Can a ‘Sinhala patriot’ explain pesticides, arsenic and fertiliser?
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Photo courtesy Arsenic and toxins found in baby rice food – what you need to know
There is a new Sinhala nationalist political trend that now throws out a completely novel discourse, which ties up mythical gods as superior to “Jewish Christian Western Science” and claims, the entire Sri Lankan agriculture needs revamping. The Christian Jewish based MNCs have been providing us pesticides and fertiliser with “Arsenic”, these patriots claim. This has created many conflicts within this regime, that prompted the Agrarian Services Minister Chandrasena to publicly say and ask, “We were told to promote rice over bread and now they say rice has Arsenic. What do they want us to eat ? Grass?” And the same minister told the parliament on 06 July, the government has found the soil now has toxic contents in excess and would therefore control chemical fertiliser use by pruning its subsidy.
The argument against the use of pesticides and chemical fertiliser goes thus.
- All chemical fertiliser and pesticides imported to SL have “Arsenic” which is deadly poisonous (Officially it was said only 02 out of 27 brands of chemical fertiliser had concerned levels of Arsenic presence and those have been stopped from importing)
- This Arsenic issue, till most recently was never exposed although in the NCP there was an increased number of chronic renal failure patients. (They attribute renal failure to Arsenic, though without any clinical proof)
- The exposure came with “God Naatha” enlightening Prof Nalin de Silva, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Kelaniya University and another Kelaniya University Science faculty don.
- Their research at the Kelaniya University laboratory, guided by “God Naatha” shows alarming levels of “Arsenic” in fertiliser and rice produced in the NCP. (Prof Ms. Paranagama of Kelaniya Science faculty claimed that all medical and academic persons also go to Kataragama when they buy a new car and seek divine help when building a new house and therefore their research with divine guidance should not be ridiculed)
- They therefore claim renal failure in NCP villages is due to this rice consumption, but do not explain why people in other provinces who eat the same rice don’t have such renal failure.
- This they say is a conspiracy by Multi National Companies (MNCs) who work on Jewish Christian philosophy and is used by the LTTE against Sinhala people
These revelations reject accepted scientific methodologies in research and claims they have adopted a novel methodology in carrying out their research, but have never been peer reviewed for consent and acceptance, as scientifically correct. Nor have they been published as research papers.
Meanwhile, there are others who have joined this campaign and have put forward their own demands. Outcome is stupefying. Sinhala Buddhist nationalism now claims,
- This is a new strategy that had been adopted by the LTTE as “bio-terrorism” to rid the NCP of Sinhala people. Their only proof is that almost all renal failure patients are from Sinhala villages close to “former border villages” and reject the findings that there is a “hard water” belt stretching from West of Anuradhapura to Padaviya area in the East coast, whilst stretching South towards Kekirawa and Dambulla.
- Pesticides have to be banned and chemical fertiliser replaced with compost fertiliser in agriculture.
On the first claim, though theorised by a medical person, one Dr. Channa Jayasumana of the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the Rajarata University, there is absolutely no evidence to say the LTTE had a hand in the manufacture of chemical fertiliser and pesticides that were imported to SL, or they had any share in the imports of pesticides and fertiliser. Thus there is no clue as to how the LTTE introduced arsenic to these villages in such organised manner, except in the fantasies of this medical tutor.
Any way, now there is hardly any reason to worry, as the Rajapaksa government is firm in their declaration that the war was concluded with the total annihilation of the LTTE leadership and their organisation. There will be no more arsenic from LTTE sources!
The second claim is a serious claim, as that involves many aspects of social and economic life of the people of this country. And playing with human life is no joke, though it is no serious issue for these myopic Sinhala nationalists. It would therefore serve all concerned citizens if a Sinhala patriot could answer the following questions, in a logical manner.
- The annual average import of pesticides and chemical fertiliser are 6,000 MT and 50,000 MT that contain only 6 kg and 750 kg of Arsenic, respectively (check with ITI if necessary). How harmful can that be for human life ?
- IF this total import is to be replaced with local compost fertiliser, how many Metric Tons of compost would be needed every year ?
- How many Metric Tons of bio degradable waste and or “green manure” would Sri Lanka need every year, to compost the required quantity of organic fertiliser ?
- What is the total throw of bio degradable waste in Sri Lanka that can be used for compost manufacture and how many acres of land would be needed for “green manure” ?
