PESTICIDES - THEIR DANGERS

PESTICIDES – THEIR DANGERS

Nov 08, 2020 Consumer Concerns, News

CONSUMER CONCERNS
PAT DIAL

Kaieteur News – In the last week of October, Pesticides Awareness Week was commemorated in Guyana. This observance is a Regional one and was established by the Coordinating Group of Pesticide Control Boards of the Caribbean (CGPC) under the aegis of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Each Caribbean country has its own way of observing the Week and in Guyana it revolved around the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Ministry enlisted the collaboration of the Pesticide and Chemicals Control Board and together they worked out their programme. The specific objective of the occasion was to strengthen pesticide awareness at the national and Regional levels and the theme was appropriately: “PPE for Covid. PPE for pesticides: Health and Safety for All.” (PPE = ‘Personal Protective Equipment.’)
The enthusiastic Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulficar Mustapha assumed a personal involvement during the occasion and stressed the need for public awareness and training among the farming community and pesticide users to use pesticides responsibly. The Minister pointed out that though the risks and harmful effects of pesticides were known from the early 19th century, yet farmers do not protect themselves.
Minister Mustapha felt it was necessary to reiterate the deleterious effects of pesticides since farmers are in particular need to be constantly reminded of them. “Pesticides,” reiterated the Minister, “can cause short term adverse health effects, called acute effects, as well as chronic adverse effects that can occur months or even years after exposure. Examples of acute health effects are stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, blindness, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, and death. Examples of chronic effects are cancers, birth defects, reproductive harm, neurological and developmental toxicity, immune toxicity and disruption of the endocrine system. Farm workers and pesticide applicators are reminded that they are the most vulnerable since they receive the greatest exposure.”
The way of protecting one’s self against pesticide poisoning is by the use of Personal Protective Equipment. If pesticides go on the skin or if their fumes are inhaled, the poisons enter the body. Personal Protective Equipment includes suits which cover the body entirely and respirators and masks for the face. Gloves are also necessary. Oftentimes, farmers tend to say that they had used insecticides without any ill effects and that PPE is uncomfortable and hinders their work. Such farmers need to know that the deleterious effects of pesticide poisons may be felt years after exposure.
The focus of Pesticide Awareness Week 2020 had been on Agriculture. Consumer people are equally concerned with the use of pesticide in the home and also pesticides which may go on vegetables sold in the markets. Oftentimes farmers spray pesticides on growing vegetables such as eggplant, tomatoes and leafy vegetables to protect their crops from damage by insects. With growth and exposure to rainfall, the insecticides are washed away and the vegetables become fairly safe but consumers are enjoined to always wash their vegetables thoroughly.
Mosquito coils and various sprays against vermin such as cockroaches are equally dangerous as insecticides used in Agriculture and householders must use masks when spraying and avoid any insecticides going on the body. If this happens, it must be washed off immediately. Many household insecticides sold in the markets and small shops are produced in East Asia and smuggled into Guyana. These East Asian products are invariably below standard and are dangerous to health. They are usually attractively packed and are perfumed. Consumers are enjoined not to buy or use them. The Food and Drugs Department has been seizing such dangerous imports but they do not have staff enough to control the flow of such smuggled insecticides.
Though rat poisons are not insecticides, they should be treated in like manner. Householders must ensure that their rat poisons and insecticides are completely out of the reach of children, for over the years, there have been examples of several children dying or being seriously poisoned from ingesting these poisonous substances.

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