Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister's Office Malaysia
Perdana Putra Building
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia

RE: Paraquat Ban

Your Excellency,

I join with the people of Malaysia and with many citizens around the world in my great concern that the Malaysian government has decided to reconsider the ban on paraquat, the most highly toxic herbicide to be marketed during the last 60 years. For the sake of your people and your nation, I urge you to uphold the ban.

Statistics from the Malaysian National Poison Center (data for 1977 to 1997) show that, before the ban, on average one Malaysian worker died every four days due to paraquat poisoning. Studies revealed that the occurrence of chronic bronchitis was significant among paraquat users and that paraquat exposure causes damage to the eyes, the skin, the gall bladder, the liver and the kidneys. There is evidence that paraquat can induce skin cancer and may be associated with the development of Parkinson's disease.

Your decision to ban this poison was an important, much-needed action to protect agricultural workers, farmers and consumers, as well as the environment as a whole. Following the government's decision, numerous organizations and individuals around the world thanked and congratulated your government for its groundbreaking and forward-thinking decision.

Now industry and others have made appeals to persuade your administration to repeal the decision to ban and phase out paraquat. Reconsideration of the ban of one of the most hazardous poisons in the world has serious implications in terms of protecting workers, farmers and consumers. It would also imply that in Malaysia profits override public welfare.

I urge you to stand up for the protection of the Malaysian people and for the health of your nation’s environment by permanently upholding the ban on paraquat.

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