International Citizens' Campaign Targets Hoechst
Pesticides
June 16, 1994
On June 16, the anniversary of the publication of Rachel
Carson's Silent Spring, the Pesticide Action Network
Asia and the Pacific Regional Center (PAN A/P) launched
a citizens' campaign to demand that governments around
the world ban the manufacture and sale of endosulfan and
triphenyltin acetate, two highly hazardous pesticides.
PAN A/P has also called on the German-based
transnational corporation Hoechst AG, the primary
producer of both pesticides, to voluntarily cease
production and distribution of these two chemicals.
The campaign was organized in response to Hoechst's
actions in the Philippines, where the company has
challenged recent government efforts to ban the
pesticides, including bringing legal actions against
government agencies, a doctor working for a non-profit
organization, and a national news agency that covered
the story. In conjunction with the campaign launch, PAN
A/P is releasing a report titled Citizens, Hoechst,
Pesticides: The story of endosulfan and triphenyltin,
describing Hoechst's activities in the Philippines with
respect to the two pesticides.
Hoechst in the Philippines
Citizens' and farmers' groups in the Philippines have
long sought to ban endosulfan (Thiodan) and triphenyltin
acetate (Brestan) because of health and environmental
impacts. A 1992 Philippine government ban on sales of
Thiodan 35 EC, Hoechst's leading pesticide in the
country, was successfully challenged by the company,
which argued that the decision was made without
observation of due process. In 1993, the company took
legal action against a doctor who expressed his concerns
that endosulfan might be carcinogenic at a public
meeting, and against the Philippine News and Features
for reporting the doctor's comments. On June 1, 1994,
the government reinstated its restrictions on endosulfan
sales and ban of triphenyltin acetate, despite threats
by Hoechst that it will pull out of the country if this
decision is not reversed. (Endosulfan is still allowed
for sale and use in the Philippines at concentrations up
to 5%, although not on rice, formerly its largest use.)
Many citizens' groups in Southeast Asia are concerned
about the impact of pesticides in the region and
disturbed that the issue now cannot be discussed or
debated without the fear of legal action. The groups
are also outraged at the media coverage initiated by
Hoechst's regional subsidiary which portrayed these
pesticide products as safe. In March 1994, Hoechst was
ordered by the Philippine government to cancel a
television ad for Thiodan because the ad was "false,
misleading and deceptive" and failed to mention
restrictions on the pesticide's use.
Endosulfan P Health Effects
Endosulfan is among Hoechst's largest selling
pesticides, currently its third largest seller, and is
marketed aggressively by the company in Asia and other
regions of the world. Symptoms of endosulfan poisoning
include headache, dizziness, disorientation, abdominal
cramps and fainting. Convulsions and unconsciousness
can occur after exposure to higher doses. According to
the Philippine National Poison Control Center,
endosulfan is the leading cause of pesticide poisoning
reported in that country. In Colombia, at least 60
people were poisoned and one person died in 1993 when
endosulfan was used to fight an insect damaging coffee
crops. In 1991, 31 people died in Sudan after eating
bread made with endosulfan-contaminated flour. In the
U.S., 26 reported poisonings were attributed to
endosulfan in the state of California between 1984 and
1990.
Scientists have also found that endosulfan has
estrogenic properties similar to DDT and PCBs that is,
the chemical breaks down in the human body into a
substance that disrupts the body's hormonal balance.
Estrogenic and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals are
currently being studied for possible links to breast
cancer, to the decreasing quality of semen during the
last 50 years, to testicular and prostatic cancers, and
to defects in male genitalia. (At this time, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency does not screen
pesticides for endocrine disrupting properties.)
Endosulfan in the U.S.
Using Food and Drug Administration data collected
between 1990 and 1992, the Washington D.C.-based
Environmental Working Group found that endosulfan
residues were detected in 21 of the 22 food crops
heavily consumed by infants and children. In the United
States, approximately two million pounds of endosulfan
are applied each year. In 1992, the most recent year
for which data is available, over 380,000 pounds of
endosulfan were used in California on over 55 crops,
including tomatoes, melons, cotton, grapes and lettuce.
Triphenyltin acetate
Triphenyltin acetate (Brestan) is a fungicide that is
not registered for use in the United States, and is
banned in Japan and India. The most common symptoms of
poisoning are depression, tiredness, weakness, and
dizziness. Brestan is very toxic to aquatic life, and
organotin compounds (such as triphenyltin acetate) have
been restricted in many countries because of their
adverse affects on aquatic environments.
Concern Over Hoechst's Actions
In their report Citizens, Hoechst, Pesticides, and in
their new campaign, PAN A/P and citizens' groups in the
Philippines focus on the following issues:
% Actions of Hoechst's subsidiary in the Philippines do
not live up to the spirit of the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization's International Code of Conduct
on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides (the FAO
Code).
% Hoechst has used unacceptable legal and economic
tactics to intimidate and silence groups who are
genuinely concerned with the safety of certain products.
% It is questionable whether pesticides such as
endosulfan and triphenyltin acetate can be used safely
under prevailing conditions in developing countries.
Sources: PAN A/P, Citizens, Hoechst, Pesticides, 1994;
Environmental Working Group, Pesticides in Childrens'
Food, 1993; State of California, Annual Pesticide Use
Report, 1993.
Contact: Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific,
P.O. Box 1170, 10850 Penang, Malaysia; phone (60-4) 657-
0271; fax (60-4) 657-7445; PANNA.
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The Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS) is a
pesticide-related news service posted weekly by the Pesticide
Action Network North America Regional Center (PANNA). PANNA
is located at 116 New Montgomery Street, #810, San Francisco, CA
94105. Tel: (415) 541-9140. Fax: (415) 541-9253. To receive a
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Network send a short e-mail message to panna-info@igc.apc.org.
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