Meanwhile, a report by the Southeast Asia Information Network (Sain)
that 10,000 litres of the pesticide were sold in Burma was confirmed
by
the company involved, but denied by the Burmese government.
Saree Angsamwong of the Consumers Foundation said that her
organisation has called for a ban on the sale of paraquat - a potent
herbicide
often used to kill weeds along roadsides, around homes and on rubber,
palm and sugar plantations - because of its public health and environmental
impacts.
Considered one of the ''dirty dozen" pesticides, paraquat has already
been banned by nine countries, including Denmark, but the Danish firm
East Asiatic Co Ltd (EAC) still sells the agro-chemical in Southeast
Asia under the trade name Gramoxone.
''We would like to ask the Danish company whether it's right to sell
paraquat in Thailand and Burma, even though it's banned in Denmark,"
said Saree. ''We are quite concerned about this evident use of double
standards."
Sajja Tinarakorn, of EAC's agricultural division in Thailand, said
that paraquat has been banned in Denmark because the Scandinavian
country's economy depends on dairy products rather than agricultural
crops as in
Thailand.
''Denmark has little need for herbicides as they mostly tend cows, but
Asian countries produce food for the entire world," Sajja said. He
added that paraquat has been used in Thailand for 30 years and no one
has died from using it on crops, although it is sometimes used to commit
suicide. The pesticide causes lung failure if ingested, as it concentrates
in
the lung tissue and kills cells critical to the exchange of oxygen.
A dose of
three to five grammes (less than a teaspoon) is considered lethal for
adult
males. Milder exposure can cause skin problems, rashes and burns.
Officials at the Agricultural Chemistry Division in the Ministry of
Agriculture declined to speak to The Nation about the issue, but
Supranee Impitak, who analyses pesticide residues on crops for export,
said she
believes paraquat is used extensively in sugar cane fields.
''I don't have any reports on paraquat residues in sugar or on sugar
cane, but I understand that residues don't show up on tests because
the
chemical is used to clear the fields of weeds before the crop is
planted," Supranee said.
Paraquat is produced at a factory in Thailand belonging to Zeneca Agro
Asiatic Co Ltd (ZAAC). EAC Thailand owns 49 per cent of the venture,
according to Sain and Danish news agency Ritzau, while the UK-based
company Zeneca, formerly part of ICI, reportedly owns the remaining
51
per cent.
Sain reported on Monday that a representative of Zeneca is currently
in Burma to follow up on a previous sale of 10,000 litres of paraquat
made earlier this year, a sale the network condemned as ''the lowest
form of business".
''There are no mechanisms used in Burma to ensure workers' health and
safety," said Sain's Faith Doherty. ''It is certain that the pesticide
will be used by local people through the orders of local military
authorities. Information about the pesticide and safety and care will
not be distributed to the people.
''This substance is lethal no matter where it is used in Burma, the
sale of paraquat amounts to aiding and abetting more suffering and
death
for the farmers of Burma," Doherty claimed.
Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc)
subsequently released an information sheet questioning the accuracy
of
Sain's report and declaring that, ''Neither the government of Myanmar
[Burma]
nor the private sector has any plans to buy or import paraquat".
But Ritzau said that EAC officials in Denmark and Zeneca officials in
the UK have both confirmed the sale. Meanwhile, ZAAC's Steve Renshaw
told the French news agency Agence France-Presse that the latest
shipment of the chemical was received by a Rangoon distributor named
Forward Co
Ltd in January of this year. Zeneca has reportedly trained Burmese
farmers and civil servants in the proper use of agro-chemicals as recently
as
two weeks ago.
Sajja also pointed out that pesticide distributors in Thailand have
teamed up to educate Thai farmers in the proper handling and use of
agro-chemicals. Slorc's press release added that the chemical is still
being used in the US, the UK and Germany and has not been banned by
the UN's
Food and Agricultural Organisation. But Sain's Doherty noted that the
proper use of paraquat requires applicators to wear rubber clothing,
a
practice rarely carried out in tropical countries because of the extreme
heat.