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Health hazards in the wake of a mysterious disease in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh
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Saturday, 02 January, 2021, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Laltu Sinha
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The incidence at Eluru
In early December, just as the people around the world had started to regain their normal life, a tad bit and successful production of the first lot of vaccines taking place with the trials (on humans) happening has emerged a ray of hope amongst many.
The city Eluru of district West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh met with yet another wave of an unknown disease. The disease had symptoms seemingly not severe but the frequency of their occurrence created a matter for worrying; the person with the very first case was reported on 5 December. With symptoms such as anxiety, convulsions, dizziness, loss of consciousness, nausea, seizures along with other related neurological symptoms.
After that, many others with similar symptoms from the same town showed up, making the cases grow to 614 confirmed cases and a confirmed death of a 45-year old within 2 weeks only. The reason for death was not sure at first but later it was revealed by the hospital that it was due to the aggregated symptoms.
According to a report, the disease doesn’t have any age bar as its patients are of all age groups and have the same effects/symptoms on all of them. Many speculations were made earlier for this unknown disease based on symptoms and range. Which directed in the way that the cause of the disease may be geographical rather than viral, eliminating Covid-19.
Furthermore, on the sampling of blood drawn from the affected patients, it was found that the individuals were having heightened amounts of nickel and lead. The presence of these elements indicates that the respective area might be having some pesticidal activity. Samples were taken from multiple areas including JP Colony, Gandhi Colony, Pension Line area, and Ramachandra Rao Peta, and were tested by a private lab based in Vijayawada as per Eluru Municipal’s orders.
? The drinking water sample obtained from Gandhi Colony was found to have14.21 milligrams per liter (mg/lit) of a pesticide OP-DDD (Ortho-Para Dichloro-Diphenyl Dichloroethane) and 15.23 mg/lit of another pesticide PP-DDD (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane).
? Also, another batch of samples taken from Ramachandra Rao Pet contained 10.89 mg/lit of pesticide Alachlor and 13.37 mg/lit of OP-DDE. Water samples collected from surrounding areas also did contain a high quantity of Alachlor, DDE, DDD, and DDT pesticides.
The acceptable amounts of permissible limit of these pesticide residues in all these water samples should be <0.001 mg/lit.
Regarding the incidence above, we could confidently quote that pesticides are not safeat all. And has multiple acute as well as chronic health-related effects. Also, likewise, in the case of Eluru, many health related issues are delayed or arrive later showing symptoms in the progenies or at older stages of life.
? A systematic review which took in 2007, found that most of the cases having leukemia and Hodgkin lymphoma showed an association with pesticide exposure.
? Another study indicated strong evidence for a similar association of pesticide exposure with disorders such as birth defects, fetal death, neuro developmental disorders, and neurological problems.
Following are some other effects that relate to pesticidal exposure which have been known to cause damage to the human species.
Acute/ Immediate Effects
These effects are the ones that get showcased and developed within a short period of pesticide exposure. Also, these health problems are most likely to occur in workers that handle pesticides, such as
? Abdominal pain
? Dizziness
? Eye irritation and burning sensations
? Giddiness
? Headaches
? Loss of balance
? Nausea
? Skin irritation and problems
? Vomiting, etc.
Chronic/ Long term Effects
These effects are worrisome ones, as they might not show instant effects but on later examination and detections are known to have life-threatening health issues, such as
Cancer- Multiple studies have examined the negative effects of pesticide exposure on the risk of cancer, there have been proven associations found with
? Brain cancer
? Breast cancer
? Kidney cancer
? Leukemia
? Liver cancer
? Lung cancer
? Lymphoma
? Skin cancer
The elevated risks are there with both occupational and residential exposures. A mother’s occupational pesticide exposure during pregnancy could also be associated with the progeny’s / child’s risks of brain cancer, leukemia, and Wilms’ tumor, with some other possible birth defects.
Endocrine associated- Pesticide exposure has led to endocrine disruption making them endocrine disruptor (endocrine disruptor refers to substances that interfere with hormones and hormone balance); the studied alterations/ manifestations related to endocrine disruptors are
? Early puberty (in female human species)
? Developments of cysts in the ovaries
? Uterus anomalies
? Pregnancy complications with early abortions
? Diabetes and obesity leading to heart conditions
? Neurological disorders (especially disorders in brain development, and degenerative diseases in the brain) such as Parkinson’s disease
? Hyper & Hypothyroidism
? Thyroid tumours.
