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Friday, May 09, 2003
Cyanide caused 'fishkill' in Davao: FPA 11
By Christie Enriquez- Uayan
DAVAO -- Cyanide and oxygen depletion triggered the massive fishkill that occurred April 21 in the Davao River, said an official of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) 11.
Ilomida Salting, FPA 11 chief, ruled out Thursday the possibility that the nearby banana plantations caused the deaths of thousands of fishes last month.
The testing result furnished by Jefcor Laboratories Inc., a private laboratory, revealed that the water and fish samples submitted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) 11 did not contain any toxic chemical derived from pesticides.
"Isazofos, Terbufos, Deltamethrin, and Chlorothanil were not detected in the water and fish samples," Salting announced Thursday.
Isazofos, Terbufos, and Deltamethrin, according to Salting, are "generic names" for types of pesticides, while Chlorothanil are fungicides normally used in aerial sprays of those maintaining banana and other agricultural plantations.
The fish samples, however, contained about 3.7 milligrams of cyanide per kilogram.
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 11 Chief Gregorio Estrada said the 3.7 mg per kilogram cyanide content is 740 times the allowable cyanide amount in rivers, which is .05 mg per liter.
Loida Avorque, a chemist working for Bfar 11, explained the amount of cyanide present in the samples "may or may not kill the fish immediately but the mere presence of cyanide is fatal".
Salting dismissed theories blaming banana plantations and other agricultural industries as the culprit for the fishkill, saying that these industries do not use cyanide in any way.
There are only four industrial establishments located near the Davao River, according to EMB (EMB) 11 chief Gregorio Estrada.
These are Davao Crown Fruits, which Estrada said has remained idle for 10 years; Superstar, a factory for desiccated coconut; M.A Foundry, a factory for farm implements; and Premium AC, a plant for active carbon.
Estrada also claimed that the four industries do not use cyanide in their operations.
The two officials said unscrupulous fishermen engaged in illegal fishing might have used the cyanide.
Salting explained that based on her interview with the residents, the manner of the fishes' deaths indicate "it is not pesticide toxicity that caused the deaths."
So far, the people who reportedly ate the dead fishes have not complained of any health problems, which the officials think boosts their claim that pesticide toxicity has nothing to do with the fishkill. Sun.Star Davao
(May 9, 2003 issue)
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