Centre for Science and Environment Session 1 Overview and agenda Briefing workshop August 4-5 2004.

Centre for Science and Environment

Session 1Overview and agenda

Briefing workshopAugust 4-5 2004


CSE: Background

• Set up in 1980. A public-interest research institute.

• Policy research and public awareness. On water, forest management, air pollution, climate change, industry, health.


Pollution Monitoring Laboratory

• Set up in 2000, with state of the art equipment for pesticide residue, heavy metal and air pollution monitoring.

• We set it up to: a. respond to community requests: (endosulfan case in Kerala)

b. to investigate issues of public health concern: air pollution monitoring, water (fluoride), bottled water (pesticides).

• Conspiracy of silence in data. Need science for ecological security. Need information publicly.

• Concerns our health. Our bodies. Our children.


Endosulfan: confirmed by ICMR

• 2001: villagers from Padre, Kerala write to CSE. Mysterious diseases.


Endosulfan: confirmed by ICMR

• CSE lab finds endosulfan in human blood, tissue, food, water, fish…

• Industry fights back. Hires “accredited” lab. Says no endosulfan found.

• 10 months later, NHRC asks ICMR.• ICMR collects blood samples of children.

Confirms endosulfan. Says that it is possible “causative factor” for high reproductive, neurological and congenital abnormalities in village.

• Kerala government bans pesticide spraying. Industry still fighting.


Why study soft drinks?

• 2002: Looking at pesticides in drinking water. Collected samples from Delhi colonies. No visible trend as area very big.

• Decided to look at bottled water. We detected pesticides, so looked at source.

• Collected samples of groundwater in and around bottling plants…


Ranking of bottled water: Delhi


Found pesticides…

• Because groundwater used by companies for bottling. Profile matched.


What happened?

• Regulations for pesticide residues in bottle water existed. But not quantified.

• Post-CSE study: • July 18, 2003: government issued notification for

revised norms:

Individual pesticide: 0.0001 mg/l

Total pesticide: 0.0005 mg/l• Implemented from January 1, 2004.

• Most companies are adhering to new norms, says BIS.


Why ‘EU’ standards for water?

• Pesticides are contaminants in water. There is no trade-off between nutrition-poison.

• WHO says pesticides are “tolerable daily intake” not “acceptable daily intake”.

• Cannot afford contamination. Have to prevent it with tough standards.

• Also need easy to use standards – single residues+multiple residues. Not each pesticide, different standard


Two giants of the corporate world.


Soft drinks: what did we find?

• Same pesticides as bottled water:DDT, lindane, chlorpyrifos, malathion.

• Same level as bottled water. • But poorer (in fact non-existent) regulations compared

to bottled water


No pesticides in US bottles

• Same pesticides are used in US.

• In a 2000 total diet study, Food and Drug Administration found five most frequently observed chemicals: DDT, malathion, chlorphyrifos, endosulfan and dieldrin.

• But not found in US soft drinks:

Is human health more important in US regulations?


Double standardGlobal giants • Checked for pesticides in bottles

manufactured and sold in US. None found.


Scandalous regulations: ‘Fixed’ / Non-existent

• Regulations worse than bottled water industry. It had poor norms for pesticides. But at least mandatory norms existed.

• No norms for this ‘food’ industry. Virtually let off. Why???

• Bottled water norms in 1998. Made mandatory saying ‘food’ consumed by many. Why were soft drinks not included? Amnesia? Deliberate?


Meaningless maze

• Licensed under Fruit Product Order. Part II-(D): Sweetened aerated water with no fruit pulp...less than 10 % fruit juice….

No regulation on basic raw material, water. Says.. “Potable” water should be used. What is potable? No definition.

• Rule 65 of Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) regulates

pesticides in food. • But food is defined to exclude ‘beverages’.• Sub-section A.01-01 in appendix B defines the standards of

quality for non-alcoholic beverages.• But has nothing to say about pesticide residues. •


Key issues

• Pesticide contamination is growing. Even soft drinks contain pesticides. Need a stringent policy for safe and wise use of pesticides.