- What extent of land would be required for a continuous supply of compost fertiliser or green manure ?
On the issue of modern Western medicine and science being Jewish Christian and thus anti “Sinhala nationalist”,
- What are these Sinhala patriotic academics teaching to their undergrad students ? Do they still teach Western Science and medicine they claim is conspiratorial and extremely harmful to this Sinhala nation?
- What type of medicine would they prescribe, if they reject Western Science and Technology as fatally harmful?
- Would they advocate the closure of all medical faculties teaching Western medicine and closure of all science, dental and engineering faculties?
They still don’t advocate such closure and don’t even call for a change in sylabii to nullify what they claim is fatally harmful to a whole nation. They don’t even propose an alternative higher education programme to stop this “knowledge killing” by Jewish mindsets, they claim is undermining our nation. They don’t have a new and a comprehensive “Naatha Vidyawa” to talk of, leave alone propose an alternative.
Finally, how true are they to their conscience ? In short, how patriotic are they?
According to US EPA
Arsenic is a semi-metal element in the periodic table. It is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices.
Non-cancer effects can include thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting; diarrhea; numbness in hands and feet; partial paralysis; and blindness. Arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver, and prostate.
EPA has set the arsenic standard for drinking water at .010 parts per million (10 parts per billion) to protect consumers served by public water systems from the effects of long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic. Water systems must comply with this standard by January 23, 2006, providing additional protection to an estimated 13 million Americans.
This confirms that Arsenic is injurious to the health and contamination must be avoided.
Why blame the Jewish Christians only when a lot of Pesticides are coming from East Asia. What about the shipments in question?
The debate of arsenic poisoning has become a focal point today in Sri Lanka. A group of scientists claims that the cause for kidney decease in North – Western province is arsenic. They say that arsenic contamination is done though the imported pesticides, weedicides and artificial fertilizers used in agriculture.
It seems that there are two groups of scientists who do not accept the above view. One group of scientists directly rejects the claim. Another group says that they have no scientific evidence to accept the view. They also cast doubt on the methodologies used by the first group of scientists, and seem to look at them in a sarcastic air. However, it seems that the rejection of the first view and sarcasm alone are not sufficient to justify their view either. They accept that there were some arsenic positive samples among those tested by them. They also accept that arsenic is not legally permissible in pesticides and weedeicides, imported to Sri lanka however, they argue that the amounts available in those pesticides, weedicides and chemical fertilizer are not sufficient to be hazardous. However, they were not able to provide an alternative reason for the chronicle kidney decease fast spreading in many parts of the country. Further, it seems that these scientists have not the considered the possibility of bio accumulation of arsenic in flora and fauna, that could pass the permissible percentages they refer as safe.
However, the scientists are still clinging into a debate without coming to a distinct conclusion for this vitally important issue. The answer for the issue is totally a scientific one that should be obtained through chemical analysis. There is no any other effective alternative method to arrive at a distinct answer. However, it is very strange how not only political authorities, individuals but also scientists are trying to reiterate their view points through non scientific methods. Most seem to prefer alternatives than scientific methods. Otherwise there is no role to play by politicians or journalists in this question. This highly scientific issue should have been confined to the scientists and scientists alone, and only their consensus solution should have reached the laymen and general masses. However, it did not happen, letting every Toms and Harrys to catch fish in the muddy water making them all experts in this highly scientific and technical issue that should have been solely handled by the real experts of the field. Now the political authorities debunk the claims of scientists and journalists challenge the scientists on highly scientific issues.
Dragging on and uncertainty on this very sensitive issue has a huge socio-economic, hygienic and psychological impacts that it needs an urgent and speedy solution. There is a fear among people that the soil, water and food produced in those areas are contaminated with arsenic. They don’t know the reason for the mysterious ailment they have to undergo. The first group of scientists attributes these things to the presence of arsenic in fertilizer, pesticides and weedicides. They have given some irrefutable evidence through sample analysis that arsenic is present in some of the samples, in an environment that should legally be zero, due to the highly hazardous nature of the substance. What ever the sources of evidence, whether it is “Nath Deyyo” or whatever it is they were able to provide scientific evidence for their case, (though it may be not sufficient) to substantiate and justify their hypothesis. They have reasonably established sufficient reasons to for a scientific investigation. At this stage it should not be the sarcasm or just arguments that should be used for hypothetic testing. It is nothing but scientific investigations based on chemical analysis. The final result might be against the first group, but the scientific methodology is so, there is no any other alternative method except going for chemical analysis. No any other method would refute their proposition.
