Endosulfan spill unleashes ecodisaster in Brazil

摘要

In November 2008 an accident involving a truck of the agrochemical manufacturer Servatis caused at least 8,000 litres of the insecticide endosulfan to spill into the river Pirapetinga in southern Brazil. This is a tributary of the major river Parafba del Sur, which flows through 3 densely populated states and is the sole source of water for 37 municipalities in Rio de Janeiro state. According to the state environmental engineering agency FEEMA, total tank capacity of the truck was 30,000 litres and one week after the accident, the company had only been able to recover 12,000 litres mixed with rainwater, trapped by the on-site retention dyke. Servatis originally claimed that only 1,500 litres has been spilled, but FEEMA estimates from the damage caused to the river wildlife that the volume could have been ten-fold greater.