonoccupational diseases. Research shows that patients
often forget the earlier symptoms and are diagnosed as
suffering from some non-occupational, chronic,
respiratory disease. Significantly, chest x-rays do not
show any changes specific for byssinosis nor they reveal
any specific pathology that is any different from those
found in chronic bronchitis and asthma. In fact, doctors
are often known to wrongly diagnose it as tuberculosis.
As a result, the treatment rarely cures the patient, and
his/her condition continues to deteriorate.
Wz/
k Alveolar
sac
Pleura
I feel ill
and weak.
Vocal
chords
Lung
7\
_____ Bronchus
■ Pulmonary
veins
Bronchioles
The Lungs (Schematic diagram)
Source:
Occupational and Environmental Health (PRIA), Volume 3,
Number 4. March 1997.
Agent Orange: Its Second Generation Victims
in Vietnam
[
ven after 23 years, the Vietnam War continues to
Hi invade the lives of the soldiers who waged the war.
Only now, there is no distinction of race or color. Both US
and Vietnamese soldiers are suffering because of a
chemical - Agent Orange - spayed in Vietnam by the US
from 1961 to 1971.
Agent Orange is the name given to a mixture of herbicides,
rich in dioxins (hormone disrupters). It is a code name for
the orange marker that was used to mark the drums it was
stored in. The purpose of the product was to deny forest
cover and concealment in dense terrain by defoliating trees
and shrubbery where the enemy could hide.
The U8 had sprayed close to 44 million liters of the
herbicide over six million acres in Vietnam during the
wartime operation code-named Operation Ranch Hand.
Nearly 8.5% of South Vietnam was sprayed at least once.
The result is that 14% of South Vietnam’s forest was wiped
out. Its use was eventually discontinued in 1971.
Today, one in every 100 infants at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi
Minh City are born without arms and legs, with webbed
digits or club-feet. They are all children of people exposed
to Agent Orange during the war. The Vietnamese
government says Agent Orange has given the nation some
50,000 deformed children and has claimed between
100,000 and a million victims. In the US, thousands of
former soldiers are demanding compensation from the US
A map of
Southern Vietnam
The dark areas
represent places where
the US sprayed Agent
Orange from aircraft.
Other spraying methods
were also used.
'i.....
<
/
"^7
IV < on -
government. They claim exposure to Agent Orange has
caused them to suffer numerous ill health effects, including
cancer.
According to a Canadian consultancy company, Hatfield
Consultants, Ltd., the chemical continues to affect the
people through the food chain. After a five-year study, which
ranged from satellite imagery to soil sampling, the company
concluded that level of dioxins in the blood of Vietnamese
born after the war was frighteningly high. This indicated that
the contaminants are still active in the food chain. Even in
fish and animal tissue, the level of dioxins was found to be
very high.
The link between Agent Orange and the reports of cancer
and other health problems in people exposed to it has also
been confirmed by the Institute of Medicine, USA. The
report confirms the earlier finding that there is sufficient
evidence of a link to soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and chloracne. It also says
there is new “suggestive” evidence to show an association
between the neurological disorders in people exposed to
agent Orange and congenital birth defect spina bifida in
their children.
Doctors at the Tu Du hospital say that cases of congenital
defects are higher in areas where the chemical was
sprayed. In Ben Tre province in South Vietnam, for
instance, it is five times higher than in Ho Chi Minh City.
Tu Du Hospital is the largest hospital in the country. But
with no money to invest in research facilities, the hospital is
only concentrating on treating its patients. The test to
establish the level of dioxin in the blood of a patient costs
US$2,000 per head, which the country can ill-afford. “We
just have to care for them till they die," says Le Diem
Huong, head of the neonatal department.
However, Vietnam has never asked for compensation from
the US. It has only sought international help in reclaiming
denuded forest lands and aid for the thousands of people
suffering from the exposure. There is just one question
which the victims are asking themselves now: will a third
generation also fall prey to the chemical?
Source:
Down to Earth, December 31, 1998.
Pesticide-related Health Probiems and Farmworkers
The Workplace
The USDA defines a farm as a place that sells or could sell
$1,000 worth of agricultural products during the year. There
are 2,214,429 farms in the U.S., and one billion acres of
cropland (excluding pasture and rangeland). The average
farm size is 455 acres; however, 14% of farms with the
highest income control 50% of the land.
The largest amount of acreage in the U.S. is intended for
crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans and cotton, in which
cultivating and harvesting is almost completely mechanized.
Labor-intensive crops, primarily fruits and vegetables, still
require large numbers of workers for hand-cultivating and
harvesting.
3
I armworkers labor under some of the worst conditions of
! any group of workers in the United States. Farmwork
not done by farm owners and their families is largely
performed by ethnic minorities, primarily Hispanics of
Mexican origin, who may comprise 80-90 percent of the
work force. American blacks comprise the next largest
group, with a smaller number of Haitians, Filipinos,
Vietnamese, Laotians, Koreans, Jamaicans and others. The
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates
an annual agricultural workforce of approximately two
million hired workers and three million farm owners and
their families (unpaid). California, Texas and Florida are the
leading states in number of hired farmv/orkers.
The Workers
Farmworkers are excluded, completetly or partially, from the
federal law that protects other workers including: the
National Labor Relations Act (which guarantees the right to
join a union and bargain collectively); the Fair Labor
Standards Act (which governs minimum wage and child
labor); and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (which
governs standards of health and safety in the work place).
Furthermore, most migrant farmworkers are excluded from
state laws such as workers’ compensation and
unemployment insurance.
The agricultural workplace poses many hazards related to
the use of tractors, harvesters, ladders, irrigation and other
equipment and machinery. Other hazards include heat
stress, bee stings, snake bites, dust and airborne allergens.
Pesticide Use in Agriculture
Almost all commercial crops in the U.S. are heavily and
repeatedly sprayed with chemical pesticides, the majority of
which are toxic materials that pose both acute and chronic
health problems. The largest single user of pesticides in the
U.S. is agriculture, which, in 1985, accounted for 77% of
nationwide usage of 1.08 billion pounds (does not include
wood preservatives); and 78% of expenditures of $4.6
billion. In California, where approximately 250 million
pounds of pesticides are used annually, 92% is used in
agriculture.
Pesticides must be registered with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) before they can legally be sold or
used in the US. About 1,200 pesticide active ingredients are
combined with other so-called “inert" ingredients into
approximately 35,000 different commercial products or
formulations.
Inert ingredients, which may be as toxic or even more toxic
than the pesticide itself, are neither required to be tested for
acute and chronic health effects nor listed by name on the
2
F’TJflyi ;
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
11'1' JI1 I.W'JIBBIMB—MMByg—MaKaz
pesticide label. Inert ingredients may compromise 90% or
more of a registered pesticide product. However, due to
“trade secret" provisions of the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the identity of these
ingredients cannot be released to the public (even in cases
of serious poisoning) by state or federal regulatory
agencies.
The pattern of pesticide use in agriculture has changed
greatly, with a 175% increase in herbicide use from 25
years ago. Herbicides now represent two thirds of all usage
and widely-used herbicides include: alachlor (Lasso),
atrazine, 2, 4-D, paraquat (Gramoxone), simazine
(Princep), and trifluralin (Treflan).
The use of the less-persistent but more acutely-toxic
organophosphate and N-methyl carbamate insecticides has
increased with the banning or restrictions of the
environmentally-persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDT,
aldrin, dieldrin, lindlane chlordane, heptachlor and
toxaphene). Widely-used organophosphates include
chlopyrifos (Dursban, Lorsban), diazinon (Spectrazide),
malathion, parathion, phosdrin, methamidophos (Monitor),
and ddvp (Vapona). Widely-used N-methyl carbamates
include aldicarb (Temik), carbaryl (Sevin), carbofuran
(Furadan), and methomyl (Lannate, Nudrin).
