Description
Endosulfan is a highly persistent, bioaccumulative, organochlorine insecticide used on fruits, vegetables, cotton, coffee, tea, tobacco, grains and nuts. It is also used as a wood preservative.
All residential uses of endosulfan were phased out in 2000. As of June 10, 2010, the EPA has announced that endosulfan will be phased out and banned for all uses in the United States.
In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stopped permitting use of endosulfan on several food crops (beans, peas, spinach and grapes) due to concerns that young children were ingesting unsafe residue levels.
Health Effects
Immediate Health Effects
- If SWALLOWED, endosulfan is Very Highly Toxic
- If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, endosulfan is Very Highly Toxic
- If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), endosulfan is Very Highly Toxic
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
- This chemical may cause cancer. It has the potential to promote tumor growth. Neurotoxin = Can harm brain and central nervous system.
- Suspected Endocrine Disruptor = May interfere with, mimic or block hormones. It may induce hypothyroidism.
- Animal studies have shown that long term exposure can result in kidney, liver, brain and testes damage, but it is not known if the results would apply to humans.
- Scientists are studying a link between autism and endosulfan exposure.
Other
- Birth defects and reproductive health problems were observed in areas that suffered poisoning after endosulfan spraying.Neurobehavioral effects observed in laboratory animals, such as impaired learning and memory.
- Immune function suppression has been observed in animals exposed to endosulfan.
- Cardiovascular and blood effects observed in animals, including anemia (lowered red blood cell and hemoglobin count) and blood vessel aneurysms.
- The kidney, testes, and possibly liver are affected in laboratory animals exposed to endosulfan over the long term.
- Poisoning results in neurotoxic effects such as hyperactivity, muscle contractions, involuntary muscle movements, sensitivity to noise and light, incoordination, seizures, and convulsions. It can also cause headache, dizziness and nausea, and at high doses, death. These clinical signs have been observed in humans accidentally exposed to endosulfan, and in animal studies. Endosulfan is also an eye irritant.
How Exposures Occur
Food
- Food is the primary means of exposure to endosulfan. Endosulfan accumulates in fat. The highest concentrations can be found in the fatty tissue of meat and in full-fat dairy products.
Residues may also be present on produce. In the Total Diet Study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the highest endosulfan residues on green peppers, green beans, pears, peaches, apples, grapes, strawberries, spinach, raisins, and squash. Some baby foods also contained endosulfan.
Water
- Well water and public water supplies are not likely sources of exposure to endosulfan, although endosulfan may contaminate drinking water sources from agricultural run-off. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors the level of endosulfan in lakes and streams, but currently does not regulate endosulfan in drinking water.
Tobacco
- Endosulfan is used on tobacco plants. Smoking or chewing tobacco can result in exposure to pesticide residues.
Soil
- The most likely exposure to endosulfan for people living near hazardous waste sites is through contact with soils containing it. Endosulfan or its breakdown product, endosulfan sulfate, has been identified at 164 of 1,577 sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its National Priorities List (NPL). However, we do not know how many of the 1,177 NPL sites have been evaluated for endosulfan or endosulfan sulfate.
Pesticide Application and Drift
- Children can inhale endosulfan when spray drifts from neighboring farms and orchards.
Occupational
- Children of farm workers and farm pesticide applicators are exposed to higher amounts of endosulfan and other pesticides, which can enter the home on clothing, shoes, etc.
Significant Statistics
California declared endosulfan a toxic air contaminant in 2008 because of its ability to negatively impact anyone in an area where it was sprayed.
Cone, Marla. Endosulfan to be banned, poses ‘unacceptable risks’ to farm workers and wildlife, EPA says. Environmental Health News. June 10, 2010. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/endosulfan-ban.
Endosulfan is highly toxic to wildlife. It has caused fishkills in waters that were contaminated. It is also toxic to bees.
Usha S. and Harikrishnan V. R. ENDOSULFAN: Factsheet and Answers to Common Questions. IPEN Pesticide Working Group. September 2005.
http://thanaluser.site.aplus.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/endosulfan_factsheet.pdf.
Endosulfan can travel over long distances. It has been found in cow milk from cows living in tobacco-growing regions. It bioaccumulates in aquatic organisms.
Endosulfan: ChemicalWatch Factsheet. Beyond Pesticides.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/endosulfan_final.pdf.
Solutions
How to detect endosulfan
How to minimize exposure to endosulfan
- Eat a balanced diet, with plenty of fruits and vegetables and a moderate level of low-fat meats and dairy products.
Wash non-organic fruits and vegetables well and peel them when possible.
Choose certified organic foods, when possible, as they have not been treated with pesticides. A good place to start is with 10 Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic.
- Reduce dietary fat to reduce exposure to persistent pollutants like endosulfan. Remove fat from meat as well as skin on chicken and fish, before cooking. Use cooking methods such as broiling, which allows fat to drip away from the food. Deep frying may seal in toxins.
- Filter your water. For more information, see Safe Drinking Water: Filtration.
Alternatives
- The best alternative if you use endosulfan as a pesticide on your crops is to move to an integrated pest management system. See How to Grow Crops without Endosulfan.
For More information
Books, articles, factsheets and reports
Update: Pesticides in Children's Foods - An Analysis of 1998 USDA PDP Data on Pesticide Residues. Consumers Union, May 2000.
http://www.consumersunion.org/food/pdpdc600.htm
Nowhere to Hide: Persistent Toxic Chemicals in the U.S. Food Supply. Pesticide Action Network North America, March 2001.
http://www.panna.org/resources/documents/nowhereToHideAvail.dv.html
Usha S. and Harikrishnan V. R. ENDOSULFAN: Factsheet and Answers to Common Questions. IPEN Pesticide Working Group. September 2005.
http://thanaluser.site.aplus.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/endosulfan_factsheet.pdf.
Endosulfan: ChemicalWatch Factsheet. Beyond Pesticides.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/endosulfan_final.pdf.
Bissdorf, Jewel K. How to Grow Crops without Endosulfan. Pesticide Action Network Germany. January 2008.
http://www.panna.org/files/field_guide_without_endosulfan.pdf.
Other government agencies
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-260-2090
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
5100 Paint Branch Parkway
College Park, MD 20740-3835
888-463-6332
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov
Nonprofit organizations
Pesticide Action Network North America
49 Powell St., Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-981-1771
http://www.panna.org
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
P.O.Box 1393
Eugene, OR 97440
541-344-5044
http://www.pesticide.org/
Other websites
Our Stolen Future
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org
E.Hormone
http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/
Healthy Babies, Healthy Milk
http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/default.asp
Environmental Defense Chemical Scorecard
http://www.scorecard.org
PAN Pesticides Database
http://www.pesticideinfo.org
Other
In non-target wildlife, endosulfan has caused reproductive and developmental effects in birds, fish and mammals.
(Source: Reregistration Eligibility Decision for Endosulfan. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, November 2002.)
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/endosulfan_red.pdf
Endosulfan is harmful to wildlife. It is highly toxic to fish and birds, and moderately toxic to bees.
(Source: Pesticide Information Profile: Endosulfan. Extension Toxicology Network (EXTOXNET), Revised June 1996.)
http://ace.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/pips/endosulf.htm
