Endosulfan is one of the most commonly used organochlorine
insecticides in rice fields (Cheah and Lum 1998).
It has been identified as a pesticide of concern due to health
and environmental problems associated with its use in
Ecuador, Mauritius and Paraguay (Seethi and Reghunathan
2002). Today, endosulfan is banned or severely restricted
in over 30 countries, but it is still widely used in some of
the developing countries like Indonesia and Thailand (EJF
2002). It has a water half-life of more than 14 days but it
persists longer in soil with half life approximately 60–
800 days (EJF 2002).