Impact of pesticide use on health in developing countries Proceedings of a symposium held in Ottawa, Canada, 1 7-20 September 1990 IDRC CRDI International Development Research Centre Centre de recherches pour le devetoppement international 1 March 1993 Dear Reader/Librarian, IDRC is a public corporation created by the Canadian parliament in 1970 to help developing countries find viable solutions to their problems through research. At the 1992 Earth Summit, IDRC's mandate was broadened to emphasize sustainable development issues. As part of IDRC's strengthened commitment to global action and harüony, we are pleased to send you a complimentary copy of our most recent publication: The impact of pesticide use on health in developing countries (March 1993, 352 pages, 0-88936-560-1, $17.95). The first part of this book presents a brief survey of the global situation and the results of twelve epidemiological studies carried out by researchers from Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. These focus on poisonings resulting from organophosphates, herbicides, and pyrethroids. The second part illustrates the role of the process of development, production, spraying techniques and legislation in protecting the health of workers. A discussion of the benefits and modalities of access to pertinent information for the prevention of pesticide poisonings is provided in the third section. Finally, in the fourth section, consideration is given to the advantages and disadvantages of certain alternatives to the use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture and public health, such as botanical pesticides and integrated pest management strategies. We hope this book is a valuable addition to your collection. We would appreciate any comments you may have on this book. Yours sincerely, Beryl Scriv Marketing and Distribution Coordinator Head Office I Sge social: 250 Abert Street I rue Albert, P0 Box I BP 8500, Ottawa, Canada K1G 3H9 Tel I Tél: (613) 236-6163 Cable I Cable: RECENTRE Telex / Telex: 053-3753 FaxI TélOcopieur: (613) 238-7230 IMPACT OF PESTICIDE USE ON HEALTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IMPACT OF PESTICIDE USE ON HEALTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Proceedings of a symposium held in Ottawa, Canada, 1 7-20 September 1990 Editors: G. Forget, T. Goodman, and A. de Villiers /Rcg/ V (,2,95o; ciq INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE OttawaCairo Dakar Johannesburg MontevideoNairobi New Delhi Singapore ©International Development Research Centre 1993 P0 Box 8500, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIG 3H9 Forget, C. Goodman, T. de Villiers, A. Impact of pesticide use on health in developing countriesproceedings of a symposium held in Ottawa, Canada, 17-20 September 1990. Ottawa, Ont., IDRC, 1993. x + 335 p. : ill. /Pesticides/, !public health!, /health hazards!, !poisoning!, /developing countries! - !epidemiology!, !research results!, !agricultural workers!, !product safety!, !occupational hygiene!, !information services!, /health services!, !pest control!, !disease control!, !conference reports!, references. UDC: 632.95.02:614 ISBN: 0-88936-560-1 Technical editors: G.C.R. Croome, S. Garland A microfiche edition is available. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the International Development Research Centre. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the International Development Research Centre. Mention of a proprietary name does not constitute endorsement of the product and is given only for information. Abstract The introduction of modern inputs, such as pesticides and chemicalfertilizers, has substantially increased agricultural productivity. Pesticides have also revolutionized the fight against endemic diseases in developing countries. Unfortunately, there is reverse side to this coin: the World Health Organization estimates that these agents cause 2 million cases of poisoning a year, of which 20 000 result in death. This book contains papers presented at a symposium to review the impact of pesticide use on health in developing countries. Part I presents a brief survey of the global situation and the results of 12 epidemiologic studies carried out by researchers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. These focus on poisonings resulting from organophosphates, herbicides, and pyrethroids. Part II illustrates how the processes of development and production of pesticides, spraying techniques, and legislation can affect the health of workers. Part III consists of discussion of the benefits and ways of obtaining pertinent information for the prevention of pesticide poisonings. Finally, consideration is given to the advantages and disadvantages of certain