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Arsenic, mercury and cyanide in crops: farmers and environmentalists sound alarm
by Melani Manel Perera
Used in north-central province, causing chronic kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, children can be born cyanotic, already dead or without a limb. Over the past 20 years, at least 20 thousand poor farmers have died of kidney complications, many suffer from similar diseases.
Colombo (AsiaNews) - Chronic kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, children born cyanotic, dead, or without legs, arms or lips are just some of the consequences inflicted by the use of pesticides based on arsenic, mercury and cyanide in the plantations in Sri Lanka. According to the 'National Movement Against Poison' and Centre for Environmental Justice (ECJ), the government "can no longer remain silent" and should stop as soon as possible agro-chemical multinationals.
Rodrigo Gratian, a Catholic small farmer in Pollonnaruwa district (north-central province), has suffered from chronic kidney problems for years and says that they are the result of the use of chemicals. "I started working in 1972 - he tells AsiaNews - until 1990: there I started to have problems with urinating. I found out I had severely damaged kidneys and I had to stop working, now all I can do is take the medicine and wait to die". What he wants is not a new kidney, but that the others know that "agro-chemicals are deadly to human life."
According to data provided by the two associations over the past 20 years, only in the Anuradhapura District nearly 20 thousand poor farmers died from kidney problems, because of high levels of arsenic, mercury and cyanide. In the same area, some 20 thousand people suffer from similar problems.
Dr. Channa Jayasumana, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, explains that the levels of poisons found in pesticides are very alarming, so that even small doses can cause serious damage to kidneys, lungs, heart and nerves. "To take one example - the doctor says - Tamil rebels used capsules of 100 milligrams of cyanide to commit suicide. But our pesticides contain at least 400 milligrams".
Ravindranath Dabare, ECJ president, explains: "According to state law, pesticides cannot contain arsenic. The authorities have identified that there is a problem but do nothing to stop the disaster they must improve the laws. "