The Hindu : National : Health Ministry gives clean chit to cola firms

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2006

National

National

Health Ministry gives clean chit to cola firms

Special Correspondent

``Details for confirmatory interpretation of quantum results absent''

NEW DELHI: An expert committee of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has said that the data released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) does not provide conclusive evidence for presence of high concentration of different pesticides in colas. Not only did the sampling lack scientific and statistically valid results, the report also did not provide details required for the confirmatory interpretation of quantum results, the committee said.

The expert committee, headed by D. Kanungo, was constituted on August 4 to examine the methodology of sampling,testing,validity as well as consistency of results derived by the CSE. The residue data reported based on GV-Mass confirmation is inconclusive.

Also, the prevalence of different isomers of HCH (hexa chlorocyclohexane) are in contradiction to their biological nature and further no confirmatory evidence are provided to support the result as per normal practice, said the committee that met here on August 17 and 18. Malathion undergoes hydrolysis in acidic medium of soft drinks, hence its residue in such a concentration is technically unlikely and also GC MS chromatogram provided by CSE also confirms absence of Malathion, it said.

Pointing out that heptachlor is banned since 1996 and therefore its presence in such concentration was unlikely, the report said that GC MS chromatogram provided by CSE also confirmed absence of heptachlor. Likewise on chlorpyrifos— the report said that the mass fragmentation pattern of standard and sample do point towards the presence of chlorpyrifos residues in the sample but the retention time of the two did not match.

In view of these consistencies, the ministry has sought further details from the CSE.

Reacting sharply to the Government's `clean chit' to the soft drink MNCs on the pesticide issue, CSE said that Health Minister A. Ramadoss was more concerned with "industrial health and not with the people's health."

Dr. Ramadoss has rushed to give cola companies a "clean chit" and this "clearly shows his allegiance to their cause," CSE director Sunita Narain said. "It is very unfortunate that the minister has decided to toe the company line," Ms. Narain said adding that the influence was so obvious that it bordered on "shamelessness."

She further accused the Government of favouring the cola companies and said, "we are not surprised. This is the same ministry, which had blocked the standards for carbonated beverages, which had been finalised by the Bureau of Indian Standards, from being notified. Even then the ministry was working for the companies' interest."

Describing as "absurd" the statement made by Dr. Ramadoss in Parliament, Ms. Narain said the minister had fond a convenient ally in the Coca Cola's U.K. lab that had rejected CSE's findings on the ground that did not provide confirmation of the identity of the pesticides.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National