alternatives to the use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture and public health, such as botanical pesticides and integrated pest management strategies. Résumé - C'est avec l'introduction des intrant modernes tels les pesticides et les engrais chimiques que l'agriculture a atteint son niveau de productivité actuel. De même, les pesticides ont révolutionné la lutte contre les grandes endérnies dans les pays en développement. Malheureusement, ii y a un revers a la médaille : l'Organisation mondiale de Ia santéestime a 2 millions par année les cas d'empoisonnement dus aces agents, dont 20000 sont mortels. Cette publication contient les communications présentees au colloque sur l'effet des pesticides sur Ia sante dans le tiers monde. La premiere partie donne un aperçu global de Ia situation et les constatations de douze etudes épidemiologiques faites par des chercheurs d'Afrique, d'Asie, d'Amérique latine et du Moyen-Orient. Ces etudes ant porte sur les empoisonnements dus aux organophosphates, aux herbicides et aux pyréthrinoides. La deuxième partie illustre comment la creation et Ia production des pesticides, les techniques de pulvérisation et la legislation peuvent influer sur la santédes travailleurs. La troisième partie traite des avantages que presente l'existence d'informations pertinentes sur les pesticides pour la prevention des empoisonnements et des modalités d'accès a ces inforrnations. La dernière partie porte sur les avantages et les inconvénients, en agriculture et en sante publique, de moyens de lutte autres que les pesticides synthetiques comme les pesticides d'origine vegétale et les strategies de defense integrées des cultures. Resumen - Gracias a la introducción de insumos modernos tales como pesticidas y fertilizantes qulmicos la agricultura ha aumentado notablemente su productividad. Los pesticidas han revolucionado a lucha contra las enfermedades endémicas en los palses en desarrollo, Lamentablernente, la medalla tiene tarnbién un reverso: La Organización Mundial de la Salud considera que estos agentes causan 2 millones de casos en envenenamiento por año, de los cuales 20 000 se traducen en muertes. En este libro se recogen las pan encias presentadas en un simposio organ izado para examinar el impacto del uso de pesticidas en la salud de los habitantes de los paises en desarrollo. La Parte I presenta un breve estudio de la situación global y los resultados de 12 estudios epidemiológicos realizados par investigadores en Africa, Asia, America Latina y en el Media Oriente. Estos se centran en envenenamientos causados par fosfatos orgdnicos, herbicidas y piretroides. La Parte II ilustra cómo Los procesos de desarrollo y producciOn de pesticidas, técnicas de rociado par aspersion, y la legislaciOn pue4en afectar la salud de los trabajadores. La Parte III del volu men examina los beneficios y modos de obtener Ia informacion pertinentes para Ia prevenciOn de envenenamientos par pesticidas. Finalmente, se consideran las ventajas y desventajas de ciertas alternativas hacia el usa tie pesticidas sintéticos tan to en agricultura coma en salud püblica, tales coino pesticidas botdnicos y estrategias integradas para control de plagas. Contents Acknowledgments viii Foreword ix Part I: Epidemiology of pesticide poisoning - practical research experience in developing countries Balancing the need for pesticides with the risk to human health C. Forget 2 Health-risk assessment of pesticides: development of epidemiologic approachesE White 1 7 Acute pesticide poisoning in Asia: the problem and its prevention I. Jeyaratnam 26 Pesticide research for public health and safety in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand K. Lum, Md. Jusoh Mamat, U.B. Cheah, C.P Castaneda, A.C. Ru/a, and P Sinhaseni 31 Investigations into acute pyrethroid poisoning in cotton growers in ChinaF. He, S. Chen, Z Zhang, J. Sun, P. Yao, Y Wu, S. Wang, L. Liv, and H. Dang 49 Field exposure during application of organophosphates using knapsack sprayers in the Philippines C.P Castaneda 62 Use and control of pesticides in PakistanJ. Liesivuori 70 Pesticide poisoning among agricultural workers in Bolivia C. Condarco Aguilar, H. Medina, I. Chinchilla, N. Veneros, M. Aguilar, and F. Carranza 76 Pulmonary obstructive disease in a population using paraquat in ColombiaM.E. Arroyave 85 Control of pesticide intoxication through research and rural education in a Peruvian valleyE.L. Rubin de Ce! is, ). L. B. Rob/es, J. Q. Paredes, J. B. Garcia, and CD. Chavez 94 Agrochemicals: a potential health hazard among Kenya's small-scale farmersM.A. Mwanthi and VN. Kimani 106 V Pesticide use in agriculture, public health, and animal husbandry in Cameroon F.D. Mbiapo and G. Youovop 114 Health profile