Sarojeni Rengam feels vindicated. After a 10-year campaign against herbicides containing paraquat, she and fellow activists have succeeded in persuading the government to ban the poisonous substance.

Malaysia, the world's largest producer of palm oil with a long plantation tradition, is the first Asian country to ban paraquat in a move likely to send shock waves through the community of giant agro-chemical corporations that thrive on sales of herbicides.

The decision has also spurred grassroots campaigners across Asia to lobby even harder for similar bans on all hazardous herbicides and pesticides in their respective countries.

A circular issued by the Pesticides Control Division of the Agriculture Department on Aug 27 stated that pesticides containing paraquat and calcium cyanide would not be re-registered. All forms of advertising of these two substances would also be banned, it said.

''We welcome the government's move to ban paraquat, which will eliminate the exposure of workers and farmers to this particular pesticide,'' said a beaming Sarojeni, a zoologist by training and executive director of the Pesticide Action Network's regional office for the Asia-Pacific (PAN AP), based in Penang.

''We also look forward to the banning of more pesticides particularly those in the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Class 1, which are highly hazardous.''

Dangerous exposure

Women pesticide sprayers across plantation farms have long complained of various ailments following pesticide and herbicide exposure.

The main route of exposure is through the skin and the worst cases of exposure occur during knapsack spraying and handling of the substance. Sprayers usually have little protective clothing, lack training, and have little knowledge of the hazardous effects of the products they use.

Findings of an in-depth study among 72 women sprayers in 17 plantations in three states on the Malaysian peninsula between 1997 and 1999 noted common symptoms such as fatigue, vomiting, back pain, giddiness and nausea, breathing difficulties, skin disorders, eye irritations, headaches and burning sensations in the vagina.

The study by PAN AP and Tenaganita, a group championing workers' rights,''confirmed that women plantation workers are being poisoned by ... highly toxic pesticides, especially paraquat''.

The WHO-recommended classification of hazardous pesticides places paraquat in ''Class II - moderately hazardous'', but because of its serious long-term effects on plantation workers the authorities have now classified it as ''Class I - extremely hazardous''.

Paraquat, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, has had a tarnished reputation as it has been associated with ill health among plantation workers in developing countries who use it.

Reacting to the ban, the Swiss giant Syngenta, which markets paraquat under the Gramoxone brand name, said paraquat has a long history of safe use in Malaysia and receives strong support from large scale and small farmers alike.

''With all pesticides occupational incidences can occur when the use instructions are not followed. Paraquat is no different from other products but intensive stewardship and training programmes for all our products over many years helped identify concerns early and address them through responsible actions,'' it said in a statement on its website.

With the ban in Malaysia, activists in Sri Lanka are determined to rid their country of hazardous chemicals.

''We have had a discussion with PAN to launch a wide campaign not only targeted at paraquat but to oppose other pesticides,'' says Sarath Fernando, co-secretary of the Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform in Sri Lanka.

''Many people especially small farmers in Sri Lanka would be willing to give up these pesticides as they make the cost of production very high and farmers get very low prices for what they produce,'' he told IPS , on the sidelines of the First International Peasant-Scientist Conference held in Kuala Lumpur on Sep 28 to 30.

The paraquat ban in Malaysia is the second success story over the last two months for Asian environmental campaigners.

The High Court of Kerala in India on Aug12 temporarily banned the use of endosulfan pending a central government decision on a report by an expert committee.

For more than two decades endosulfan has been used as aerial spray over a cashew nut plantation covering several districts in Kerala, along the south-west Indian coastline.

Inspiring successes

According to Prof Romeo F Quijano of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Philippines, who headed a fact-finding mission into Kerala in January this year, endosulfan is a known neuro-toxicant that blocks the inhibitory system of the central nervous systems, and may cause congenital abnormalities.

''It is extremely inhuman to get people exposed to these neuro-toxicants, especially if it is applied from the air,'' he told IPS .

Others are drawing inspiration from these successes, says Rafael Mariano, the national chair of the Peasants Movement of the Philippines (KMP).

''The success of the resistance of peasants and people's struggle in one country will inspire the struggle and resistance of their counterparts in other countries.''

The KMP is a member of Resistance Solidarity against Agro-chemical Transnational Corporations (RESIST), a national coalition of farmers' organisations, church groups, and others.

''There is a need to broaden and intensify the campaign in the Philippines and internationally against agro-chemical transnational corporations and their products like genetically modified seeds and pesticides like paraquat,'' he adds.

Activists cannot rest on their laurels though as Syngenta has indicated it would not take the decision to ban paraquat lying down.

''Syngenta will work with the Malaysian government to quickly clarify open questions and address points of concern. It is the objective of Syngenta to keep paraquat in the market for the benefit of the Malaysian farmers and economy,'' the firm said in its statement released from Basel, Switzerland.

But Sarojeni is equally determined to press ahead. PAN is embarking on a world-wide campaign to pressure Syngenta to stop the production and sale of paraquat. ''Paraquat should actually be banned globally and we call upon the company to withdraw it globally,'' she said. — IPS