Thanks!
I feel that its a waste of my time to try and explain anything to people with a closed mindset. If some one else has some time please try and explain to this person to try and think outside of the box rather than accept everything that has been spoon fed to him/her.
How dare you question the wisdom and patriotism of Professor Doctor Nalin de Silva who holds two PhDs from reputed western universities, in mathematics and astrophysics? He is a rare person who has courage to denounce the western science that trained him and tried to influence his independent, patriotic thinking. There is no one of his calibre in Sri Lanka to debate the Jewish-Christian conspiracy to undermine and destroy Sinhala Buddhist nation.
Yeah True Appolo Gista,
Nalin was a brilliant Maths student even in college(Royal). I think he was a gold medalist also in Maths.
Problem with him is that his Maths brain didn’t work when he was with Bahu, Vasu group as a “Marxist”.
Then he turned a Sinhala patriot and again his Maths brain does not work because now he is guided by “Natha Deiyo”. If “Natha Deiyo” isn’t there, he can not do anything now.
Its not me who is telling this. Its Nalin himself who says it. So if “Natha Deiyo” is not Sinhala, then Nalin can not be a Sinhala patriot.
Amarnath
here ppl who were in da search of anything capable of employing in attack against sinhala nationalism using prof de silva’s inability to prove his hypothesis “scientifically”
As a Sinhalese and as a patriot with an abiding interest in my country and my fellow citizens, I find the tone of Mr.Perera’s article offensive and unscientific. If there is a suspicion that our food production system is being affected by toxins, we should leave no stone unearthed to find the truth. So, without rising to the communal bait. I will respond to his questions on agriculture. The quotes below are from my article: Subsidizing Addiction? In Groundviews. 2 Jul, 2011
Q. The annual average import of pesticides and chemical fertiliser are 6,000 MT and 50,000 MT that contain only 6 kg and 750 kg of Arsenic, respectively (check with ITI if necessary). How harmful can that be for human life ?
A. Quote : “At that time sodium arsenate was the preferred weedicide, DDT was the preferred insecticide; not only did they it destroy the biodiversity in the areas applied, but over time grew to become toxic to humans. The danger of biological magnification was clearly pointed out. This means that for a substance like DDT, if its concentration in water is one, it increases to a concentration of 800 in the microscopic plankton that live in the water. The minnows and small fish that eat the plankton have a concentration of 11,600, the big fish that eat the little fish, have concentrations to 34,600 and fish eating birds have 92,000. This phenomenon is called bioconcentration and it works slowly, affecting humans long after the time of application. The consequences of the environmental poisoning episodes, which began in the 1960’s, it was pointed out, will be felt fifty years later. The public apathy of the increase of toxins in their living environment has compounded this trend, until we are sitting on a sea of toxins applied on our land over the last fifty years.”
So, 756 Kg applied to the environment every year (if Mr. Kusal Perera is correct) will bioconcentrate. In some areas like the NCP the ecosystem could bioconcentrate more effectively due to the terrain and soil ecosystem. So the answer to your question is: “Yes it can be very harmful to human life depending on the area of application”!
Q. IF this total import is to be replaced with local compost fertiliser, how many Metric Tons of compost would be needed every year ?
A. “The fertilizer subsidy program in Sri Lanka is scheduled to exceed 50 Billion rupees this year (2011), It will become higher next year and so on into the future, as we have not given any thought to agricultural sustainability. No thought to the loss of soil fertility. We are caught in a trap. We have to rely on high fertilizer demanding seed for our food production, but fertilizer is expensive, therefore to feed people we have to subsidize fertilizer.
The current subsidy in fertilizer is essentially an aid to the fertilizer industry. Applying fertilizer on an agricultural field destroys the natural soil ecosystem on which we have relied for generations. It also makes the farmer reliant on inputs of fertilizer forever, as the soil will loose its fertility. Added to this the distribution of high fertilizer demanding varieties, just to increase crop weight is another shortsighted move………Subsiding fertilizer will always make food production dependent on external inputs. How can we ever become independent in food production if we have to seek money from abroad to purchase and subsidize fertilizer every year? We will just become slaves to the fertilizer salesmen. There will never be agricultural independence on this road”.
