The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released the shocking results of its laboratory analysis on samples brought from Padre village of Enmakaje Gram Panchayat in Kasaragod district, Kerala, where a lot of unusual diseases related to the central nervous system have been reported, especially among children. The first tests conducted on the level of pesticide contamination in the village showed that extremely high levels of the organochlorine pesticide endosulfan were present in all the samples, from human blood and milk, to soil, water, fruits vegetables, cow’s milk and skin tissue, fish and frog. The Plantation Corporation of Kerala, run by the state government, has been spraying endosulfan through
helicopters for more than two decades over its cashew plantations on the hills in and around Padre to counter the tea mosquito pest. Scientific studies show that endosulfan can affect the unborn
child in the womb, among the other health effects. Several countries have banned or restricted the use of endosulfan, though the pesticide is not banned in India.