Highly-toxic fumigants such as methyl bromide and D-D
(Telone or 1,2-dichloropropane/1,3-dichloropropene) are
being used in increasingly large amounts as replacement
for DBCP, banned in 1979, and the ethylene dibromide,
banned in 1984.
While fungicides represent a small percentage of the total
volume of pesticide use, they are important because many
are carcinogens and/or teratogens. They are used
extensively on fruits and vegetables and may persist as
residues in the marketed fresh or processed product.
Widely-used fungicides include benomyl, captan,
chlorothalonil (Bravo, Daconil), maneb and mancozeb
(Dithane).
Environmental Pesticide Exposure
Pesticides are among the few toxic materials deliberately
added to the environment. Their use in agriculture is a
major source of involuntary exposure of the general public
to carcinogens. This is due to the contamination of fresh
and processed food by persistent pesticide residues, most
of which cannot be washed off or degraded by cooking.
The dominance of chemical pest control in agriculture in the
U.S. began in the middle and late 1940s. By the middle of
1950s, evidence of widespread contamination offish, birds
and wildlife by pesticides was mounting. The EPA and other
monitoring agencies throughout the world have shown that
pesticide contamination is global, including snow caps of
the highest mountains and core samples from the arctic ice
packs. A recent California study shows that pesticides
concentrate in fog.
Humans are contaminated with pesticides, especially the
fatty tissue. Breast milk is contaminated with a variety of
pesticides, with high levels in the U.S. found in women in
the rural south. The highest have been reported in
farmworker women in cotton-growing areas in Central
America. Many pesticides cross the placenta, and newborn
infants are already contaminated at birth.
A problem inherent in current pesticide application
technology is drift, or disposal of the pesticide away from
the site of application. Only 10% - 15% of applied
pesticides actually reach the target pest, with the remaining
85% - 90% dispersed off-target to air, soil and water
through drift, runoff, volatization, off-gassing, etc.
Pesticides can drift as far as 50 miles from the site of
application, depending on the particle size and wind
conditions and be a continuing source of contamination
from runoff as well as dust. A dust storm was found to have
carried pesticides from Texas to Ohio. Significant
concentrations of almost all pesticides applied aerially or by
ground rice sprayers can drift up to a mile or more from the
site of application, even under the best wind conditions.
Communities in agricultural areas are at risk from pesticide
drift, and while some episodes of illness have been
reported, the extent of the problem is essentially unknown
and undocumented. In 1987, in California, pesticide drift
caused three major evacuations of community residents two from Guthion being used in peach orchards and one
from methyl bromide off-gassing from a gladiola field.
Agricultural pesticide use is the major cause of non-point
source contamination of groundwater (a non-point source
means there is no single identifiable place such as toxic
dump, factory sewer line, etc., causing the contamination).
Nationwide, 50% of the drinking water supply is from
groundwater. In rural areas, it is 90% or more.
Pesticide-related Health Problems and Farmworkers
Occupational Pesticide Exposure in
Agriculture
The primary route of pesticide exposure is the skin, and not,
as commonly believed, the respiratory system. Fumigants,
which are in the form of gases, are a notable exception
because of greater toxicity. Pesticides remain persistent on
the skin for many months after the last known exposure.
Workers who mix, load and apply pesticides are exposed to
the concentrated form of the pesticide. A large number are
exposed from the use of ground rig spray equipment. Air
blast sprayers, used in nut and fruit groves and orchards,
are among the most highly-polluting equipment.
The percentage of pesticides applied by tixed-wing aircraft
or helicopters (called crop dusters) is unknown. In
California, it is estimated that more than half are applied by
such methods. The pilots are less at risk of poisoning than
the ground crews who mix and load the pesticide, and
especially the flaggers who direct the crop duster from the
ground.
Chemigation, or putting the pesticide in the irrigation water,
is increasing. Pesticides are also incorporated into the soil
(usually granular formulations). In the case of fumigants
these are injected into the soil and then trapped with plastic
sheeting to minimize loss from off-gassing. Animals are also
treated with pesticides, externally through the use of “dips",
or in their feeds. Residues of pesticides from such use can
then contaminate the meat, milk, eggs, gelatin and other
animal products.
Fieldworkers who harvest and cultivate crops are exposed
to residues of pesticides, primarily on leafy surfaces
(dislodgeable residues), but also on the crop itself or in the
3
The great majority of workers do not know the names of
pesticides to which they are exposed or the acute and
chronic risks to their health.
soil or duff (decaying plants and organic materials that
collect under vines, trees, etc.). Farmworkers are also
exposed to pesticides by crop dusting aircraft or ground rig
sprayers applying pesticides in the adjacent fields.
Acute Health Effects of Pesticides
Acute health effects of pesticide exposure range from eye
and upper respiratory tract irritation and contact dermatitis
to systematic poisoning, that can lead to death.
The number of workers in the United States affected by
pesticides is unknown, although estimated at 300,000 per
year. A Nebraska study of emergency room visits and
hospitalizations for pesticide-related illness, conducted
during the 1984 - 1985 crop season, found an annual
incidence of 1.35 cases per 10,000 population.
Organosphosphates were responsible for 25% of the
incidents while anhydrous ammonia, for 33%.
Many poisonings occur from skin absorption. Most are from
organophosphates pesticides, especially parathion.
Effects of Pesticide on the Skin
More than 40% of all reported occupational diseases in the
US are disorders of the skin. The actual incidence is
estimated to be 10-50 times higher than the reported
incidence of 1.5 cases/1,000.
Workers in agriculture are at four times greater risks of skin
diseases than workers in other industries. Most pesticiderelated skin problems are primary irritant or contact
dermatitis. However, pesticides can also cause allergic
contact dermatitis, which can become chronic problem in
some cases that workers can be permanently disabled
since they cannot tolerate even minute exposures to the
pesticide. Often, the condition is aggravated by sunlight,
adding to the disability.
Chronic Effects of Pesticides
Most workers are exposed to many different pesticides (and
“inert” ingredients) over a working lifetime. The great
4
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
mE* .-------- . ■jullMIMMWI
___ —. . —
majority of workers do not know the names of the pesticides
to which they are exposed as well as the acute and chronic
risks to their health.
Pesticide and Cancer in Humans
Several of the early studies of cancer were done at
pesticide manufacturing plants and these studies reported
no evidence of increased risk of cancer. Such early reports
were used to conclude that pesticides could be used safely
and posed no carcinogenic risk to occupationally-exposed
workers, or to the general population exposed to much
lower levels.
Drawing such conclusions from these studies is
problematic. The number of deaths was very small, a low
incidence of cancer (such as lymphoma, liver, brain) may
not have been found because the sample was too small or
the clinical latency period was too short. Since the cancer is
a disease of long latency, too few years might have passed
for the effect to be demonstrated. Both of these factors
could bias the studies toward finding no significant effects.
In addition, many of these studies had serious design flaws
and primarily used company records.
Several occupational groups whose pesticide exposure may
put them at increased risk of cancer have been studied.
Among them are farm owners and managers, farmworkers,
pesticide sprayers, structural pest control operators
(exterminators), pesticide manufacturing workers and grain
mill workers.
