Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Mexico01.pdf

This document presents a panorama of highly hazardous pesticides in Mexico. This is a new regulatory category emerging from the context of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, both of which are voluntary. Governments, various specialized UN bodies, industry, and civil society organizations have been participating in development of this field. The criteria to define highly hazardous pesticides proposed by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in addition to those proposed by the Pesticide Action Network International (PAN International), are used for the national analysis and the case studies in this document. Pesticides presenting one or more of the following intrinsic characteristics of risk have thus been included: high acute toxicity capable of causing damage to health in the short term; or chronic toxicity with long-term effects that could lead to the development of cancer, genetic mutations, reproductive harm, and hormonal alterations in humans; or producing harmful environmental effects on aquatic organisms; causing mortality to pollinators; or being restricted by the terms of either the Stockholm Convention, Rotterdam Convention or Montreal Protocol. This report compares PAN International’s list of highly hazardous pesticides to the active ingredients authorized in Mexico. No less than 183 active ingredients contained in highly hazardous pesticides are authorized in the 2016 Official Pesticide Catalogue of the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS, in Spanish). These active ingredients have been authorized in over 3,000 commercial presentations such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fumigants, mainly for agricultural use, although they are also permitted for animal husbandry and farming, forestry, industry, the household, and some are even authorized for use in public health campaigns. Currently, 140 highly hazardous pesticides enjoying sanitary registration have been banned in other countries or are not authorized for one or more of their uses.1 Both domestic and foreign corporations participate in the global chemical oligopoly that benefits from the authorizations for commercialization.

The Lancet Planetary Health

Background Pesticides present widespread risks to human and environmental health, yet selection criteria for endusers that factor in differences in risk between compounds are scant. We developed a system to classify pesticide risks and hazards with respect to human and environmental health and produce a minimum (lower risk) pesticide list. Methods We classified 659 pesticides by acute and chronic risks to human health (eg, respiratory and carcinogenic effects) and by environmental risks, including biomagnification and atmospheric ozone depletion and risks to aquatic life, terrestrial wildlife, and pollinators. From this analysis, we produced a guideline for selection of lower risk pesticides. The classification of highly hazardous and high-risk compounds has been tested in more than a million farm households in the tropics, and in US integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. The full classification, including the minimum pesticide list, has been used in management of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) throughout Africa and Asia. Findings Our analysis developed a stand-alone guideline for selection of lower risk pesticides. When classifying pesticides in current use against the fall armyworm in Africa, our guideline identified chemicals that are effective and of lower risk to human and environmental health. We argue that a minimum (lower risk) pesticides list, which meets IPM needs, could be developed from our classification system. Interpretation As far as we are aware, our analysis is the first to propose a method for implementing the idea of a minimum pesticide list and the first to outline lower risk candidate compounds. Currently accepted criteria for defining highly hazardous pesticides do not adequately protect human bystanders, aquatic life, terrestrial wildlife, and pollinators.

Cogent Food & Agriculture

Although pesticides have a positive effect on plant health in terms of insect pests and diseases control, increased productivity and improved crop storage, their malpractice impacts on food safety negatively. Pesticide residues and corresponding metabolites are left as runoff to the environment affecting non-targeted organisms like fish, bees, butterflies, birds and other beneficial organisms in soil and water bodies. Moreover, the application of pesticides in non-agriculture activities goes unnoticed, such as spraying for anopheles mosquito to control malaria. Human health effects caused by pesticide residues in food include headache, vomiting, itching and skin irritation, restlessness, dizziness, breathing difficulties, neurotoxicity and chronic poisoning-related diseases such as cancer and death incidences. Maximum residue limits are the maximum pesticide residues limit in food considered safe to human as set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization meeting on pesticide residues. The residues of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and chlorpyrifos are reported in various foods globally. Additionally, food safety is largely obstructed by illegal use of pesticides and the presence of counterfeit pesticides in the market. This review provides detail on pesticide control and regulations, residues in food, Vumilia Lwoga Zikankuba ABOUT THE AUTHORS Vumilia Lwoga Zikankuba works with the Ministry of Agriculture of Tanzania, currently performing duties of Chief Executive Officer at National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA). Vumilia profession is Food Science and technology.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2020

Pesticides are widely used chemical compounds in agriculture to destroy insects, pests and weeds. In modern era, they form an indispensable part of agricultural and health practices. Globally, nearly 3 billion kg of pesticides are used every year with a budget of~40 billion USD. This extensive usage has increased the crop yield as well as led to significant reduction in harvest losses and thereby, enhanced food availability. On the other hand, indiscriminate usage of these chemicals has led to several environmental implications and caused adverse effects on human health. Epidemiological evidences have revealed the harmful effects of pesticides exposure on various organs including liver, brain, lungs and colon. Recent investigations have shown that pesticides can also lead to fatal consequences such as cancer among individuals. These chemicals enter ecosystem, thus hampering the sensitive environmental equilibrium through bio-accumulation. Due to their non-biodegradable nature, they can persist in nature for years and are regarded as potent biohazard. Worldwide, very few surveillance methods have been considered, which can bring awareness among the individuals, therefore the present review is an attempt to delineate consequences induced by various types of pesticide exposure on the environment. Further, the prospective of biopesticides use could facilitate the increase of crop production without compromising human health.

