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Pesticides News No 21
The Journal of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK]
An international perspective on the health and environmental effects of pesticides
Quarterly/September 1993
Features
OECD Begins New Pesticide Activity 3
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will launch a three-year Activity on Pesticides in January 1994 to help countries in assessing and reducing pesticide risks. The Pesticides Activity and its projects will be directed by a Pesticide Forum composed primarily of government regulators from the OECD countries, but will also include representatives from the pesticide industry, from non-governmental organisations including farm and environmental groups, and from other international organisations (e.g. European Commission, WHO, FAO, UNEP/IRPTC, and IPCS). By Jeanne Richards.
Pesticide Residues Pose Different Risks to Children 4
Young children not only receive greater pesticide exposure, but they may also be more susceptible to the toxic effects of pesticides as a result of their immature physiological development. This was highlighted in a report published in 1989 by the US Natural Resources Defence Council. A new report of the prestigious US National Research Council, commissioned by the US Congress to study pesticides in the diets of infants and children, confirms the cause for concern. By Peter Beaumont.
The Stop-Go Pace of Pesticide Reduction Policies in the US 6
1993 has seen attempts at the federal and state levels to introduce measures to reduce pesticide use, not all of which have been successful. The fortunes of three state-wide attempts to adopt legislative reduction policies are outlined, in conjunction with federal policy changes which are filtering through as a result of the installation of the Clinton Administration earlier this year. By David Buffin.
Pesticides: The Way Ahead
The Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] and the Pesticides Exposure Group of Sufferers (PEGS) held a conference on 14 June to promote dialogue on safe and sustainable methods of food and fibre production. The conference condemned hazards to rural communities from pesticide exposure. Worries included occupational exposure to sheep dips, which have since been acknowledged as a serious problem by the authorities. Designed primarily for UK non-governmental organisations and concerned individuals, the conference, covering the health and environmental effects of pesticides, attracted over 80 participants. By David Buffin.
The Locust Controversy
-alternatives to chemicals available soon Profile of the UK Agriculture Minister 8
The French locust research organisation PRIFAS is warning of a possible new plague of locusts in the Eritrea/Red Sea area. FAO held a workshop in May on research priorities in locust control, and a new book on the subject surveys practices and makes recommendations.
Controlling Hazardous Trade: the potential of Prior Informed Consent
Global trade in pesticide products is valued at US$27 billion a year. While most trade is between industrial countries, sales to the South have been expanding rapidly, particularly in Latin America and Asia. Governments in the South lack the resources for effective monitoring, regulating and promoting safe use, and frequently lack information about regulatory controls in other countries. In 1985, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) adopted an International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides (FAO Code), and in 1989 it amended the Code to incorporate the principle of Prior Informed Consent (PIC) to give governments the right to prohibit certain hazardous imports. Can the PIC process effectively regulate hazardous pesticide trade? By Barbara Dinham.
Third world 12
First 'ECO-OK' bananas
Environmental groups have awarded two small but progressive banana growers in Costa Rica and Hawaii the first 'ECO-OK' certifications for using environmentally friendly farming methods, which they say constitutes an important milestone in an international effort to improve banana growing conditions throughout the industry. At this stage, the ECO-OK Code allows the use of pesticides, but encourages a general reduction in use and elimination of the more hazardous pesticides.
Small doses 14
Residue concerns 15
Reducing pesticide use - commercial alternatives 16-17
Nipped in the Bud?-threat to pesticide-reducing technology
Adjuvants are a new technology, which in recent years have made an important contribution to reducing pesticide use and the cost of crop protection, to the benefit of farmers, the environment and consumers. A proposed European Community Directive requires the same testing data on adjuvants as on pesticide active ingredients, and the Independent Adjuvant Associates believes this will effectively price adjuvants off the market. By Kay Barnett.
Water 17-18
Three recent reports from the United States show that pesticides are routinely and continually being found in ground water which is used to supply drinking water. The same pesticides are in use in the UK and elsewhere in Europe but their presence in water is not necessarily monitored.
More Pesticides in Less Water?
Drinking Water Inspectorate Annual Report
The third annual report of the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI)(1) reviewing the quality of drinking water throughout England and Wales during 1992, has been published. The Chief Inspector, Mike Healey, expressed his satisfaction with the overall quality of public water supplies and with the role of the DWI in auditing the water companies.
Atrazine and Simazine: Restrictions now effective
The UK ban on atrazine and simazine use in non-agricultural situations came into force on 31 August 1993. From this date, local authorities, railway and road maintenance authorities and other non-agricultural users of herbicides may not use atrazine or simazine even if they have remaining supplies.
International regulatory news 20
UK Monitoring 21-22
Book reviews and resources 22-23