Book Reviews - Pesticides News No. 21
Pesticides problems in the Americas
Pesticides and Health in the Americas records the results of a number of epidemiological studies carried out in Latin America. The information presented, although quite extensive, represent studies done under different conditions and sometimes with differing approaches. It shows however, unequivocally that substantial segments of the population have significant exposures to pesticides, frequently involving high percentages of intoxication. The persons most directly affected are agricultural workers, particularly women and children, and more generally all people living in agricultural areas. The book drew a number of conclusions from the epidemiological and scientific evidence gathered.
It is estimated that in the smaller countries of the Region at least 1,000-2,000 pesticide poisonings occur per year, and in the larger countries proportionately more. The number of pesticide poisonings increased every year during the 1980s. The percentage of pesticide poisonings among persons less than 18 years ranged from 10-20%, with most percentages centering near 20%. Pesticide residue levels in a wide range of foods can exceed appropriate guideline values (or standards) at frequencies ranging from 3-50%. Levels of organochlorine compounds, particularly DDT, in mothers' milk are generally higher than in cows' milk, and frequently above appropriate guideline limits, particularly in agricultural areas.
Selected information and data on the use and health effects of pesticides in the US and Canada were also gathered and reviewed in the appropriate sections. Evidence from these regions indicated that an average of 22.5 accidental deaths per year due to pesticides were reported in the US during the 1980s, and 16% of these were children under 5 years of age. Food supplies, both in Canada and the US, generally show very small percentages of samples with residue levels above tolerance limits. Pesticide residues in water, benthic samples and ecological samples still persist in both countries in measurable quantities, but their levels have generally fallen during the 1980s.
In the US, Poison Centers report an estimated total of 130,000 pesticide poisoning exposures for 1990. This figure included an estimated 20,000 cases related to disinfectants. No comparable consolidated data exist for Canada.
One can conclude that while in Latin American countries, the concern still rests with high case fatality rates, in the industrialised countries, it is the long term exposure and the associated chronic health effects that are demanding our attention.
It is evident that measures are urgently needed, particularly in Latin America, to protect human health and the environment, in general. Such measures must of necessity be closely tied to the national agricultural and broader economic policies, but should include the following elements:
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Expand the development of national plans, policies and legislation that control the import and sale of pesticides, application conditions, and implementation and enforcement of appropriate surveillance.
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Improve and further expand active national surveillance to monitor the health impact resulting from the use of pesticides and institute appropriate treatment facilities and prevention programs.
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Prohibit the use of pesticides according to the recommendations made by various national and international agencies, including WHO/IPCS, IRPTC, the USEPA and the International Pesticides Action Network, among others.
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Break the continual reliance on chemical substances to control pests and crop losses.
The most favoured alternative now is integrated pest management (IPM), which draws on a mixture of approaches, including biological control, cultural control practices, general manipulations and judicious use of chemicals to stabilze crop production, while minimizing hazards to health and the environment.
Pesticides and Health in the Americas, S.H. Jacobo, F. Lilia and A.H.W. de Koning, Division of Health and Environment, Pan American Health Organization (WHO) 525-23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, US, 1993.
Pesticides
problems in the Third World
Impact of pesticide use on health in developing
countries, a report of a 1990 conference, provides a comprehensive
background to the health and environmental problems associated with pesticides
in areas where there has been traditionally a dearth of facts and
analysis.
Part I provides a brief survey of the global situation from
studies carried out by researchers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle
East. Part II illustrates how the processes of development and production of
pesticides, spraying techniques and legislation can effect the health of
workers. Part III assesses the feasibility of preventing pesticide poisonings.
Part VI looks at the pros and cons of alternative methods of pest control such
as botanical pesticides and integrated pest management strategies.
Research presented shows that there are many gaps in our
knowledge and that there are many problems associated with pesticide use in the
Third World.
Impact of Pesticides Use on Health in Developing Countries,
Proceedings of a symposium held in Ottawa, Canada, 17-20 September 1990,
335pp.
Campaigning issues
in the US
The Natural Resources Defense Council produced After
Silent Spring, The Unsolved Problems of Pesticide Use in the United States
which shows that pesticide use in the US has increased dramatically since the
early 1960s. The authors outline the effects of pesticides on people and
wildlife and make regulatory recommendations which include the need to: improve
public access to health and environmental effects data during registration and
re-registration ;identify and label inert ingredients; review multiple
sources of pesticides exposure; consider non-chemical methods of pest
control in estimates of a pesticides benefits.
After Silent Spring, The Unsolved Problems of Pesticide Use
in the United States, J. Curtis, T. Profeta and L. Mott, NRDC, US $9.95, 56pp.
