Rome - Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (Who), the United Nations food and health agencies, on Thursday expressed concern at the "alarmingly high" amount of pesticides in developing countries that do not meet internationally accepted quality standards.
"Around 30 percent of pesticides" marketed in these countries, at an estimated market value of $300-million (about R2 310-million) annually, are of poor quality and pose a serious threat to human health and to the environment, the FAO and Who said in a joint statement.
These pesticides "frequently contain hazardous substances and impurities that have already been banned or severely restricted elsewhere", said Gero Vaagt of the FAO Pesticide Management Group.
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FAO and Who said that the problem of poor-quality pesticides is particularly widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, where quality control is generally weak.
| They 'frequently contain impurities already banned elsewhere' |
They urged governments, international and regional organisations to adopt internationally accepted FAO/Who pesticide specifications to ensure the production and trade of good quality products. Countries should make these voluntary standards legally binding.
The global market value for pesticides was estimated at $32-billion in 2000.
In developing countries, pesticides are mainly used for agriculture, but also for public health, such as insecticides for controlling insects spreading malaria.
Possible causes of low-quality pesticides can include both poor production and formulation and the inadequate selection of chemicals.
"In many pesticide products, for example, the active ingredient concentrations are outside internationally accepted tolerance limits," said David Heymann, executive director of Who's Communicable Disease activities.
| 'The labelling fails to provide data on the safe handling of the chemical' |
"In addition, poor-quality pesticides may be contaminated with toxic substances or impurities."
When the quality of labelling and packaging is also taken into account, the proportion of poor-quality pesticide products in developing countries is even higher.
"The labelling, often written in improper language, fails to provide data on the active ingredient, application, date of manufacture and safe handling of the chemical," the UN agencies said.
For the consumer, the label is often the only source of product information that can guarantee a safe and effective use of the chemical. Falsely declared products continue to find their way to markets for years without quality control, the agencies warned. - Sapa-AFP
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