**5. Production of endosulfan**

The global production of endosulfan was approximately 18,000–20,000 t annually from 1958 to 2000 with a cumulative global use of 300,000 tons. Approximately one third of this was generated in India, but it had agreed to phase out its use in 2017. China produced approximately 5000 tons per year, and the remaining endosulfan was produced by Israel, Brazil, and South Korea [16]. Regarding the consumption of endosulfan, India was the main consumer 113,000 t from 1958 to 2000, followed by the United States with 26,000 t from 1954 to 2000. In China, annual use is estimated to average 2800 t/y during the period 1998–2004 [3]. Endosulfan is prohibited in 80 countries; some countries have registered only a few commercial products containing endosulfan, other countries have registered dozens of commercial products from various formulators. Endosulfan is now still produced and widely used in the crop fields in most of the developing countries, due to its effectiveness and low application cost [17].