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, 2017

Majority of the farmers are unaware of pesticide types, level of poisoning, safety precautions and potential hazards on health and environment. According to the latest estimate, the annual import of pesticides in Nepal is about 211t a.i. with 29.19% insecticides, 61.38% fungicides, 7.43% herbicides and 2% others. The gross sale value accounts US $ 3.05 million per year. Average pesticides use in Nepal is 142 g a.i./ha, which is very low as compared to other Asian counties. Pesticidal miss use is being a serious concern mainly in the commercial pocket areas of agricultural production, where farmers are suffering from environmental pollution. Incidence of poisoning is also increasing because of intentional, incidental and occupational exposure. Toxic and environmentally persistent chemicals are being used as pesticides. Many studies showed that the chemical pollution of the environment has long-term effects on human life. It is therefore essential that manufacture, use, storage, transport and disposal of chemical pesticides be strictly regulated.

The forces of mechanization and industrialization using man made materials ruthlessly induced the alteration of traditional methods and the serene environment, which the earth initially had. These two forces have faltered in obvious and not-so-obvious ways and their negative impact has unbalanced many ecosystems making irreversible changes in the habitat and reducing the biodiversity of the colonies and conquered territories. In their lust for power and to enjoy better quality of life and affluence the industrialized countries have reaped rich harvests from the short term positive impacts in exploiting the resources of the colonies as well as their own and did not take any account of the consequences of the long range negative impact of the diverse changes. Irreversible changes in the habitat and reducing the biodiversity increase the entropy of the ecosystem and constitute acts of social Pollution; they are as such not sustainable.

2018

In recent years, people have been exposed to several types of substances with broad spectrum due to the rapidly evolving technology. One of these chemical substance groups are pesticides. Pesticides have been an essential part of agriculture to protect crops and livestock from pest infestations and yield reduction for many decades. Despite their usefulness, pesticides could pose potential risks to food safety, the environment, and all living things. Concern about the environmental impact of repeated pesticide use has prompted research into the environmental fate of these agents, which can emigrate from treated fields to air, other land, and water bodies. The importance of agricultural pesticides for developing countries is undeniable. However, the issue of human health and environmental risks has emerged as a key problem for these countries in accordance to a number of studies. In the last five decades, pesticide usages increased the quantity and improved the quality of food. Howeve...

Global Environmental Change, 2008

Almost 30 years after its introduction, the "circle of poison" remains a common conceptualization of the global pesticide complex among scholars and especially in popular understanding. The circle of poison describes a situation in which pesticides banned in industrialized countries continue to be manufactured there and exported to developing countries, are then used in developing countries almost entirely on export crops, and return to industrialized countries as pesticide residues on food. Using secondary data and a case study of pesticide use in Costa Rica, I review the applicability of the circle of poison conceptualization to the current global pesticide complex. I argue that (1) the circle of poison is no longer accurate due to important global changes in pesticide regulation, production, trade, sales, and use driven by a number of dynamic economic, social, and ecological processes; (2) using industrialized countries' pesticide regulations as proxies for safety should be replaced by multi-characteristic risk assessments; and (3) Wright's (1986) circle of poison revision should be updated because of export farmers' adoption of newer classes of pesticides. The paper concludes by offering a new characterization of the global pesticide complex vis-à-vis pesticide use in developing countries: pesticide divergence by market orientation.

On pp. 25-37 of the book "Pollution Processes in Agri-Environment" (eds. I. Lang, M. Jolankai, T. Komives), Akaprint, Budapest, 2004. pp. 277. , 2004

The agri-environment is affected by a variety of pesticides. Some of these compounds enter the soil and surface waters through direct introduction but by far the most serious problems of pesticides found in the environment are created through indirect means. This paper summarises the current state of knowledge on the sources of pesticide pollutants and their impact on the environment and human health, and discusses challenges to the successful management of pesticide pollutants. The management of the numerous risks posed by pesticide pollutants to the environment and animal and human health includes the identification and control of sources of pesticide pollution, studying the fate, transport and behaviour of pesticides in the environment; and the treatment options for pesticide-contaminated sites.