Conclusion
The realities of agricultural practice, the lack of legal
protection and severe weaknesses in the existing laws,
combined with the toxic pesticides that are ubiquitous in the
farmworkers' environment, make agricultural work
especially hazardous. Farmworkers are exposed to toxic
pesticides from many sources - the crops they cultivate and
harvest, the soil in which the crops are grown, drift in the air
and water from pesticides applied to adjacent fields or to
the very fields in which they are working.
Little Is known about the extent or magnitude of chronic
health problems related to occupational exposure to
pesticides because appropriate studies have not been done.
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
__ __
Farmworkers live in homes surrounded by fields that are
heavily and repeatedly sprayed. Pesticides are likely to be
in the irrigation water, which many farmworkers must use
for bathing and drinking due to the substandard living
quarters. Pesticides may contaminate the groundwater from
which they get their drinking water. Farmworkers are most
likely to consume produce very soon after harvesting and
thus, may get more pesticide residues in their food than the
general public.
Toxic occupational exposures start at a very young age,
since agriculture is the only industry in which children
comprise a significant part of the work force. Infants and
very young children are often taken to the fields with their
parents.
Amendments to federal and state pesticide laws and
regulations that would protect farmworkers and improve
their working conditions are resisted in the agricultural and
agrochemical industries. In this regard, it is of interest that
the first ban on DDT in the US was not by the EPA in 1972,
but in a 1967 United Farm Workers' Union contract with a
California grape grower.
The public health task is clear. Not only must more
resources and priority be given to biological monitoring and
epidemiological studies of farmworkers, but support must
also be given to the efforts of farmworkers and their unions
to make their work place safe for them and their children.
Source:
Marion Moses, specialist in Environmental and Occupational
Medicine, Asst. Clinical Professor of University of California and
member of the National Advisory Committee of the Environmental
Protection Agency's Pesticide Farm Safety Center. Printed in The
Pesticide Handbook1 Profiles, for Action, 3rd Revised Edition.
International Organization of Consumers' Unions (IOCU) and
Pesticide Action Network (PAN). 1991; Illustrations provided by
IIRR.
♦
Women Farmworkers and Pesticides:
Stories from the Field
omen farmworkers are an essential part of the
• ■ agricultural labor force around the world. In the
United States, they make up 19% of the workforce, and in
some jobs such as packing sheds, over 50% of the workers
are women. Although most farmworkers are regularly
exposed to toxic pesticides, few studies have assessed the
impacts of pesticides on men farmworkers - even fewer
have looked at women farmworkers. The Farmworker
Women’s Leadership Network - Lideres Campesinas and
Pesticide Action Network North America is compiling
information and stories to document the pesticide-related
health problems faced by women farmworker. This research
is crucial because when women are exposed to pesticide,
so are their children and grandchildren. The effects of
pesticides can include birth defects, developmental
problems and cancer as well as other health problems.
Ten Commitments to Protect Farmworkers from Toxic
Pesticide
The Ten Commitments were formulated by the farmworker
organizations and advocates listed below. The adoption of all
of the Ten Commitments is necessary to fully empower
farmworkers to take action to protect themselves and to
overcome decades of inadequate, unjust and unenforced
laws.
1. Prohibit use of any pesticide known or suspected to cause
cancer, birth defects, neurological damage, or that in the
highest acute toxicity category. During any phase-out
period, require a minimum 14-day quarantine period
before workers can re-enter a work area in which any such
pesticide has been applied.
2. Prohibit all aerial application of pesticides.
3. Guarantee farmworkers the right to know what specific
pesticides are used in their workplace through crop
sheets, posting of warming signs and training that should
tackle health effects, protective clothing and other safety
information in the language the workers understand.
4. Require and enforce a mandatory national pesticide use
reporting system for all users with all the active and inert
ingredients in all products.
5. Require and enforce a mandatory national reporting
system for all potential pesticide-related incidents and all
illnesses of agricultural employers and health
professionals.
6. Guarantee all farmworkers the right to bring an action to
enforce their rights under law, including employer
retaliation, violation of the U.S. Worker Protection
Standard and regulation of toxic pesticides
7. Guarantee all farmworkers the rights to organize, have
union representation, earn a living wage and overtime pay,
have strong child labor provisions, work in a safe
workplace and obtain worker’s compensation benefits.
Carmen, a farmworker in the Salinas Valley in California,
recalled that when she was poisoned by a pesticide, she did
not know what the pesticide was. “Nobody told me what these
were, nobody told me they were harmful..."
She had migrated from Mexico to the United States and was
working in the lettuce fields. Early on Saturday morning of
August 1997, Carmen and a crew of workers were cutting
lettuce. Several workers noticed that a plane was spraying
pesticides two fields away. The foreman told everyone to leave
the field immediately, but about 15 or 20 minutes later, they
were told that it was safe to return to work.
Source:
Lucy Rosas and Margaret Reeves. Global Pesticide Campaigner,
■ December 1998.
■
8. Require and fund a continuing program, with the
cooperation and approval of farmwokers, for both
biological and environmental monitoring of pesticides
among farmworker families and their communities.
9. Require and fund research, with the cooperation and
approval of farmworkers, to set up a program to monitor
long-term effects of pesticide including cancer,
reproductive harm and neurological damage.
10.Change federal and state agricultural funding to promote
and research the transition from toxic pesticides to
biorational and sustainable pest control methods.
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc.;
Farmworkers Justice Fund. Inc.; Farm Labor Organizing
Committee; Migrant Farmworkers Justice Project; National
Council of La Raza; Pifieros y Campesinos Unidos del
Noretes; and Pesticide Education Center
*
Farm Chillirea: it Risk from Pesticides
efore World War II, growing-up on the farm in the
United States implied a healthy lifestyle - lots of clean
air, fresh food and physical activity. Today, with the
pervasive use of highly-toxic agricultural pesticides, growing
up on, or even near, agricultural land means potentially
being surrounded by a swirl of poisons - in the air, in water,
on food and on nearly everything a child touches, from a
teddy bear to a parent’s embrace. Nearly 400,00Q young
children in the U.S. live on farms, and an additional five
million agricultural workers - many of whom have children live near farms or agricultural areas.
;
Children and infants are uniquely at risk from pesticides
because of physiological susceptibility and greater relative
exposure. Three major factors are particularly important:
■ Children often have greater contact with the
environmental through dirt and floor surfaces, and
because of hand-to-mouth behavior.
■ Children drink more fluids, breathe more air and eat
more food per unit of body weight than adults; they also
eat a more limited selection of foods.
■ Children's bodies and brains are immature and still
developing; they are more susceptible to certain cancers
and reproductive problems; and they have a longer
, expected lifetime in which to develop illness after an
exposure.
Thus, environmental toxicants can have more serious
effects on children.
Food residues - only one of many
exposures
The National Academy of Sciences, in their pioneering 1993
report Pesticide in the Diets of Infants and Children, clearly
showed that children bear disproportionately high risk from
U.S. use of pesticides on food. Their report focused on
children’s dietary exposure to pesticide but looked only at
children living in non-agricultural areas. Farm children are
exposed to pesticides in food levels similar to or higher than
the general population. Higher levels of food-borne
exposure in some agricultural areas may be due to the
shorter transport time from the field to the table, allowing
less time for degradation of residues on the food.
For many children from agricultural families, however, food
represents only a small portion of their total daily exposure
to hazardous pesticides. Farm children also face potential
exposure from “take home” residues on their parent's
clothing from contaminated water, from playing in
contaminated soil on or near fields, from pesticide drift and
from indoor air and dust in the home. In addition, many
children accompany their families to the fields, where they
may face exposures at occupational levels whether or not
they are working.
