Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Egypt is Drowning

Via AllAfrica:
Egypt's judiciary received on Wednesday a scientific report that confirms that 9 thousand tons of carcinogenic pesticides have entered Egypt in the era of the former regime despite a cabinet decision to ban these products.
A report by a Scientific Committee formed to investigate the case of the entry of carcinogenic pesticides to Egypt during the tenure of the former Ministers of Agriculture Youssef Wali and Amin Abaza.
The report revealed that around 33 banned pesticides entered Egypt despite the ban.
Thirty-five brands of pesticides that are known to cause cancer were banned by Egypt in 1996, yet Wali permitted the chemicals to cross into the country between 1998 and 2004.
The Criminal Court had sentenced Wali to prison for ten years for being convicted with selling an island in the Nile River for less than its original price to a businessman who was close to the former President Hosni Mubarak.
The report explained that there are safer alternative chemicals that can have been used instead of the banned pesticides.
It pointed out that the risk of the banned pesticides is not limited to causing cancer, as many of these products have severe toxic effects even if the level of exposure is at a low dose.
It added that these pesticides lead to genetic abnormalities and delayed formation, growth and death of embryos and ovarian cancer and other diseases.
The members of the Committee based their report on the results of scientific research on the impact of pesticides and its relationship to cancer in Egypt.

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