INTRODUCTION
Endosulfan is a pesticide belonging to the organochlorine group of pesticides, under the Cyclodiene subgroup. Introduced in the 1950's, it emerged as a leading chemical used against a broad spectrum of insects and mites in agriculture and allied sectors. It acts as contact and stomach poison and has a slight fumigant action. It is used in vegetables, fruits, paddy, cotton, cashew, tea, coffee, tobacco and timber crops. It is also used as a wood preservative and to control tse-tse flies and termites. It is not recommended for household use. Intentional misuse of endosulfan for killing fish and snails has also been reported. Endosulfan was also reported as used deliberately as a method of removing unwanted fish from lakes before restoring. Endosulfan was introduced at a time when environmental awareness and knowledge about the…show more content… When the then MLA Sri. Subba Rao became Minister he ordered the suspension of the aerial spraying. The aerial spraying in some areas was suspended for almost two years. However in 1988, the PCK wrote to National Research Centre for Cashew (NRCC) for advise on the crop protection against the Tea Mosquito Bug which was affecting their plantation. The NRCC recommended Endosulfan spraying at a 0.05% concentration. All through these years aerial spraying of Endosulfan was continuing. But sadly, this dosage was never followed as it was found to be ineffective to control the bug.
Dr. Mohankumar, a local medical practitioner of Enmakaje Panchayath, observed that numbers of psychiatric and epileptic cases in his village were abnormally high. He felt the root of the problem lies in the water in the area. He kept a record of the entire cases coming for treatment for 10