“Take-home" exposure to toxic workplace hazards have
been reported for nearly a century in various settings. A
1995 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health revealed that home contamination is a
worldwide problem, and an identified incident from 28
countries and 36 states. The report documents over 100
known deaths of family members from asbestos-related
mesothelioma, numerous cases of poisoning by pesticides
and metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, and ill
effects caused by estrogenic and infectious agents from the
workplace. Family members’ exposure to pesticide can
occur from contact with contaminated skin, clothing or
shoes, contamination of the family car and visits to the
workplace. In addition, family members can be exposed to
chemicals in the exhaled breath of a worker (primary
solvents which can be present in pesticide formulations) or
in contaminated breast milk of a working mother.
In the San Joaquin Valley, researchers from the California
Department of Health Services conducted a pilot study of
10 homes and one day-care center. Approximately 50
pesticides had been used within one mile of the town during
the months preceding the testing. Samples of house dust
were collected, along with hand wipe samples from the
toddlers in each family. An accompanying questionnaire
was used to obtain information about pesticide use in the
home, parental occupation and the child's activities.
4
2
Environmental Health: A Sourcebook of Materials
Everything They Touch
Farm children face pesticide exposure from all sides.
Work or play in fields
Food
Parents’ skin
Work
Water
Indoor
House
Outdoor air
Breast milk
Soil
Although home pesticide storage and use appeared to be
generally lower among farmworkers, pesticide loading in
house dust was generally greater. Overall, 12 different
pesticides were detected in house dust samples. Two
pesticides, diazinon and chlorpyrifos, were found on the
hands of the three out of five farmworker children sampled.
None of the children in non-farmworker homes had
detectable pesticide residues on their hands.
A screening assessment revealed that the diazinon
exposures to two of the farmworker children could exceed
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s chronic
reference dose from hand-to-mouth exposure alone. The
reference dose is set at a level that is predicted to cause no
long-term health effects, so anything higher constitutes a
risk.
Pesticide-contaminated equipment is also responsible for
numerous preventable illnesses and deaths according to
reports in the medical literature.
Children in the Fields
An estimated 300,000 children between the ages of 15 and
17 work in U.S. agriculture at some point during the year,
representing more than 7% of all hired farmworkers working
on crops. The National Agricultural Worker’s Survey of 1989
estimated there were 587,000 children of migrant workers,
age 21 or younger, involved in seasonal agricultural services
in the United States. Of these children, 65% were reported
to travel with their parents but not work on the farms; 6%
The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
TraBaMHBUSFT;" .’■’7~’!2SKEy’T.Ftf "
-.MKHSBaTSSR
Recommendations of the Natural Resources Defense
Council include« U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (ERA) pesticide
tolerance decisions under the U.S. Food Quality Protection
Act (FQPA) should consider all exposures faced by farm
children and food tolerances should be set low enough to
protect these children from cumulative health risks.
« EPA must use an additional safety factor of at least tenfold
as required by FQPA to ensure adequate protection of farm
children if there is uncertainty about their exposure or about
the toxicity of the pesticide to fetuses, infants and children.
■ The U. 3. Farm Worker Protection Standards should be re
evaluated to belter protect children who accompany their
parents to work in the fields.
« EPA should phase out Category 1 acutely toxic pesticides
and use of the most hazardous neurotoxic
organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, endocrine
disrupters and carcinogens while developing and promoting
alternative pest management practices.
" Day care should be provided for working families with
young children. Farm workers must receive a living wage
and benefits, so that their children are not forced to work in
order to survive.
■ Workers must be informed about the identity of chemicals
they may be exposed to and the known or potential health
effects of these chemicals.
traveled and participated in the farm work; another 28%
traveled and participated in farm activities; another 29%
traveled on their own to do farm work.
A 1990 survey of 50 farmworker children in New York State
revealed that despite legal prohibitions against working with
hazardous substances, 10% of children under age 18
reported mixing or applying pesticides. One-third of the
children hnd been injured at work within the past year, more
than 40% had worked in fields still v/et with pesticides and
40% had been sprayed by crop-duster or exposed to
pesticide drift. In this survey, 15% of the children reported
having experienced health symptoms consistent with
organophosphate pesticide poisoning, but few had sought
medical care for the symptoms.
Children, in addition to entering fields for work, often
accompany their parents to the fields due to a lack of
childcare. The frequency with which children are bought to
the fields while their parents work is hard to measure. But
several small surveys and numerous anecdotal reports
indicate that young children are often in the fields.
Soared:
Ginti Sdomon. Trouble on the Farm: Growing up with Pesticides
in Agricultural Communities, Global Pesticide Campaigner.
Decembm 1998.
Agenda for CHESS Hl
(13,h August 2004) Day 1: Keynote and Introductions
Timings____
2:00 to 2:30 pm
Agendaihcrn___________
Keynote Address: “Bhopal's fight against
Corporate Crime”
2:30 to 3:00 pm
Introduction to CHESS - Agenda
3:00 to 4:00 pm
4:00 to 7:00 pm
Self introduction of the participants
Group introductions/ presentations
I 7:00 to <S:3() pm
| 8:30 pm
DINNER
l ilm screening - “Miles 1 o (io”
(14,h August 2004) Day 2:
n
................. . -..............
. .
.
A
genda
Item
__________________________
limings
Introduction to Environmental Health
9:00 t<> 9:30 am
a) How is pollution linked to health?
b) What is the relevance of health data
in fighting against pollution?
c) Community health indicators
d) What challenges/ opportunities in
______ accessing such data?_____________
Understanding Community Health
9:30 to 10:00 am
a) Introduction to Epidemiology and
Lay Epidemiology
b) Introduction to tools of analyses,
including simple survey/ studies
c) Strengths/ Limitations of health
studies_________________________
Responses
___________
10:00 to 10:30 am
Community Environmental Health Issues:
10:30 to 11:00 am
Experiences from Bhopal: What can people
do?
Tea Break
_______________
11:00 to 11:30am
Mining and Health
11:30 to 12:00
a) How mining impacts environment
and community/ worker health
b) How to understand health effects
c) Opportunities for health assessment
Responses
12:00 to 12:15pm
LUNCH
..........
12:15 to 1:15 pm
Presenter
Rashida Bee Bhopal Gas Peedit
Mahila Stationery
Karmchari Sangh
Dr. Narsimha
Reddy, Hyderabad
Moderator: S. Usha,
Trivandrum
Bidhan Singh
Presenter_________
Dr. Sukanya and Dr.
Srccdhara
Dr. Sunil Kaul
Moderation:
Satinath Sarangi,
Sambhavna Trust
Clinic Bhopal
Dr. Rajan Patil
Moderation:
J_: 15 to 2:1 5pni
2:30 .o 4:00 pm
I lospet. Mining film
Environmental Monitoring
Air Pollution & Monitoring
4:()0 to 5:30 pm
Water Pollution & Monitoring
5:30 to 7:00 pm
9 pun.
Group introductions/ presentations
Open slot for Film presentation
Samvada________
Community
Environmental
Monitoring______
People’s Science
Institute, Dehradun
Moderator:
(15,h August 2004) Day 3:
Timings_______
9:00 to 11:00 am
11:00 to 11:30 am
11:30 to 12:30 ‘
Agenda Item__________________
Group introductions/ presentations
Presenter______
Moderator: Ravi
Rebbapragada
Tea break
Moderator:
R. Sridbar,
Trivandrum
2:00 to 3:00 pm
Case Presentations - Roro, Silicosis studies,
Greenpeace presentation, Mining studies by
Rajan Patil, CEM Odour study, SCMC
Lunch
Hesperian Book on Mining
Case presentations continued
3:00 io 4:30 pin
Piiiiul Discussion on Campaign Directions
T. Mohan
Vijay Kanhare
Satinath Sarangi
(Moderator: Navroz
Mody)________ _
4:30 to 5:30 pm
Feedback and closing
Moderator: Ravi
Rebbapragada
12:30 10 1:30 pm
£:3(Ho2:00
'
Presenter:
Moderator: R.
