endosulfan was developed by the german chemical company hoechst. after 2002, it was produced for india by the domestic excel industries and hindustan chemicals under a patent license from the german bayer cropscience company. dr. mohana kumar has been a physician in this region for thirty years. the creeping poison, as he calls it, has had a dramatic effect on the population's health. he says a disproportionate number of babies are born sick, with spastic paralysis, deformities and mental disabilities. he says the body absorbs endosulfan through the skin and through food and water. it accumulates in the liver, kidneys, brain and bone marrow. it damages the dna, which then affects the next generation. >> endosulfan is a deadly poison. its action is to kill. whatever comes into contact with it, it has to kill -- it will kill. so naturally, all the pests. >> dr. kumar calls it a mass tragedy. at least 22 villages in kerala are affected, with more than 6000 people terminally ill. hundreds have already died. and the environment has been so contaminated