Punjab: Cancer State - Chemical intensive agriculture wreaks havoc.

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http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20080615 & filename=led & sec_id=3 & sid=1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leader

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cancer state

 

 

punjab has finally made cancer-registry

compulsory in the state. Despite numerous scientific reports revealing

the public health crisis in the state, the government had obstinately

resisted any redress mechanism. The recent decision comes in the wake

of two new scientific reports. One shows that pesticides are damaging

genes of farmers who spray them, often leading to mutations and

cancers. The other study finds the water that most people in the state

drink is laced with poisons and that areas where maximum pesticides are

used are reporting alarming rise in cancer cases (See page 9). The

state's knee-jerk reaction is an admission of the fact that pesticides

and chemicals are poisoning people in the state. But is this enough?

Clearly not.

The extent of human and environmental contamination in Punjab is

huge. Food, soil, water, air, human bodies, almost everything is

stained with a cocktail of dangerous chemicals. Decontamination will

not be easy. And even tougher will be dealing with the health crisis

that plagues the state. Trains full of cancer patients going for

treatment have become routine. The cotton-growing areas known as the

Malwa-region, where maximum pesticides are sprayed, are the worst hit.

Numerous studies in the past have confirmed the abnormally high

incidence of cancer and other debilitating illnesses in this region..

Despite this evidence, not much has been done to alleviate the

suffering.

India has no regular bio-monitoring programme. Studies are sporadic

and more for research purpose, not as a part of the regulatory

mechanism. We continue to register and use chemicals without adequately

regulating them. Chemicals which are pushed by the industry as being

"safe" are turning out to be dangerous. Organophosphate pesticides were

peddled by the industry as being "non-persistent" and safe. The recent

research has indicted organophosphate pesticide for damaging the dna of farmers. Something is seriously wrong with our regulations.

The pesticide industry continues to deny that its products cause

havoc and refuses to accept liability. But this time they do not have

the usual scapegoats. In the past, industry has countered such research

by blaming it on smoking, drinking or something else. Anything but

pesticides. But the new report clearly says that factors such as

smoking, drinking and age have no co-relation with the extent of dna damage of farmers. Industry must have already begun to look for a new excuse. Let us see what they blame it on now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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