The question is “Do we want to be independent on our food production ?” If so , we must find a way to break out of the dependency cycle or is that being too patriotic for your taste ?
Q. How many Metric Tons of bio degradable waste and or “green manure” would Sri Lanka need every year, to compost the required quantity of organic fertilizer ?
A. If we can waste 50 billion rupees annually on subsidies, could we not think of redirecting it towards the production of millions of metric tons of green manure ?
Q. What is the total throw of bio degradable waste in Sri Lanka that can be used for compost manufacture and how many acres of land would be needed for “green manure” ?
A. There is a massive number of rural Sri Lankans in abject poverty, who struggle to live because they cannot grow a marketable crop. If they can be paid for green manure you will help them develop and not fatten the fertilizer salesmen
Q. What extent of land would be required for a continuous supply of compost fertiliser or green manure ?
A. While the land of the rural people can form a base of supply, we will certainly be stuck for land if we keep handing thousands of acres to multinational companies and rob the rural people of their heritage !
Dear Kusal,
[Finally, how true are they to their conscience ? In short, how patriotic are they?]
to follow the same logic in your article, for us to determine how true their conscience are, there should be some guidelines of what a true conscience be,
then to determine how patriotic they are, there should be another set of guidelines so we can measure against it.
otherwise our assessments from one to another would be different depending of what each of us would think they should be. Therefore, do kindly please post what in your opinion what these set of guidelines should be, just requesting since you are so disapproving of their conduct, so kindly do post them please.
Has anyone checked if the kidney failure patients also had higher Arsenic content in their body tissue?
Are these pesticides and fertilisers used only in Anuradhapura and not elsewhere in Sri Lanka or the world?
If Arsenic is the culprit could it be at all similar to the situtation Bangladesh has found itself in where deep tube wells have been dug into the earth releasing naturally occuring arsenic into the drinking water?
What Ranil, Kusal and Nalin should understand is that the world is now fatally addicted to all these evil substances oil, pesticides, artificial fertilisers etc which are now essential to support its huge population of 7 billion. The world population reached this figure only because of these substances. When the world has virtually run out of land the only way to keep going was to produce more food with the available land hence the necessity for pesticides, artificial fertilisers, GM crios etc. There is no way artificial fertiliser can be replaced with compost for every single food growing field in the country. If it was possible it would have happened naturally as compost is far cheaper than expensive artificial fertiliser and if one were to substitue artificial fertiliser with compost one has to be prepared for the reduction in yield and the increase in captial required to transport truckloads of the stuff from populous areas to food growing areas. This has been possible to a certain extent in the west because the farmers can make up the lost revenue by raising the price of their organic product and meet the resulting shortfall by importing their vegetables from Africa where land is still plentiful. Sri Lankans dont have that luxury.
The real reason for this dependence is that most of the fields have lost their nutrients from centuries of farming and the only way to replace them efficiently is now through fertiliser.
A ban on artificial fertiliser I fear will inevitably lead to markedly reduced yields which would in turn cause pressure on our few remaining patches of undevoloped wilderness areas to be released as agricultural land. This would result in the total loss of bio diversity as has already happened in countries like the UK where almost all native mamals have been wiped off.
We just need to accept that the human civilisation has now peaked. We used up the worlds resources and have poisoned what remains to get our numbers to 7 Billion. We have now reached the point where we cannot sustain it at that level. The inevitable will now happen. Either a gradual decline or a total collapse. Either way it would be the best thing for the planet. As long as we spare a few forests and a few animals they will reclaim the earth and a hundred thousand years from now it will once more be a vibrant place with many cultures and many species. But if we raze what remains in order to keep going for as long as possible there will be nothing left for the revival.
And this is wat Naatha Deiyo told me when I bumped into him on the Niyara yesterday. He said “Mama Naathai, Umbala Anaathai” and walked off giggling to himself.
So …. Kusal
you choose to come out once again from a place different from
your own basic goodness –
My own kidneys are also supposed to be failing.
But thank God I have my priorities listed correctly.
I am more concerned about the 3 poisons within
Greed – Hatred – Delusion
and the emotions that tie us hand and foot to this cycle
Just look again and see how the internal poisons affect even the dialogue here…..
