Deadly chemistry
Virulent poisons, persistent organic polluters are some of the most poisonous chemicals on our planet. Released in one part of the world, they, through repeated processes of release and deposit can travel to regions far away from their original source.
Within local environments, the POPs are transported through the process of bioaccumulation. These chemicals accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals, and humans, with their concentrations increasing as we go up the food chain. A growing body of scientific studies have indicated that exposure to even very low doses of certain POPs can cause severe health problems. These chemicals can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, interfere with normal and infant child development, and lead to serious reproductive disorders, which are thought to result from chemicals that function as endocrine disrupters.
In India, where pesticides have been a vital part of modern agricultural practices, the pesticides market is currently worth around Rs 3,000 crore.
According to Devika Nag of King George Medical College, Lucknow, several widely-used pesticides POPs such as DDT, dieldrin, endosulfan and aldrin cause serious neurological disorders that include convulsions, visual defects, abnormal cognition and behaviour.
According to estimates, India's annual pesticide consumption by the turn of this century is expected to be somewhere between 80,000 and 144,000 metric tonnes.