Neurological- Studies and evidence indicates that pesticide exposure does lead to developmental and neurotoxic effects.
Reproductive Effects- The studies have shown indisputable evidence connections with pesticide exposure to fetal death, birth deformities, and altered fetal growth at times.
? An herbicide and defoliant chemical named Agent Orange, having a mixture of 50:50 of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T has had connections with genetic effects in Vietnam, leading to low birth weight and developmental effects in infants.
Fertility- Numerous pesticides like 2,4-D and dibromochlorophane have been found linked with weakened and impaired fertility in the male human species. Causing reduced fertility rates, genetic alterations in sperm, depleted sperm count, hormone dysfunction and altered hormone function, and damage to the germinal epithelium.
The occurrence of the conditions and disorders does not impart symptoms overnight, they take time and pesticide residue takes home in the body of the patient slowly, over the span of years. This phenomenon is known as Biomagnification.
The process of biomagnification or bioamplification takes place when any concentration of a toxin, such as pesticides starts to deposit in the tissues of the tolerant organisms present at higher most or high levels in a food chain.
Origin of pesticidal contamination
The challenges faced due to the pesticide activity isn’t a new thing in India, the same has been occurring since the evolution of agriculture took place to serve the increasing populations and deliver all the industrial and economic demands. These demands aren’t limited to their raw or primary use but are expanded for the secondary industrial use (for manufacturing of various food products), import and export, etc.
As a result of which the farmers are facing major issues to protect their crops, leading them to take measures such as the application of insecticides and pesticides (also, the occasional use of fertilizers adds to the situation). And of all the pesticides used, an estimated 1 per cent of them (which are poison) get utilized to kill the insects, leaving the remaining 99 per cent of poison that enters our food or related products.
The Green Revolution
? It refers to a period in India when the agricultural systems peaked and were converted into an industrial system. The adoption of modern methods and technology including fertilizers, irrigation facilities and methodologies, high-end agricultural tools, tractors, HYV (High Yielding Variety) seeds, pesticides, etc.
? It was led by agricultural scientist, geneticist M.S. Swaminathan.
? The successful execution of the Green Revolution highly relied on the insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, and other hazardous chemicals and also brought the culture of mono-crops ( the practice of growing a single crop on the same land for many years) while discarding our traditional culture of polycrops in India.
? This did not only compromise the health of the consumer of the crops but also it did affect the soil’s natural integrity and properties.
? The incautious usage of insecticides caused the loss of human lives and was also held responsible for other physical and neurological deformities and disorders. Punjab is one of the extremely affected states by the green revolution, and the constant use of fertilizer has increased the cases of cancer patients in the state in the following years.
? While the Green Revolution was introduced to ensure food safety and to deal with unfavorable disasters and conditions like famine, in which up to some extent India succeeded, but the farmers have so entrapped in the use of pesticides that they have started believing that pesticides are crucial for a good harvest.
The Kerala Insecticide case
? In 1975, in Kasargod, Kerala; the agricultural department started the plantation of cashew trees. To avoid pest infestation, they started aerial spraying of ENdosulfan.
? Therefore, for 25 years, 2.2 million liters of Endosulfan was persistently sprayed over 15000 acres of land.
? Application of Endosulfan led to various neurological and physical and disorders causing mental and physical deformities to many newly born children, miscarriages in women, cognitive-disorders to individuals, etc.
? The incident also altered the course of wildlife, causing the disappearance of many indigenous frogs, fishes, birds, and snakes.
? Then in 2001, as per the Supreme Court’s order of injunction, the spraying got stopped.
? Aftermath: In 2010, as per the survey conducted by the state social welfare department, a total of 2836 people were still suffering from various ailments even after ten years of banning the use of Endosulfan. In 2011 SC ordered the government of Kerala to give compensation to the respective victims.
To avoid such extremities the government of India has come up with several regulations and departments dedicated to the aftermath and research about the agricultural activities since then. Also, a wave of Organic farming has got a considerable amount of traction from the urban population. This may not stop the causes and disadvantages of the pesticidal activities but could affect the demand for the traditional way of farming, henceforth creating a distortion. And making the reckless usage of pesticides and fertilisers hold back.
(The author is research director for BlueWeave Consulting. He can be contacted at laltusinha@blueweaveconsulting.com)
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