Stop Paraquat
Stop paraquat (14.08.02)
Stop paraquat
The «stop paraquat»-campaign urges Syngenta to stop the production of a herbicide that is highly toxic and very harmful to human health. The campaign is supported by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the world.*
The full-spectrum herbicide paraquat - a pesticide that kills all weeds - is sold by Syngenta in over 100 countries under the brand name Gramoxone. It is extensively used on plantations of bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil, pineapple, rubber, and sugar cane, as well as by small farmers. Paraquat has been criticized for its adverse impact on workers since the 1960s. Workers and farmers who handle paraquat on a regular basis experience serious health problems. There is no antidote and many people die from the effects of paraquat.
In addition to the negative effects of paraquat on human health, scientists fear that the herbicide may be accumulating in the soil. Recent studies indicate that mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians are also affected.
All these negative effects can easily be avoided as there are several ready substitutes for the use of paraquat. Chiquita and the Fair Trade Organizations have already banned paraquat from their production.
Syngenta’s new paraquat factory in China shows that the company intends to continue the production and use of this dangerous pesticide and that its management has dismissed all objections and concerns.
Therefore, an international coalition of NGOs has vowed to increase the pressure on Syngenta until the company agrees to take the product off the market. With your protest e-mail to Heinz Imhof, chairman of the board of Syngenta, you can help us achieve this objective.
* supported by
The full-spectrum herbicide paraquat - a pesticide that kills all weeds - is sold by Syngenta in over 100 countries under the brand name Gramoxone. It is extensively used on plantations of bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil, pineapple, rubber, and sugar cane, as well as by small farmers. Paraquat has been criticized for its adverse impact on workers since the 1960s. Workers and farmers who handle paraquat on a regular basis experience serious health problems. There is no antidote and many people die from the effects of paraquat.
In addition to the negative effects of paraquat on human health, scientists fear that the herbicide may be accumulating in the soil. Recent studies indicate that mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians are also affected.
All these negative effects can easily be avoided as there are several ready substitutes for the use of paraquat. Chiquita and the Fair Trade Organizations have already banned paraquat from their production.
Syngenta’s new paraquat factory in China shows that the company intends to continue the production and use of this dangerous pesticide and that its management has dismissed all objections and concerns.
Therefore, an international coalition of NGOs has vowed to increase the pressure on Syngenta until the company agrees to take the product off the market. With your protest e-mail to Heinz Imhof, chairman of the board of Syngenta, you can help us achieve this objective.
* supported by
 | Berne Declaration (Switzerland); www.evb.ch |
| | Banafair e.V. (Germany); www.banafair.de |
| | Bio Suisse (Switzerland); www.bio-uisse.ch |
| | Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances (IRET); Costa Rica |
| | Fédération genevoise de coopération (Switzerland); www.fgc.ch |
| | Foro Emaus (Costa Rica); www.foroemaus.org |
| | Swedish Society for Nature Conservation; www.snf.se |
| | Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific; www.panap.net |
| | Pesticide Action Network Germany; www.pan-germany.org |
| | Pesticide Action Network Latin America (RAP-AL); www.rap-al.com |
| | Pesticide Action Network North America; www.panna.org |
| | Pesticide Action Network UK; www.pan-uk.org |
| | Red de Accion sobre Plaguicidas y Alternativas en México (RAPAM) |
