There are evidences that the product is harmful to environment and human health

The Chamber is analyzing the Bill 4336/08, proposed by the Deputy Edson Duarte (PV-BA), which forbids the registration of pesticides having Endosulfan as an active ingredient.

Endosulfan is the common name, in Portuguese, for the active ingredient of commercial insecticides/acaricides used in cotton, cacao, coffee, sugarcane and soybean culture.

That substance belongs to the chemical group of cyclodienochlorides, and is one of those which would have their registers re-evaluated in 2008 by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). Its producers, though, got an injunction at Federal Justice to keep producing and trading that product.

According to the Deputy from PV, there are evidences that that active ingredient has extremely harmful characteristics to the environment and to human health, such as: neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, risk of endocrine deregulation and carcinogenicity.

Banished substances
Duarte reminds that in July 2008, Anvisa decided to re-evaluate the registers of the following active ingredients: trychlorfom, methyl parathion, methamidophos, phosmet, carbofuran, phorate, endosulfan, paraquat and tyran.
The congressman explains that, according to Anvisa, the priority on the re-evaluation will go to substances which, according to international evaluations, scientific literature and animal tests, can cause acute poisoning in workers manipulating those products, such as different kinds of illnesses.

He reminds that DDT (Dichloride-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane) went through a similar procedure. That insecticide, synthesized for the first time in 1874, was largely used to fight insects which were the vectors of agricultural illnesses and plagues after the II World War. Its use revealed, though, that that product is highly harmful to the environment and to health. In 1985, DDT was prohibited in Brazilian agriculture, in 1998, was also prohibited in control programs of illnesses transmitted by insects.

Edson Duarte explains that technological development permitted the production of more efficient pesticides, which are less toxic and environmentally dangerous, which gradually tend to substitute the older ones. “However, it is about a substitution process which is very slow and frequently hampered by economic interests” laments the congressman.

Procedure
The matter will be analyzed by the committees on Agriculture, Animal Industry, Supply and Rural Development; and on the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship. The bill will be subject to review by the Senate.

Report - Cid Queiroz
Editing- Maristela Sant'Ana
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda