Over 300 workers from the Hindustan Insecticides Limited plant manufacturing Endosulfan near Kochi at Kerala organised a rally today to oppose the unscientific approach adopted by environmental NGOs to seek ban on Endosulfan. HIL workers emphasized an investigation into the flaws observed in the study which was released by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH).
The workers demanded that their own experience and the farmers’ experience be taken into consideration as they work with the pesticide Endosulfan. Endosulfan was manufactured and used for more than 50 years across the world and continues to be in use in many countries without any ill effects to humans or environment. The fact that the workers who are handling endosulfan since so many years have not suffered from any ill effects is enough evidence that alleged health effects in Kerala are not caused by endosulfan.
There are over 6000 workers employed in the manufacturing of Endosulfan in various plants of India and 400 of these workers are employed in the HIL plant.
A rally was also organised by over 3000 people including workers at endosulfan plant of Excel Crop Care Bhavnagar and their family members demanding probe into NIOH report. Workers conveyed "we, our family members and our generations are healthy" implying that allegations on endosulfan are scientifically untrue but political in nature.