• Pesticides found in soft drinks pose a long-term health hazard as they are above standards. A cocktail of different pesticides found.

• Regulations for pesticide residues in soft drinks do not exist. Is that acceptable?

• Water used by this industry as raw material not regulated. Not paid for. Is this right?


Cola companies respond….

• August 5 (12 noon): CSE releases study• August 5 (4 pm): Pepsi-Coke joint press conference

rejecting our study; say we are not capable of doing this research; they have tested; they know that they are safe…

• August 8: Pepsi file defamation suit (gag-SLAPP) case against CSE. Coke case not accepted by SC (withdraws case after we file counter in November)

• August 21: Government releases its test report. Confirms 3 pesticides, in smaller quantities. But uses phrase: drinks “safe”: meet existing packaged drinking water standards (which were already changed because they were not safe).

• August 22: sets up Joint Parliamentary Committee (4th in India) to investigate matter. Sharad Pawar chairman.


Terms of reference of JPC

• “Whether the recent findings of CSE regarding pesticide residues in soft drinks are correct or not”

• “To suggest criteria for evolving suitable safety standards for soft drinks, fruit juice and other beverages where water is the main constituent.”


“We are safe: Aamir drinks it”


What JPC considered…what coke-pepsi said..what we said…

• Drinks are safe..learning the science of analysis and the politics of standard setting;

• Pesticide contamination is not a problem in India..learning how India uses and misuses pesticides;

• Standards for soft drinks and juices are the same..learning the global politics of food standard setting;

• Pesticide residues should not be regulated in water…learning the imperative of water quality, the need for legal standards for clean drinking water for all and cost of cleaning dirty water…


“Working” our democracy

•Endorsed our findings, government to set stringent standards for soft drinks; wants entire system of pesticide use and food and water standards revamped.

•A vindication of public health concerns. Sets the agenda for reform for water security and food safety.

•Our agenda. Our fight…


Agenda for change: session 1

• 1. To set standards for soft drinks (ongoing..BIS standards/Health ministry standards…companies fighting).

• standards for pesticide residues;• standards for caffeine/pH• 2. July 15, 2004: Bureau of Indian Standards

(BIS) finalised draft standards for finished products.

• 3. July 27, 2004: Ministry of Health sets standards for quality of water to be used in the manufacture of soft drinks.


Why not check milk..vegetables…?

• …..Because we know they are contaminated. The legal standards set (MRLs) are too high. The food we ingest is unsafe. There is no enforcement to check if the standards are being exceeded for not.

• 2. Revamp pesticide regulation so that all food is safer.

• Nutrition-poison trade-off


Unsafe water: define what is “potable”

• No definition of what is potable water. No standards for the quality of water that is “safe” to drink.

• Without legal standards, there is no right of Indians to clean drinking water.

• How will this “right” be created. • What will clean drinking water cost? • Can we afford this cost? Can we afford not to

pay this cost?


Water used by industry free

• 4. Regulate the water used in soft drink and beverage industry.

• How should this be done?

• Groundwater law says that water belongs to person who owns the land…right to exploit. To use. To sell.

• How much water does this industry consume? Who knows?


Regulations for “safe food”

• 5. Strengthen institutions and regulations for food safety.

• What are the issues in modern food and processed food?

• Why should we worry? Do we not have a malnutrition problem? Why should we care about new epidemics like obesity?

• What should we do?


See-through change

• Translating protest into policy needs (constant) public pressure.

• Challenge for Indians is to work democracy.

• It is being done. Must be supported and enabled. Change needs knowledge and information and public awareness for change.

Centre for Science and Environment Session 1 Overview and agenda Briefing workshop August 4-5 2004.

Documents

Transcript of Centre for Science and Environment Session 1 Overview and agenda Briefing workshop August 4-5 2004.