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Pesticides News No 50
The Journal of Pesticide Action Network UK
An international perspective on the health and environmental effects of pesticides
Quarterly/December 2000
To Subscribe
Editorial
Pesticides News 50th issue
Health effects
Pesticide poisoning - we still do not know 3
Concerns about the poisoning monitoring system in the UK include the lack of a
co-ordinated system of reporting; the lack of transparent management and accountability; and the lack of a process for poison information centres to follow up incidents or to deal with chronic illness cases.
by John Harvey and Peter Beaumont
European networking 5
Seventy participants from European public interest organisations met in Bonn, Germany for the annual Pesticide Action Network Europe Conference from 6-8 October. They discussed future European policies on pesticides.
by Heike Schmitt
Hazardous chemicals
The long haul to rid the world of POPs 6
In the early hours of 10 December, 122 country delegates meeting in Johannesburg reached a 13th hour agreement for an international legally binding agreement for the elimination of POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants). Ministers will meet in Stockholm next May to sign the Convention, then the work to rid the planet of these insidious chemicals will begin in earnest.
by Mark Davis
Pesticides polluting Romania 8
The health of many Romanians has suffered as a result of the heavy and uncontrolled use of environmentally persistent pesticide pollutants.
by Mihaela Vascilescu
Policy
A profile of the UK Agriculture Minister 10
Baroness Hayman was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in July 1999. She discusses urgent pesticide concerns of the day, and gives a personal view of overarching safety issues.
Interview with Baroness Hayman by David Buffin
Residues in food
EU pesticide legislation - friend or foe of developing countries? 12
The trade in fresh fruits and vegetables from developing countries is growing rapidly. New European Union legislation aims to place stricter controls on pesticide use which may help to reduce operator and consumer health risks and environmental impact risks, but in the short term this could be at the expense of reduced income earning opportunities for poor workers and producers in developing countries.
by Man-Kwun Chan
Sustainable agriculture
Organic cotton update 14
The organic cotton sector has made considerable progress since it started
in Turkey around ten years ago and the products are much better known than
they were even five years ago. Available data show an overall global increase in production of around 80% - a dramatic increase in two years.
by Dorothy Myers
50th issue review
Pesticides News international coverage 16
Worldwide, pesticides are a major killer and source of environmental contamination. In this 50th issue of Pesticides News a PAN UK Board Member reviews the international issues covered since the organisation began in 1987. By Topsy Jewell
UK news 18
Latest HSE pesticide incidents report
The number of pesticide incidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has gone up by almost a third, according to the latest Pesticide Incidents Report 1999/2000, published in October. The total of 254 incidents is the highest on record, 29% higher than the average number of incidents over the previous seven years.
High costs of intensive farming
A team of researchers led by Jules Pretty of the University of Essex has estimated the annual external costs of UK agriculture in 1996 at £2,343 million, equivalent to £208 per hectare of arable and permanent pasture land in the UK.
Local authorities 19
Alternatives to pesticides workshop
The Alternatives to Pesticides Day was held at Barham Park in Brent in October. Forty-five people attended the workshop representing local authorities, the retail sector, suppliers of alternative controls, the Greater London Authority and the Crop Protection Association.
Fact sheets 20-21
Carpets - toxic accumulation
Vinclozolin
Vinclozolin is a fungicide introduced in the late 1970s. There are current concerns about reproductive toxicity, additive toxicity and potential endocrine disruption that have yet to be resolved.
by Peter Beaumont
Book reviews and resources 22-23