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Pesticides Sold in Developing Countries Pose Serious Health Threat
Poor-quality pesticides marketed in developing countries are posing a serious threat to human health and the environment, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday.
In a joint statement, the two agencies said the substances, which account for 30 percent of the pesticides marketed in developing countries, do not meet internationally accepted standards.
FAO and WHO said that the problem of poor-quality pesticides is particularly widespread in sub-Africa, where quality control is generally weak.
According to FAO and WHO, the global market value for pesticides was estimated at US$32 billion in 2000, with the share of developing countries around 3 billion. In developing countries, pesticides are mainly used for agriculture, but also for public health, to control insects spreading malaria.
The two agencies urged governments, international and regional organizations to adopt the worldwide accepted FAO/WHO pesticide specifications to ensure the production and trade of good quality products.
FAO and WHO said they recently agreed to cooperate in a joint program to develop specifications for pesticides, which would enhance the development of high quality standards for pesticides, leading to improved human and environmental safety as well as to more sustainable agriculture production.
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