Srid bar
______
MACABRE DANCE OF DEATH
Why silicosis still kills the mineworkers of Delhi
The history of mine and stone-crusher workers of Delhi dying by silicosis goes back to the time when the British rulers madeDelhi the capital of their empire in India. The rulers had then hired workers to level down the Raisina hills, so that the viceroy’s
residence could be built there.
In the 1940s and 50s, workers were hired to crush stones in the Anand Parbat-Kala Pahad Ratiwala areas, followed by
Timarpur and Chandrawal. Over the next two decades the work moved on first to Dhaula Kuan, and when the land prices there
went up, to Lal Kuan, Rajokri, Bhati mines and Kusum hills.
The last decade of the 20th century was one of turmoil both for India and the world. The stone workers could not be left
untouched. They were now confronted with a new phenomenon. Earlier the government-land mafia nexus used to close down
crushers and mines, but now the honourable Supreme Court itself got into action. The Court decreed the closure of mines and
stone-crushers in 1991-92, acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer M.C. Mehta.
For the mineworkers of Delhi this decree heralded a macabre dance of death.
As the dusk set in one day in April 2003, Mohini Devi breathed her last. She had been witness to 12 untimely deaths in her family.
Perhaps her husband Mangal Singh is next on line. The family has been condemned to these horrible deaths because it lives
on Lal Kuan.
i
Nearly every fafnily of the area shares their fate. Chanda has been admitted in.the hospital with another six of her family. Copal's
mother is in the hospital with eight from family. Dhanna has just returned from the hospital. Mohan Lal is not in hospital. He is
battling his sickness at home with six other members of his family. Mansa, Ghasi and Jagdish are also at home, fighting a
desperate battle in the last throes of a deadly affliction their work gives them..
These workers had been hired for the stone mining and crushing operations in Lal Kuan that continued till 1992. They, and their
families living there, have breathed in massive amounts of silica dust while stones were broken in the mines and the crushers.
This dust has been deposited on the lungs of the workers and their families for as long as they worked and lived on the mines.
This causes silicosis - a deadly condition - in most workers, besides tuberculosis and similar diseases.
Disease and death is the price they pay because they work on stone mines to survive. They work on these mines because
they have to live. In a grossly unjust, unequal world.
Delhi is our beautiful capital city. Many people had to sacrifice their lives for this urban beauty. Let us acknowledge the exemplary
sacrifice made by the Lal Kuan workers. After all, their lungs boro (and still bear, as wo shall see) the assaults of tho deadly
silica dust so that the city could have its modern monuments. The life of these people makes up the stark, sickly underbelly of
the beautiful city.
These workers continue to bear the real cost incurred in making the city beautiful. A cost they share with other toilers of the city.
A cost that those who enjoy the comforts and beauty of the city have always refused to bear.
The Supreme Court’s decree in 1991-92 had led to closures in Lal Kuan, Rajokri, Bhati mines, Anand Parbat and other areas
in Delhi. In the name of health and the envifonment. Accordingly, the crushers were shifted to Pali in Haryana. And the mineworkers
continued to breathe the silica dust!!
;
Whose health was the Court concerned with? For whom did it want to protect the environment? Certainly not those who worked
in the mines and crushers. Because they continue in their new ‘workplace’ in Pali to breathe the same silica dust that
endangered their life in Lal Kuan. However, the residents of posh colonies near Lal Kuan, like’Eros Garden, Kant Enclave and
Suraj Apartments, have to thank the Court for ridding them of the silica dust that the breeze would sometimes blow into their
homes. In fact, the rich could begin to move into these colonies only after 1992. Of course, the real estate barons have to thank
the Supreme Court for ‘protecting their investments’ and ‘dismantling a market barrier'.
So the curtains are not down yet on the dance of death for the Lal Kuan workers. Silicosis has massacred three thousand
(3,000!!) of them already. Both the central and the Delhi governments have been mute witnesses to these killings. And so, in
June 2003, we knocked on another door - the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The NHRC has already sent
notice twice to the central and the Delhi governments, but the governments are yet to respond.
In these circumstances, we appeal to you to give your solidarity and support to our struggle.
In solidarity
Azad (for PRASAR)
Published by:
v
7
c I
Peoples Rights and Social Research Centre (PRASAR)
G-12, 462A, Sangam Vihar, new Delhi -110062
Tel: 011-26680883, 2496^83E-Mail: prasar21 @rediffmail.com, social_research_centre@indiatimes.com
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E LABOUR ISSUES
BREATH OF DEATH
■'1
Silicosis conlinues io be a mojoc killer in certain areas of Delhi and its neighbourhood where workers
of stone-crushing and quarrying units are exploited by their employers and neglected by
I
governments.
help. S.A. Azad, a social activist and the
T.K. RAJAIAKSHMI
in New Delhi '
,
•
1985, but the stone-crushing
Si-*c™iw.j’"to operate
*£53
continued
until 1992,
others m A. M.
Lunits u
Z-X N the'surface,
the surrace, the
tne ,natior
;
VJ IS aglow with well-being and pros• perity. But underneath the ostentation,
I
i
lleTg,
Cr___ > Court in M.C.
wke:.
Supreme
Mehta vs Union of India ordered that
the units be closed and the stone-crush
ers, quarry workers and miners be shift
ed to Pali in Haryana. While the move
contributed to a decline in Delhi’s pol
T.
J
Kuanjrea.^
lution levels, some of the workers were
rendered jobless while others were shift
The village bears hardly any signs of
ed to Pali and other places where
prosperity. It is like any other place in
habited by the working class in the cap mining continued.
. Dhanna Ram worked in what he
ital, the only difference being that most calls the Lal Kuan pahaad (hill). Lal
of its people have lost the will to live.
Kuan have a condition caused by sil-
,,..
have built the-city but are now con-
if
Lal Kuan has been at the centre of
mining and quarrying activity since In-
despair.
always;1 quiet in Lal Kuan.
It is always
Kuan, ^aa
village tucked away, in a dusty corner of
the city. It was never so. Formerly an
active mining and quarrying area, all
that is left of it today are the former
mine workers and stone crushers for
whom even the very act of breathing is
an effort. Many of them are
suffering, irL varying de-g
grees, from silicosis.
|
“I am not even fit to 1
beg,” says Budh.Ram, a resident .of Lal .Kuan, in
Badarpur area of
g. South?'
-Delhi. Budh Ram’s consti-1
tution was not like this a
few years ago. His present
condition is a result of the
work he did in the stone
crushing units and quarries
that once dotted Lal Kuan.
WWiW'U'ia
Today, he says he does not
feel hungry and .finds it dif
®
A .• (
ficult even to lift a jug of
water to wash himself in
the morning. “I cannot
walk for long. I feel breath
less all the time,” he says.
Budh Ram has been taking
medicines for tuberculosis
iWeSSgq
(TB) for the past eight to
’Is
nine years and finds no im
provement in his condi
tion.
