All posts in the topic Fwd: ACTION ALERT - Endosulfan (Short link)

-------- Original Message --------

*ACTION ALERT*
*PLEASE HELP US TO GET RID OF THE HIGHLY TOXIC INSECTICIDE ENDOSULFAN,
WHICH HAS BEEN BANNED IN 55 COUNTRIES.*
ERMA is currently reassessing New Zealand's use of the highly toxic and
persistent insecticide endosulfan  and incredibly, they are proposing
to allow its continued use on our fruit and vegetables and on sports
fields, bowling greens, parks and airports.
Endosulfan is one of the worst pesticides still used in New Zealand, in
terms of its toxicity, chronic effects and environmental pollution. It
is an old-style organochlorine related to DDT, which is why 55 countries
have already banned it. *We urge you to take a moment and write/email
the Minister for the Environment, Trevor Mallard, asking him to
overturn ERMA's proposed decision and ban this controversial insecticide.*
The Minister has the powers to do this under section 68 of the Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms Act which allow him to call in the
application  if the decision will have significant economic,
environmental, international or health effects.  ERMAs decision will
have all of those.
 Points to make in your submission:
                             Endosulfan has caused birth defects,
epilepsy, congenital intellectual impairment, cancer and devastating
chronic suffering in thousands of people who have been exposed to it
directly or by spray drift or contaminated water.
                             At very low levels of exposure
it can cause human breast cancer cells to grow and so is a real risk for
breast cancer.
                             It is a risk factor for Parkinsons Disease.
                             It is persistent and bioaccumulative and
it contaminates air, rain, snow, water, soil, and biota, including tree
bark around the world  including the Arctic, Antarctica and Mt
Everest.  ERMA has also acknowledged that it probably contaminates our
mountains such as Mt Taranaki, Mt Ruapehu etc, as a result of our use of
this insecticide.
                             It contaminates marine mammals such as
whales and seals and levels are increasing.
                             Because 60-70% of endosulfan evaporates
after use, any use of it here will contribute to global contamination.
                             It is ubiquitous in the human food chain
and in human bodies.
                             It is passed across the placenta to the
unborn infant and in breast milk to the newborn.
ERMAs decision has *not considered *any of these points even though the
information was available to them, so they cannot be relied on to make
the right decision for New Zealand*.*
*New Zealand**'s continued use of endosulfan is* *also * *deeply
embarrassing internationally:*
                             The European Union has nominated it for a
global ban under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
                             Korea has twice now rejected New Zealand
beef because of illegal residues of endosulfan, and we stand to lose our
valuable exports markets from such contamination.
                             55 other countries are managing their
agriculture and sports fields without endosulfan  why cant New Zealand?
                             It is not possible to continue
marketing New Zealand as clean, green, natural and pure when we are one
of the few remaining countries to continue using this dirty pesticide
that keeps on turning up in our food with monotonous regularity  50% of
tomatoes in the last Total Diet Survey contained endosulfan.  Since
then the New Zealand Food Safety Authority has found endosulfan residues
on lettuce, courgettes and strawberries.
                             New Zealands failure to take
responsibility for contributing to global pollution undermines all
our claims to be a clean, green, sustainable nation.

ERMA's  reassessment can be found at
http://www.ermanz.govt.nz/search/registers.html?id=23290
<http://www3.greens.org.nz/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=3326&qid=80038>

More information on endosulfan can be found here
<http://www3.greens.org.nz/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=3327&qid=80038>
*Please write now to the Minister  this is URGENT.*
*There are less than 2 weeks remaining for the Minister to over-ride the
ERMA decision.*
*/Sue Kedgley MP/*
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Email:_ <email obscured>.nz_
<mailto:<email obscured>> _


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