Alternatives in Costa
Rica
The authors have compiled technical literature on
alternative methods of controlling pests which commonly afflict agriculture,
farm animals and plantations. It includes information on alternative control
measures for vectors of human diseases. Opciones al Uso Unilateral de
Plaquicidas en Costa Rica identifies many currently available and potential
pest control option which had been investigated in Costa Rica. The 600plus
citations cover biological, micro-biological mechanical, cultural and other
non-synthetic pest control measures.
Opciones al Uso Unilateralde Plaquicidas en Costa Rica:
Pasado- Presente- Futuro (Options for the unilateral use of pesticides in Costa
Rica: Past- Present- Future), J.E. Garcia and G. Fuentes, 1992, US $20, 149pp.
(Spanish)
The IPM background
This book, presented in a non-technical format,
highlights the success of integrated pest management (IPM). The concerns
which led to the development of IPM are covered. Attention is paid to
crops that have traditionally received large amounts of pesticides such as corn,
soy-beans and cotton. The impact of IPM on farming and the implications for use
in home gardens are discussed.
Successful Implementation of integrated Pest Management for
Agriculture Crops, A.R. Leslie and G.W. Cuperus, Lewis Publishers/CRC Press Inc,
Florida, US, January 1993, 24pp.
Environmental reference
Data on 200 pesticides are profiled in this
reference book. Transport rate in groundwater, aquatic bioaccumulation
potential, hydrolysis and photolysis halves lives, toxicity data, formulations
and uses are included. The degradative, biologicaland abiotic processes in soil,
plants and groundwater are presented. The extent of information provided on each
pesticide does vary, which seems to reflect the uneven balance of pesticide-data
profiles in the public domain.
Agrochemicals Desk Reference Environmental Data, J. M..
Montgomery, Lewis Publishers/CRC Press Inc, Florida, US, April 1993, 672pp.
US EPA pesticide fact sheet database
Lewis Publishers have added to their existing catalogue of
toxic chemical databases by putting all the US Environmental Protection Agency
Pesticide Fact Sheets on to an easily accessible computer database. Over 200
comprehensive data sheets are included and can be accessed by query using key
words such as chemical names, crop types or pests.
The EPA Pesticide fact sheets are among the best we know. The
manual is simple to follow and the system itself is very simple to use at a
relatively low level of computer literacy.
The only disadvantage of the system is that many of the data
sheets were written in the mid-1980s, and may be out of date in some respects.
The publishers have, however, said that they will update the database if
interest warrants.
EPA's Pesticide Fact Sheet Database, Mary M. Walker and
Lawrence H. Keith, Lewis Publishers, 1992.
The Americas:
pesticide market
Agrow has compiled profiles on the crop protection
markets of the Americas. The 45 national markets vary from tiny island economies
in the Caribbean, such as Anguilla, where virtually no pesticides are used, to
the US, which supports the largest national pesticide market in the world with
sales at US$7.9 billion, accounting for a third of the total. By volume, the
leading US pesticides in 1990/91, in order, were atrazine, alachlor,
metalachlor, telone, 2,4-D, methyl bromide, trifluralin and cyanazine. Other
large markets in the region include Brazil(US$972 million),
Canada(US$887million), Mexico (US£363 million), for 1991.
The South American markets are set to be potential growth
areas and for industry the Caribbean represents a potential agrochemical market.
Despite being one of the largest markets in the world, relatively little is
included on the Brazilian market. During 1991 sales fell by 10.3%. The Mexican
pesticide market is expanding rapidly and growth is expected to continue at 3 to
10% for the forseable future. Further north, the Canadian market has been
falling since 1989. The Government of Quebec aims to reduce pesticide use by
590% by the year 2000.
The Americas Fact File is strong on facts, but thin on
anlaysis.
The Americas Fact File (DS 80 ), Ashley Smith, Agrow, April
1993, £175, 162pp.
The
Western European pesticide market: profile
This profile of 17 major national European
pesticide markets shows 1991 total Western European market reached US$7.2
million. Between 1987 and 1990, the French pesticide market increased but then
fell by 2.2% in 1991 to Fr 15.5 billion. The market in former West Germany in
1991 was DM 1.6 billion, down 0.1% from 1990. The former East Germany accounted
for DM 330 million in 1991 and is expected to account for most of the growth in
the first half of 1992 fell by 1.1%. In the UK, sales increased by 1.1% between
1990 and 1991 from£411.4 million to £415.8 million.
Western European Fact File, (DS73), David Harden, Agrow,
January 1993, £175, 109pp.