Endosulfan

Context

• Recently, the protesters have called for the endosulfan stocks to be returned to the company for safe disposal in the Kasaragod district.

About Endosulfan 

• Endosulfan is a pesticide and It does not occur naturally in the environment. 
• It is a cream-to-brown-coloured solid that may appear crystalline or in flakes.
• It has a distinct odour similar to turpentine.
• It is used to control insects on food and non-food crops and also as a wood preservative.
• It is sold as a mixture of two different forms of the same chemical (referred to as α- and β-endosulfan). 
• Endosulfan can be released into the air, water, and soil in areas where it is applied as a pesticide.
• The health effects of endosulfan depend on how much endosulfan you are exposed to and the length of that exposure. 
  • Toxic by inhalation, skin absorption, or ingestion. 
• In 2012, when there was the threat of endosulfan leaks from old godowns, they were transferred to new godowns through a scheme called Operation Blossom Spring. 
  • It aims to restore organic farming practices back in the district and preserve the ecological balance

Source: TH