11 I I
Budh ’ Ram has no
choice but to while away
i S:
his days, unable to do any
thing productive even at
!. From left, Budh Ram, who says he is unable to lift
home. He has three chil
dren and his wife, who is
a jugactivity
of water
the sole breadwinner in the even
cmshlng
for 30 years; and Narayani, whose husband succumbed to silicosis.
silicosrs.
family, works as a domestic
fl€
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FRONTLINE, JULY 30, 2004
98
_______
-
Kuan is located on the Mehrauli-Badarpur road. Dhanna Ram, like several
others, has been battling tuberculosis
for several years but medicines have
failed to improve his condition. He
cannot even get up from his cot. Dhan
na Ram looks older than his years; his
wife Kamla’s condition is marginally
better but she looks sickly and frail,
Dhanna Ram recalls: “While working,
we always had a thick layer of dust on
our bodies. When we spat, all that came .
......................................
...........
out was dust and phlegm.”
Devi, another Lal Kuan resident, says
Residents of Lal Kuan say that in she spent her youth in stone-related
the years when mining and crushing work. “For 30 years, I and several othactivities were on, everything in the vil ers worked in mining and stone crush
lage used to be covered by a thick layer ing. We have done it all - we crushed
of dust arid visibility used to be
’ poor. stones and rubble, we lifted stones and
“It was quite normal. We,■, our children^
children, we worked; at
... the crusher,
A.Kl,—>.” she says.
all got used to it,” said a fruit seller, Many of them belonged originally to
who also used to do stone-crushing Rajasthan and migrated several years
work'. Now he.cannot do any hard work ago, in search of employment. Lal Kuan
and runs a banana stall, which is highly is full of such people. There are survi......
_L„-m
i t -Gulabi;A\:VBtS®ilike .Narayani; Kamla^
inadequate
to support
his family.
Mangal Singh, Nathu Ram and
Gulab Devi and there are those
^-8 who worked and are now gone
like the six sons of Gulab Devi,
Bhola Ram and Mohini . Devl
t'’ ?r who were sent out of govern
ment hospitals.
The misery in Lal Kuan
came to light, after an inquiry
I ■' by PRASAR
7 in
' 2001 revealed
‘ i
| that several persons from the
I village who were involved in
g mining, quarrying and crushing
| - activities had died prematurely
I and that there was no accouht| ability of any sort on the part of
i - the government or the employ| ing agency. According to PRA1 SAR,
an
unprecedented
j occurrence of death and ill...
.........
A..-
.U,
........
a
|®S
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3
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a 33 H ■
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3<
■':«
*
|
..... .• -3 3.S,
'3,'
I
I (Left) A stone-crusher in Pali,
Haryana, some 10 km from Lal
Kuan. Prolonged exposure of
I workers to free crystalline silica
I dust results in chronic fibrosis of
the lungs. (Below) Dhanna Ram,
M who has been battling silicosis
| for several years. Medicines have
| failed to improve his condition.
wlwlW''
....... ,.
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A-®®S®3®w
FRONTLINE, JULY 30. 2004
99
I
h
Stone-mining operations in progress at Sirohi, Haryana. All mining activity has shifted from Delhi to Haryana following a Supreme
Court order. (Right) Trucks carrying the stones mined.
health among the residents followed. A port prepared by PRASAR, the experts “Right now, absence of evidence should
survey conducted on the basis of an from the centre recommended that the not be equated with evidence of ab
inquiry into the occupational patterns degree of certainty of the presence of sence.”
of the victims and on the symptoms of silicosis in the residents of Lal Kuan be
They observed that some 70,000
silicosis revealed that the majority of Lal ascertained. The preliminary findings residents and workers are or were reKuan residents suffered from respira showed that people suffered from portedly at risk, many had died of tutory
and silicosis, a direct out- cough with sputum and shortness of berculosis-like respiratory diseases at a
. problems
.
come of the nature of their work. Of breath and appeared weak and wasted. young age, many were still employed at
the 146 persons interviewed, 83 were It was also revealed that women who the new quarry, and there was a sizable
suspected to be suffering from silicosis had lost their husbands to silicosis were minority which had never worked in a
and other incidental diseases and 55 themselves sufferingo fr<:om the disease. quarry. Few, they noted, had been expersons claimed that their relatives had The centre’s study, which was done
<’
in amined under X-ray, none had been audied
of the disease.
Several of—
those sur
-----------------—------------ December 2002, said: “If silicosis or
topsied,
r 2y there was
. _ no air sampling done
veyed were 1being treated for tuberculo- silico-tuberculosis is present, then the and there were no preventive safeguards
sis without any improvement in their residents and ex-worke.rs are eligible
for of any kind. The issue, according
(
' J to
situation. The survey also revealed that compensation; if not, they are not.
not. ” L
them, was about establishing a preven
the percentage of persons above 55 The experts, T.K. Joshi, Project Direc- f
tive programme of dust suppression at
years in Lal Kuan was abysmally low.
tor from the Centre for Occupational thei current quarry and carrying out
PRASAR submitted its preliminary and Environmental Health, and Elihu some simple epidemiology studies to
survey to the Centre for Occupational Richter, a Professor from the Depart make a presumptive diagnosis of the
and Environmental Health for further ment of Occupational and Environ nature of the ailment the residents are
verification. The centre conducted a mental Medicine, Hebrew University,f suffering from. They recommended
did check-ups and interviewed Jerusalem, stated categorically that if that “diagnostic tests be conductedI to
people. Commending the summary re silica was found, it was a case for action. confirm or reject the hypothesis that
100
■»
Ir
charge allegedly refused to attend to
her. Finally, on April 1, 2003, she was
admitted to the Safdarjang Hospital
w^ere she breathed her last. Mangal
H Singh wrote to the Health Minister of
Delhi regarding the callousness of the
government doctors and, predictably,
got no response.
I
Meanwhile, between October 2003
H and January 2004, at least five more
g| workers, including Budh Ram and
g
Mangal Ram, were diagnosed with silicosis by the government managed Lala
Ram Sarup Institute of Tuberculosis
and Respiratory Diseases. The insti
tute’s chest physician, Anand Jaiswal,
said that respiratory diseases caused by
silica dust were common among people
*
living and working in the area.
Jaiswal, who has been associated
I with the institute for a long time, said
that the symptoms of the patients he
treated included an “incapacitating
breathlessness”. He said: “I have been
here for 13 years and they have been
coming regularly. We have three units
here and all three have been reporting
silicosis cases. It is not rare anymore.
Even our junior doctors have become
experts in diagnosing such cases.”
Jaiswal said that even though the
- work had shifted out of Delhi, patients
were coming from Haryana. He said
- that the disease was found among those
who had been involved in stone crush
ing and quarrying operations for five to
SI
10 years. “There is no cure. Once the
cosis or silico TB was a major
i
form technology that avoids the formation of dust settles in the lung, it evokes a re
the major cause of respiratory di:isease silica-.beanne
inhalarinn of
silica-bearing dust. The inhalation
1 premature mortality in this ;POP- crystalline silica particles can lead to TB sponse from the lung. This results in
fibrosis - an irreversible disease. It para
lion”. According to them, a quick
<x
and bronchitis.
lyses the immune cells, which are innparative study between, those
who
.
, J
In
2003, Mohini Devi, wife ' volved in controlling the TB bacillii
rked in the (x
Wh° °f Mangal Slngh>
because of the IL
ilvv silicosis
- predisposes
Hence
one to tu/er did such work should be done to lack of treatment and the unsympathet- berculosis
i.in some cases,” Jaiswal said.
—
ermine the prevalence and age of on- ic attitude of government hospital staff.
Although, unlike TB, silicosis is not
of respiratory disease.
