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Pesticides News No 46
The Journal of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK]
An international perspective on the health and environmental effects of pesticides
Quarterly/December 1999
To Subscribe
Editorial 2
Health and Safety
Insecticide-tainted food kills 24 Peruvian children 3
Twenty four children died and another twenty one needed hospital treatment school breakfast was contaminated with the organophosphate insecticide parathion. John Harvey reports.
Hazardous trade
The Bhopal Aftermath - generations of women affected 4
On the night of 2-3 December 1984 about 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate leaked from a pesticide factory owned by the US company Union Carbide, in Bhopal, India, exposing over half a million people to a highly toxic cloud. Satinath Sarangi reports on the health studies continuing in the aftermath of the disaster-in particular, he calls for better treatment and care for women who have suffered reproductive ill-health.
Pesticide risks in Cameroon, Tanzania and the Gambia 6
Reducing the risks posed by pesticides presents particular difficulties in countries which have little or no institutional framework for the control of hazardous chemicals. The associated problems have been on the international agenda for more than two decades. As part of a very practical initiative to strengthen chemical management capacity in developing countries, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), with the support of the European Commission, collaborated in running pilot case studies in four countries on Risk Management Decision-Making for Priority Chemicals. A workshop in October considered lessons from four pilot case studies. Topsy Jewell reports.
Fake aldrin cheats Kenyan farmers 9
Following reports of sales of the UNEP-listed persistent organic pollutant aldrin in Kenya, the Kenyan Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), which regulates pesticides in the country, conducted an investigation and confiscated the stocks it found. Analysis of the products seized found no trace of the active ingredient aldrin. But the complex picture which emerged demonstrates the problems facing regulators in developing countries, as well as the farmers who still rely on the reputation of older products, and who lack access to safe and affordable alternatives.
Chlordane poisoning 9
Researchers think poisoning of birds from chlordane is more common than currently recognised, after analysing a serious US incident.
European networking
PAN-Europe demands pesticide reduction measures 10
The Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe held its annual meeting in Hamburg from 30 September to 2 October. Participants from 14 countries came together to discuss the need for pesticide reduction programmes in Europe. At the meeting, members of 30 European public interest groups agreed a position paper on pesticide reduction in Europe, highlighting demands of a future EU pesticide policy. Heike Schmitt reports.
News
Campaign for organic targets bill 11
On 26 October 1999 Joan Ruddock MP launched the Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill, which would require that the government draw up targets to ensure by 2010 that 30% of agricultural land and 20% of food consumed is organic. Vicki Hird reports.
Non-beneficial effects - EU report criticises glyphosate 11
A confidential European Commission report says that glyphosate, the world's number one selling pesticide, could harm beneficial insects and mites. The report goes on to recommend that the herbicide should have its European-wide regulatory seal of approval postponed pending further investigation.
Developing country hazards
Tomato production in Brazil - Poor working conditions and high residues threaten safety 12
A study of pesticide use on tomatoes in the Northern State of Pernambuco, Brazil, indicates high exposure to pesticide workers and poor application methods which threaten the ecology of the area. Researchers Adelia Araujo and Lia Augusto report on their findings which show high levels of banned pesticide residues in many tomato samples.
Local authorities
Green flag for go! 15
The Green Flag award scheme was created by the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] in partnership with the Institute for Leisure Amenity Management, English Nature and the Chartered Institute of Water and Amenity Management. It has developed with such success over the past three years that it needed a new dedicated management structure. Following a rigorous selection process, the Civic Trust was invited to manage the scheme. Michael Gwilliam writes about his thoughts on taking on the project.
Fact sheet
Endocrine disrupting pesticides 16
Many pesticides are now suspected of being endocrine disruptors - chemicals that can lead to an increase in birth defects, sexual abnormalities and reproductive failure. Gwynne Lyons examines the current evidence and potential for adverse effects to occur in both wildlife and human populations.
Some POPs pop off, but others linger 19
Say goodbye to aldrin, endrin and toxaphene which are the first of the Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) chemicals for which there is consensus that production and use have ceased worldwide. This was one of the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for an international convention on POPs which held its third meeting in Geneva in September. Mariann Lloyd-Smith and Mark Davis report the latest developments.
Fact sheet
Rodents - least toxic control 20
Rodents can spread disease, cause structural damage and contaminate food. Their control is important and this article describes their biology and habits so that control strategies can be put in place to reduce their numbers without the use of pesticides.
Wildlife 21
Indirect effects of pesticides on birds
The UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has produced a report that provides further and more detailed evidence that pesticides have indirect effects on farmland birds by reducing the abundance of their invertebrate insect food source.
Chemical news 22
Small Doses 22
Book reviews 23