An international conference in Geneva has agreed to add endosulfan, an antiquated persistent insecticide, to the Stockholm Convention’s list of banned substances. For most uses the ban will take effect in a year, but use on a short list of crop-pest combinations will be phased out over a six-year period.

Environmental health and justice organisations from around the world who have been working towards a ban welcomed the decision.

The use of endosulfan has severely impacted the people of Kerala, where its use on cashew plantations has left thousands suffering from birth defects, mental retardation, and cancer.

Because of its persistence, bio-accumulation, and mobility, endosulfan, like DDT, travels on wind and ocean currents to the Arctic where it contaminates the environment and traditional foods of the people who live there.