She, who had worked as a stone-crusher
by fever, blood in the spu
Silicosis is the oldest known occu- for more than 20 years, went to seek accompanied
_____
x bacilli in the
tum
or___
the presence of TB
ional disease to affect sand-blasters, treatment at the Badarpur dispensary, lungs,
normally such patients> were giv
k cutters and miners. It is because alter vomiting blood. She was denied ----- ’’ *
’
Jonged exposure to free crystalline treatment. She approached the Nehru en medicines used to treat TB, some
times
multiple
doses
that had the
:a dust (silicon dioxide) results in Nagar chest hospital, another govern
potential
to
expose
them
to certain un
onic fibrosis of the lungs. When ment-run institute, where the doctor in
desirable side effects including hepatistalline silica (dust) is inhaled,
tis. “Here, we often give multiple
lung tissue reacts by developcounselling sessions to convince
Residents of Lal Kuan say that
fibrotic nodules. This condithem that it is not TB that they
i is called silicosis. If the
in the years when mining and
are
suffering from,” Jaiswal said.
lules become too large, br'eathcrushing activities were on,
But overall, the experience was
becomes difficult and may rethat there was very little left to
everything in the village
in death. Usually diagnosed
treat them with. “The dust causes
X-ray, silicosis is an irreversused to be covered by a
irreversible damage. More often,
, disabling disease. It can be |
thick layer of dust and
they
never get back to normal. We
rented by employing certain
give them bronchial dilators for
visibility used to be poor.
•hanisms to avoid the inhala- :
relief,” he said.
i of the dust and by the use of
According to him most of the
II
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' , ! Bl
III
i
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1
NTTLINE, JULY 30, 2004
101
II
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SiB
fl W/S
,4
C y *I
IM]
lljp
■■■
r:" 3
1
.
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■■■■
Homes of workers are located next to the mining site, putting entire families at risk.
workers were involved in stone mason
ry, quarrying, stone crushing and sand
blasting. “The main
in problem is that it is
the unorganised sector. The contractors
never provide any masks or exhausts to
ensure that the air current carrying silica dust is deflected away from the
worker,” Jaiswal pointed out. Most of
them did not know whom they were
working for. In contrast, workers in the
organised sector are protected under
the Employees State Insurance Scheme,
which provides for a Respiratory Board
to look into issues of compensation
arising from ill-health at the workplace.
In the unorganised sector, work is
done mostly on a contract basis. Work
ers are not listed in the rolls of the
employer and they are unaware of the
identity of the main employer, procured as they are by a thekedaar or
contractor. Obviously, they are not entitled to any benefits and have to pay
for their medical expenses from their
own resources.
After having exhausted all possibilities including writing to the Ministries
concerned at both the State and Central
levels, PRASAR has now resorted to
Public Interest Litigation (PIL). Its pet102
ition before the Delhi High Court,
which is being argued by the Human
Rights Law Network, has sought directions from the court for the constitution of a committee for the detection of
silicosis among the residents of Lal
Kuan; the issuance of appropriate guidelines for the prevention and treat
ment of silicosis and other incidental
diseases; the rehabilitation of persons
and families affected by the disease;
compensation to the families of workers
who died after contracting the disease;
and alternative employment to the fam
ily members of victims.
There are national-level proposals
for the unorganised sector, but none is
ratifiable. The National Labour Com
mission (NLC) has recommended a
policy on safety, health and environimerit at the workplace. Under the Factories Act, the
' i manageriients are
supposed to iinform labour inspectors
about the possibility of any health risks
that
might be involved. An Occupa.
*
tional Health and Safety Bill proposed
by the NLC .is still hanging fire. As> no
concrete legislation exists to protect the
interests of workers in the unorganised
sector, the onus is On the State govern-
sI
-
MADHAVAN
ments and their respective Labour Departments to ensure that at least the
minimum standards of safety are complied with at the workplace.
The International Labour Organi
sation (ILO) and the World Health Or
ganisation (WHO) have come up with
a joint programme for the elimination
of silicosis. The programme identifies
silicosis as a preventable disease, the in
\cidence
'’
of which can be brought down
‘L
L cost-effective
rc ' -» programmes.*
through
Moreover, Article 4 of the ILO Conyention on Occupational Safety and
Health states that all member-states are
required to formulate, implement and
review a coherent national policy on
occupational
safety,
occupational
health- and working environment in
consultation with employees and employer organisatLiqnsi
The unorganised sector is supposed
to be covered under a piece of protec
tive “umbrella” legislation as per the
recommendations of the Second National Commission on Labour. But the
enforcement of any such legislation will
be contingent: on tightening existing la
bour laws rather than making them
flexible for employers. ■
FRONTLINE, JULY 30, 2004
i
II >?
I
II
I 5®
,1
►► INITIATIVE
I
far, only five cases of silicosis have been
confirmed, Budh Ram among them. For
the rest, the confirmatory test could not
be carried out as they have silico-tuberculosis and the test can be done only
when TB is controlled. Also, a petition
filed in June 2003 by prasar and three
other non-governmental organisations
— Delhi Forum, Toxic links and
Environmental Justice Initiative —
along with the National Human Rights
Commission (nhrc) has also reached a
dead end. nhrc sent a copy of the com
plaint to the Secretaries of health,
labour and industry, the labour com
missioner, the Delhi government and its
pollution control department. The
complaint letter is dated 19th August,
2003; no one has responded.
It’s about silicosis
It's also about not compensating suffering mineworkers
VIBHA VARSHNEY
Delhi, study had shown that silicosis
was common in the Lal Kuan area. In
2001, PRASAR carried out a study; 146
people were interviewed and the
result suggested that 83 of them could
be silicosis-ridden. Confirmatory tests
were needed then. While silicosis can be
diagnosed on the basis of history and a
simple x-ray, additional tests need to be
done to ensure results cannot be nulli
fied in court. A CT scan is required, but
costs Rs 4,000, and even government
hospitals do not provide it gratis.
Indeed, Azad couldn’t find a single
hospital willing to waive off CT scan
charges. Finally, the Lala Ram Sarup
Institute — it treats tuberculosis and
other respiratory diseases — in
Mehrauli agreed to test 25 people. So
fy A Azad, coordinator of People’s
Rights and Social Research Centre
V-Z (prasar) came to Lal Kuan village
in the outskirts of Delhi in 1999 with a
specific task in mind: making the vil
lagers literate. In due course, he noticed
a pattern: despite getting repeatedly
treated for tuberculosis, villagers would
die. Today, he can talk of nothing else
but this problem and the dead ends he
has reached trying to help the people.
He stops passing-by Budh Ram: this
37 year-old migrant from Rajasthan
began work 20 years ago; a casual
labourer, he worked around stone
crushing machines. About 10 years ago,
he developed a breathing affliction and
was treated for tuberculosis (tb)
Speaking out on silicosis: Budh Ram and
by the government tb dispen
sary in Nehru Nagar. This did
not help; nor did treatment by
mobile medical teams. Budh
Ram became a truck driver, but
fell ill once again four years ago.
The tb drugs helped him for a
year, but he has been deteriorat
ing since.
■ .*^1
,'I
It isn't TB
Says Budh Ram, “The medi
cines are not working. I cannot
even walk.” “Isn’t it obvious
that if three to four courses of
TB medicines are not helping;
the problem is not likely to be
TB?” asks Azad. According to
him, what affects Budh Ram is
silicosis, common enough in
the area’s stone mining com
munity. As silicosis cannot be
cured, workers are generally
given compensation. But
authorities want proof that a
workers indeed has silicosis,
before stepping in with treat
ment. This leads to a catch-22
situation: while Azad collects
information, mineworkers die,
supposedly from TB.
