Pesticides Part 2 – Hazardous effects of pesticide and protective measures

Hazardous effects of pesticide and protective measures

Although using pesticides results in better food supply for the consumer, the inappropriate and/or excessive use of pesticides does however lead to various undesirable side effects, particularly on the environment and human health.
The contamination of the environment and the absorption of residues of pesticides contained in the food and drinking water clearly have harmful repercussions on health. These undesirable effects have led several international organisations, such as the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) (International Code of Conduct FAO, Rome 1985), the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development), the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) or the EU to take action with governments to ensure that they review their regulations on production, purchasing, marketing and the use of pesticides.

Side effects

Pesticides use has expanded dramatically since the discovery of DDT and are designed to kill specific pests and also has shown tremendous effects on humans.The World Health Organization estimates that there are 3 million cases of pesticide poisoning each year and up to 220,000 deaths, primarily in developing countries[1]. The application of pesticides is often not very precise, and unintended exposures usually results. Humans are also vulnerable to the harmful effects of these pesticides exposure. Even very low levels of exposure during development may have adverse health effects in children.
Human poisonings and their related illnesses are clearly the highest price paid for pesticide use. Pesticide exposure can cause a wide range of acute and chronic health effects.
Acute effect

• Contact with some pesticides will harm your skin. These pesticides may cause your skin to itch, blister, crack, or change color.
• Your entire respiratory system can be burned by some pesticides, making it difficult to breathe.
• Some pesticides that get into your eyes can cause temporary or permanent blindness or severe irritation

Chronic effects: These are illnesses or injuries that appear a long time, usually several years, after exposure to a pesticide. Some delayed effects that are suspected to result from pesticides’ chronic toxicity include:

• Production of tumors (oncogenic effect),
• Production of malignancy or cancer (carcinogenic effect), or
• Changes in the genes or chromosomes (mutagenic effect)

Allergic Effects

Some people are sensitive to certain pesticides. These allergic effects include:

• Systemic effects, such as asthma or even life-threatening shock,
• Skin irritation, such as rash, blisters,
• Open sores and eye nose irritation, such as itchy, watery eyes
• Sneezing.

Other possible health effects include hypersensitivity; pesticide exposure also leads to hormone disruption, and problems with reproduction and fetal development.
Children are at greater risk from exposure to pesticides because of their small size: relative to their size, children eat, drink, and breathe more than adults. Their bodies and organs are growing rapidly, which also makes them more susceptible; in fact, children may be exposed to pesticides even while in the womb.
The development of threshold treatments for better respect of the environment and for better health security aim at reduction of the use of pesticides and risks associated with.
Maximum Residue Limit (MRL)

The realization that pesticides while useful for efficient food production can be extremely dangerous has resulted in the setting up of worldwide standards specifying the maximum levels of residue to be found on crops prior to harvest and sale.
Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) as they are popularly called are part of Good Agricultural Practices(G.A.P) and are meant to reflect the highest amount of pesticide residue allowed in food substance treated with correctly applied pesticides. MRLs are primarily trading standards, which are applied to help ensure that residue levels do not pose unacceptable risks for consumers of such food.

National authorities such as Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC are responsible for setting the standard, controls and enforcement of MRLs for each country. These standards are harmonized into the Codex Alimentarius (Codex Alimentarius Commission)[3] which was established by FAO and WHO in 1963. The commission ensures coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Farmers, importers, distributors and retailers are responsible for ensuring marketed food complies with all statutory MRLs set.

How to avoid pesticide contamination

Pesticide use in general can be made safer for the environment and human health risks minimized by:

1. Training users and advisers to high standards, backed-up by certification in Pesticide use.
2. Using the right Pesticide Protective Equipment (PPE) such as nose mask, chemical resistant glove, protective suits, boots, safety goggles during mixing and field applications.
3. Using alternative methods of pest control (although these too can involve environmental risks), or combining these with chemical methods.
4. Where two or more pesticides may be equally effective, selecting the one that is likely to involve least environmental risk.
5. Working to a crop management plan based on proper risk assessments and cautious decisions.
6. Using the most appropriate application technique and regularly checking and calibrating equipment.
7. Disposing of containers and unused products correctly.

There are arguments for the use of pesticides and also for not using them. The fact still remains that pesticides are cheaper and faster in dealing with potentially destructive pests. We advocate that if you must use them ensure that you use them properly and in accordance with the rules and specifications. In fact there are various standards that have been set to ensure that farmers, consumers and the environment are adequately protected. One of such is a list of approved pesticides developed by NAFDAC.

TRAINING

As part of our objective to ensure that Nigerian farmers have the right information at their disposal, SENCE Agric in partnership with COLEACP (Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee) – A European based Organization promoting Food Safety and Good Agricultural practices (GAP) in Africa, Caribbean and pacific ACP countries – provides extensive training services on the following:

1. Safe use of pesticides (Spraying technique, how to avoid environmental pollution etc.)
2. Pesticide application in compliance with Maximum residue limit (MRL) in food.
3. Control of hazard associated with the use of pesticides.
4. Appropriate use of pesticides and alternatives available.
5. Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P)
6. Maintaining good hygiene principles on the farm and pack house
7. Certification process in compliance with Export standards acceptable globally

For more information, Contact Us

References

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[1]Source: www.ijret.org
[2] Courtesy: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
[3]Courtesy: www.codexalimentarius.net

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