Prosecutors in Brazil this month filed a lawsuit to prod Brazil’s Health Ministry to ban endosulfan, a widely used pesticide here that is prohibited in over 60 countries due to health and environmental concerns. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office alleges Anvisa, the enforcement arm of the Brazilian Health Ministry, possesses all the scientific evidence it needs to prohibit the production, import, sale and use of endosulfan now, but has needlessly delayed doing so. Acting ahead of federal authorities, one Brazilian state, Rio de Janeiro, already has outlawed endosulfan within its borders. Aside from citing endosulfan bans in over 60 nations, advocates of a Brazil-wide prohibition point to the announcement this month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it plans to end use of... [Log in to read more]