In 1980 an All India
Institute of Medical Sciences,
| 40 | Down To Earth • June 15, 2004
i
I
Si
Doctors least bothered
Even more disturbing, the medical fra
ternity is not bothered to find out why
the same people are put on tb drugs,
again and again. “The tb control pro
gramme anyway does not have a role if
the disease is silicosis, and the
patient will be referred to a
Azad
specialist,”
says
J
N
Banavaliker, head, depart
ment of tb and respiratory
diseases, tb Control Office,
Gulabi Bagh, Delhi. He says
the department has never
been informed of the silicosis
problem in the area. The Lala
Ram Sarup Institute regularly
receives silicosis patients, but
there is no mechanism to
report these cases. “The tb
doctors are just not willing to
listen to the patients — all
they are interested in is meet
ing targets,” says Azad.. “It
seems the whole procedure is
being made prohibitive under
pressure, so that compensa
tion does not have to be
given,” says Souparna Lahiri,
coordinator, Delhi Forum.
How should this problem
be resolved? The quarrying
business should be regulated,
says Lahiri. Government
funding could help create a
database on the problem, feels
| Anand Jaiswal, chest physiI| cian at the Lala Ram Sarup
S Institute. Meanwhile, there’s
2 no respite for mineworkers. ■
•'
1
i' ■ ■ '
■
/
s
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1
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3
Succumbing to stone-cutting
Gopal Krishna reports on the heavy price being paid by stone■’l cutters of the Lalkuan area of New Delhi.
Spread
A The Word
February 2004 - Narayani, Chanda and Ghashi are battling for their lives. One of them is about to die. All of
them are in a serious condition, suffering from silicosis. In time, they will have complete respiratory failure.
These villagers of Lalkuan, near the Badarpur-Mehrauli Road in Delhi, require urgent medical attention.
People’s Rights and Social Research (PRASAR) has taken up this issue.
Silicosis is one of the oldest known occupational diseases caused by the inhalation of particles of silica,
mostly from quartz in rocks, sand and similar substances. It is a progressive disease that belongs to a group
of lung disorders called pneumoconiosis. It is identified by the formation of lumps (nodules) and fibrous scar
tissues in the lungs. Narayani, Chanda and Ghashi got affected by this deadly disease due to exposure
while stone-cutting. There have been others who have already succumbed to this disease. Since these
workers were contract workers, they were not covered under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme
and have been denied compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923.
Combined meeting organised by Central Board for Workers Education to educate people on occupational
health issues.
Free crystalline silica, is one of the most common minerals in the earth’s crust. It is found in sand, many
rocks such as granite, sandstone, flint and slate, and in some coal and metallic ores. The three most
common forms are quartz, tridymite and cristobalite. Inhaled crystalline silica (in the form of quartz or
crystobalite) is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 human
lung carcinogen. One of the hazardous occupations that exposes laborers to such danger is stone-cutting.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognisance of a complaint lodged by PRASAR in
mid-2003. The NHRC had directed that a copy of the complaint be sent to the Secretaries of the Union
Health, Labour and Industry Ministries, the Labour Commissioner, the Government of the National Capital
Region of Delhi and the Director, Pollution Control Department, Delhi. These agencies were asked to look
into the allegations contained, and to submit their comments and an Action Taken Report within four weeks
of receipt of NHRC’s letter of August 19, 2003.
None of the departments mentioned have responded. The NHRC has sent a reminder to the departments
concerned and these departments were to respond by 12th February 2004.
Stone-cutting had gone on in Lalkuan for more than 35 years till the Supreme Court of India ordered for the
removal or dislocation of the crushers in early 1990s. “Hundreds of stone-crushers were causing serious
cough and respiratory diseases including tuberculosis among several thousands of people in the
Tughlakabad area of New Delhi,” says Professor T. Shivaji Rao, Director, Centre for Environmental Studies,
Gitam Engineering College, Visakhapatnam. Contractors sell the stones to the government, builders and
common house holders.
“I visited the site along with M.C. Mehta and prepared a
technical report on the problem and the same was presented
to the Supreme Court through a public interest litigation filed by
Mehta. As a result, several hundred stone quarries were
ordered to be shifted to other safer places outside New Delhi
by the Supreme Court.” It defies understanding how a shift of
stonecrushers to ‘safer places’ makes it safe. These crushers
have been shifted to Haryana, where a similar situation is
bound to occur sooner or later.
"We-would therefore hold that where
an enterprise is engaged in a
hazardous or inherently dangerous
activity and ,harm results to anyone on
account of an accident in the operation
of such activity..., the enterprise is
strictly and absolutely liable to
compensate all those who are
affected...,"
— The Supreme court
Hundreds of stone-cutters in Lalkuan, who were involved in stone-cutting to cater to the needs of
infrastructure development of the city in the early 1990s, suffer from silicosis. Participatory Research in Asia
(PRIA) and PRASAR had done a study in 2001 to gauge the extent of affected workers, based on interviews
of 155 respondents and 58 oral autopsies. According to a paper by S.K. Sharma, J.N. Pande and K. Verma,
Assistant Professors in the Department of Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, published
in the Indian Journal of Chest Diseases and Allied Sciences, October-December 1988, broncho-alveolar
lavage fluid (BALE) analysis found the presence of silicosis in six patients.
Silicosis happens in several others industries besides stone-crushing. It is prevalent all over India. Similar
cases have been reported in Pondicherry and Gujarat. In Orissa, stone crushing in Jajpur district has caused
air, water and soil pollution. Diseases and deaths are rampant amongst the workers who are usually
unorganized migrants from tribal districts like Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj. Nearly fifty villages which have
been badly affected because of this activity of 500 crusher units. The WHO has confirmed the prevalence of
silicosis among those engaged in the quarrying of shale sedimentary rock.
A meeting on Occupational and Environmental Health was held at the offices of Toxics Link in New Delhi, in
August last year during which S.A.Azad of PRASAR made a presentation on the plight of the victims of the
stone-crushing industry. He sought the support of the civil society groups present to launch a campaign to
seek remedy for the silicosis victims. Toxics Link has been working on the environmental and occupational
hazards resulting from toxics such as asbestos. Participants at the August meeting included Dr T.K. Joshi,
Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi, A.T. Dudani, Ravi Agarwal, Nasir Atiq, Sunita Dubey, Ravinder Roy, Praveen Mote,
Alpana, S.A. Azad and Gopal Krishna.
Stone-crushing can be carried in a safe manner by wetting the rocks before breaking and crushing and
using modern machinery to minimize dust generation. Silicosis can be prevented by avoiding inhalation of
dust containing free crystalline silica. Hence, preventing the formation and escape of dust is key. In the late
1930s, machine based dust control measures were introduced in developed countries like US in the late
1930s and by late 1960 the cases of Silicosis had almost vanished. In Switzerland, stricter controls in the
1970s and 1980s led to approximately six-fold reduction in the number of silicosis cases per year.
In India, contractors are not incorporating higher and less hazardous working standards into their process,
despite the Supreme Court ruling. Profits have replaced worker safety and many workers have thus been
failed by the system. Even records for occupational diseases are not maintained. The plight is best
uunderstood from the fact that there are only 4 factory inspectors for whole of Delhi.
For the moment, the people of Lalkuan have lost all hope of receiving any compensation for being affected
by such a deadly disease. Several civil society groups are stressing on the need for a public hearing on the
issue. ®
Gopal Krishna
February 2004
Gopal Krishna is with Toxics Link, New Delhi. This article is based on material from Toxics Link and is
made available through Space Share, our content-sharing program for publishers of other public-interest
content. Click here to learn more about Space Share.
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