Ranil Senanayake has explained the reasons for gradual reduction of the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticide and weedicides in farming. Organic farming and sustainable agriculture practice is an alternative system for most countries. The transition will take a long time, therefore it is important to start NOW. A village can be developed as a “Green Village” that depends on energy from renewable sources such as the Sun, Wind, water, Biogas from domestic and farm animal waste. Such a process is a scientific process. Such plans should be countrywide and international. The problem of deteriorating environment is so serious that any projects that are are submitted to international agencies for funding must have an Environmental Impact report before approval. Such a report is not just detailing the effect of the project on the land, air, water, animals and plants, but it should also explain how such a project fosters or retards relationships between community of people who will be directly affected by that project. Everything on Earth is connected. You touch a part,the whole feels and react to the touch. If the touch of the part is destructive the whole disintegrates. If the touch is positive, the whole grows in harmony.
For reasons best known to him, Mr. Kusal Perera gives a maliciously distorted version on the work done by the Kelaniya group on the Arsenic issue. Findings by the Kelaniya group have been available to the general public through various print and electronic media for the past few weeks. According to these, (a) Arsenic in pesticides, (b) the soil specific to this area that retain arsenic and (c) hardness of water are the three factors that contributes to Kidney disease. All three are found to be true in certain regions of Rajarata where kidney disease is prevalent. Accordingly the disease does not manifest in the same manner in the absence of any one of the three factors. That is why you don’t see this disease in other areas. According to this group Kidney patients from these areas have typical signs of arsenic poisoning. These signs are well established in medical literature. Additionally they have conducted ex vivo studies on tissue samples of Kidney patients. They have also found Arsenic in drinking water in these areas. Arsenic when mixed with hard water is difficult to detect by conventional methods. This group has developed a novel method to do this which they say will be published soon. It is believed that Arsenic and hard water combines to produce calcium arsenate that finally affects the kidney. According to them, their studies in soil in these areas found no arsenic beyond 6 ft, which was what lead them to believe that it came from pesticides. They have now found 9 types of pesticides brands that contain Arsenic. The government has temporarily banded these products from the market after conducting independent experiments in government labs. The use of arsenic containing products in Sri Lankan agriculture began about 40-50 years ago. The disease was first noticed in epidemic proportions about 20 years ago. It can be fairly assumed that it takes few decades to build up arsenic levels in soil and ground water before it becomes toxic.
The people in Sri Lanka or at least the scientists are yet to hear about the test method and its validity to test for arsenic used in Kelaniya. It will do a lot of good for the nation if the reputed Kelaniya-Rajarata scientists let their test method known. Accusing others, filling pages and pages of Newspapers for Sinhala readers and refusing to give out the method with excuses such as others would copy it, or the other scientists will not allow it to be published brings in a big question on the validity of their test results, on which all their arguments and theories depend. Till they “Sanatha” that their method is acceptable, we all are “Anatha” and there is no body to “Natha” us. Where is the transparency expected in science?
This is a study available with WHO carried out in 2003
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/81/11/roberts1103.pdf
It seems that this problem has been known for a considerable period of time but no action taken to effectively control it. Now it has become a patriotic issue and people are aske to keep quiet. It is those poor people who have to suffer.
Why did Prof De Silva send his children to the USA?
Arsenic pollution in the drinking water is a serious problem in developing Asian and African countries. Arsenic and its metabolites are excreted via kidney which is the primary site of biotransformation of arsenic. Kidneys of persons exposed to high levels of Arsenic have accumulated high amounts of Arsenic in their kidneys. Drinking Arsenic contaminated water and rice caused a severe Arsenic poisoning crisis in Bangladesh. Arsenic is not easily detectable in hard water since Arsenic forms strong bond with Calcium. The use of Arsenic containing insecticides, herbicides and fungicides on the increase in Sri Lanka in recent years. Also the use of pesticides containing high amount of cyanide and mercury are on the increase in Sri Lanka.In Padaviya about 5 % of the population suffer from Arsenic poisoning and 40% of the death are due to Arsenic poisoning.
All agro chemicals are poisonous to animals, plants, microbes, insects and humans. Chemical pesticides leads to breeding of more pesticide resistant pests and creates pest epidemics.
Since tons of pesticides containing Arsenic,Mercury, Cyanide have been used in Sri Lanka for the last 20-25 years, in them may potentially be the cause for rapidly increasing prevalence of heart disease, diabetes and cancer in Sri Lanka, curing for which the Sri Lankan Government spends millions annually. In Bangladesh more than 70 million people are subjected to chronic arsenic poisoning caused by low quality agro chemicals which have been imported for last 30 years.