Benin bans endosulphan

Benin, a country on the western coast of Africa, has banned use of the pesticide endosulphan. The decision, taken in February this year, is based on the recommendations of a four-year study conducted by Pesticide Action Network (pan) Africa, pan uk and ngo s in West Africa. The ban, which will come into effect once the existing stocks are used up, comes after a similar decision by the eu and in the wake of organic cotton movement in Africa.

Asthama's female bias

it is believed that women who grow up on farms have a strong immunity and face a lower risk of allergies than those who don't grow up on farms. A study has found that farm women may be at a risk of contracting allergic asthma--the reason is pesticides. The chemicals lower resistance levels to allergens, says the first-of-its-kind study that tracked about 26,000 women in North Carolina and Iowa, usa.

Peafowl deaths in Punjab linked to pesticides

eleven peafowl found dead in Punjab were killed by food contaminated with pesticides. Nine peahens and two peacocks died in Ladhowal forest area near Ludhiana on December 26. The state forest department had earlier suggested that bird flu--spread by migratory birds coming to the region in winter--could have killed the birds. But the union government's Department of Animal Husbandry later ruled out the possibility.

Punbjab university plays host to pesticide lobby

on november 9, papers in Punjab ran stories about a study exposing high levels of pesticides in blood samples of people in the state. Pesticides were also on the agenda that day at a symposium at the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. But the "experts" gathered at the meet were not there to allay concerns raised by the report. Their energies were, in fact, directed at dispelling "myths" about pesticides.

Healthcare in Malwa in shambles

Punjab's Malwa region, south of the Sutlej river, grabbed national attention a couple of years ago when its steeply rising cancer graph came to light. Studies had revealed the link between heavy pesticide use and the disease. Little has changed since then. Medical facilities remain dismal and farmers are still ignorant about the dangers of pesticide overuse.

EPA approves controversial pesticide

The US Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of a new pesticide despite opposition from more than 50 scientists across the country, including five Nobel Prize-winning chemists. Methyl iodide is now the planned replacement for methyl bromide that has been phased out as a fumigant because of its harmful effect on the ozone layer.

Bytes

immune system: Scientists in the UK are building a mathematical model of immune responses in people. The work will improve the understanding of the human immune system by allowing all the scientific disciplines working on it to have a common reference point and language. The mathematicians will investigate how different cellular components of the immune system work together and will devise a theoretical and computational model. from above: A new service by the European Space Agency is

In court

reliance gas row: In an interim order, the Bombay High Court has ruled that Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) cannot be forced to sell gas from its eastern offshore KG-D6 fields to firms run by his brother Anil Ambani at "subsidized rates and incur loses." Delivering its verdict on gas supply row between RIL and Reliance Natural Resources Limited, the court asked the companies to decide on a new gas price within four months, since the government has rejected the rate of US $2.34 per million British thermal unit as agreed in the family demerger

Punjab crop loss spurs debate on pesticide use

around 25 per cent of the cotton crops stand damaged in Punjab because of the pest 'mealy bug' or woolly aphids. The worst affected are the areas under bt cotton. Cotton was cultivated in 570,000 hectares in 2006, and this year it has been cultivated in 648,000 hectares. Production however has fallen from 2.7 million bales in 2006 to 2.2 million bales this year in the state. Mansa, Bhatinda, Mukhtsar and Ferozepur districts are the worst hit. Maharashtra has also reported such pest attacks.

New Zealand okays poison 1080, despite concerns

Despite widespread concerns, the New Zealand government has again okayed aerial spraying of poison 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate). The country uses about 80 per cent of the world's production of poison 1080. With around 70 million possums munching trees and spreading bovine tuberculosis, the country has no option but to continue using the pesticide to eradicate the problem, says the country's Environmental Risk Management (erm) Authority.