In India, the use of carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos is viewed with apprehension. These chemicals are used as

Answer: (a) pesticides in agriculture

Carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos are highly toxic pesticides; several have been banned or restricted in India.

The idea

Pesticides fall into chemical families. Organochlorines (DDT, endosulfan) stay in the environment for years and build up in the food chain. Organophosphates (methyl parathion, phorate, triazophos) and carbamates (carbofuran) break down faster but are acute nerve poisons, dangerous to the farm worker who sprays them.

Sprayed on the crop → Blocks an enzyme the nerves need → Insect’s nerves fire without stop → it dies → The same enzyme exists in people and birds → Poisoning of farm workers; residues in food

Why the others are wrong

(c) Fruit ripening uses calcium carbide (banned) or ethylene.

Also know

Pesticides are registered under the Insecticides Act, 1968. An expert committee under Anupam Verma reviewed 66 pesticides that were banned or restricted elsewhere, and in 2018 the government ordered a ban or phase-out of 18 of them. Endosulfan was banned by the Supreme Court in 2011 after the health damage seen in Kasaragod, Kerala.