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The pesticide hazard—A global health and environmental audit
270 G.T. BROOKS
Dept of Biochemistry and Physiology University ofReading Reading UK
The pesticide hazard The Pesticide Hazard-A Global Health and Environmental Audit. Barbara Dinham, Zed Books, London, UK, 1993, hardback, £32.95/US$ 55.00, paperback, £ 12.95/US$19.95. The Pesticide Hazard is timely and provides a needed assessment of the use of pesticides throughout the world. Much of the information included in the book is the result of co-operative efforts of individuals and organizations that are linked through the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International. The book, compiled by Barbara Dinham is, as the subtitle suggests, a 'global health and environmental audit' focused on pesticides. The author notes that during the past 30 years and since Rachel Carson alerted the world to the environmental and public health hazards of pesticides, pesticide use has increased 20-fold. Concurrently, the types of pesticides used have increased and the amounts of some used have changed. Overall, the use of some of the more persistent pesticides, such as DDT and BHC, has declined in many parts of the world, however, they and other chlorinated insecticides are still being applied, mostly in developing nations. At the same time, several more highly toxic materials have replaced the chlorinated and other pesticides. Although these new, highly toxic materials are applied at gram dosages per hectare whereas some of the older pesticides were applied at kilogram dosages, their use continues to pose serious hazards to humans and their environment. In Part I of the book broad issues are discussed such as the effect of trade on the expansion of pesticide use throughout the world, and the health and safety issue. Also, the widespread environmental damage associated with pesticide use is discussed. In the chapter on trade, aptly entitled 'Trading in Hazard', the major factors influencing the expanding global trade in pesticides are analyzed. These include: the role that pesticide companies, European export policies, World Bank and others play; the impact that export crops used to improve trade balances of developing nations, have on pesticide use; and the question whether international controls could effectively reduce the serious pesticide problem being experienced especially in developing countries. The author correctly indicates that accurate world data on the number of
271
people poisoned by pesticide use arc impossible to obtain bccause the information is not being collected.Thus, the World Health Organization ( W H O ) can only estimate that there arc a minimum of 3 million cases of human pcsticidc poisonings and 20 000 accidental deaths each year. Another study rcportcd in the book estimates that 25 million Third World farm workers arc poisoned each year. None of these data include the chronic health problems resulting from pesticide use such as cancer, sterility,neurological, and hormonal changes in humans. Such statisticsarc not collected in Third World countries, and indeed are often incomplete for developed nations. Some helpful data arc presented concerning human health problems, including cancer, caused by the chronic exposure to pesticides especiallyby farm workers. Conccrn is also cxprcsscd about the impact pesticides have on the reproductive health of Third World women and thc pesticide rcsiducs found in human milk. The public hcalth costs of pesticide use in the world arc unknown, cxccpt that it is probably double the current amount spent on pesticides worldwide which is rcportcd to bc $24 billion each year. The author emphasizes that bccause pesticides arc big business, chemical companies vigorously promote the use of pesticides. In considering some non-chemical pest controls, Dinham mentions that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) proposes the broad use of ecological mcthods of pest control and the use of pesticides when allelse fails.Unfortunately, she ncglccts to mention that the term I P M has been co-opted by chemical companies to justify the application of pesticides. For this reason many pest management specialistsnow avoid the use of the term I P M and prefer to use the term 'non-chemical controls'when referringto ecological methods of pest control. From 35% to 50% of the foods sampled in most nations contain detectable pcsticidc residues and from I% to 5% have residues in excess of thc rccommcndcd limits.In some cities,likc San Paulo, the author reports that as much as 41% of thc produce on sale in supermarkets contained pesticide rcsiducs surpassing the Icgallimits.She did not mention that most food with excessive residue levels is sold and consumed by the public in both developing and developed nations, before the resultsof the testsarc known. In addition to the public health impacts of pcsticidcs,the author reports on the diverse cnvironmcntal impacts of pesticides. These include the destruction of beneficial natural enemies and pollinators;the contamination of surface water that resultsin fish and shrimp kills;the killingof birds, mammals, and other wildlife; serious groundwater contamination; and the increase in pesticide resistance in pests. About 900 species of pests arc now reported to bc resistantto pesticidesworldwide and these include insect pests,plant pathogcns and weeds. In general, the section dealing with environmental impacts is not as complctc an assessment as the reader would have liked. The second section of the book documents pesticide use in nine countries.
272
These include Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Egypt, South Africa, India and Malaysia. The author and her collaborators conclude that pesticide use and associated problems have escalated. They emphasize that the safe use of pesticides should be a major focus in both Third World and developed countries. Further safe, non-chemical alternatives must be encouraged and others developed, and farmers must be educated to safely use them. In conclusion, much valuable information on the public health and environmental impacts of pesticide use worldwide is contained in 'The Pesticide Hazard'. The sections on the integration of world trade in pesticides, and on public health impacts are especially well done. The book is well written and documented, and the graphs and tables presented enhance the understanding. The information presented challenges the reader to think carefully not only about the benefits but also about the many risks of pesticide use, especially in Third World countries. The book will be helpful to agriculturalists, public health specialists, ecologists and environmentalists and all who are working to make agriculture safe and sustainable for the future. DAVID PIMENTEL
Department of Entomology College ofAgriculture and Life Sciences Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
Environmental agriculture
Biological Control and Integrated Crop Protection: Towards Environmentally Safer Agriculture. J.C. van Lenteren, A.K. Minks and O.M.B. de Ponti (Editors), Pudoc Scientific, Wageningen, 1992, 239 pp., Dfl. 123, ISBN 90220-10-77-5. As pointed out by the editors in their introduction to the Conference which is reported in this book, integrated pest management (IPM) has been with us for nearly 40 years, at least as a research objective. The public and political pressures which led to the initiation of this research area have steadily increased throughout this period and it is, therefore, timely to review progress. In particular, progress towards implementation of IPM and the definition of constraints on its practical uptake require careful analysis. The proceedings of the Conference held in Veldhoven in September 1991, which form the substance of this book, aim to address this issue and, generally, achieve their objective very well. The contents of the book are presented in four major sections, research, policies, extension and recommendations. The research section, comprising nine papers and some 115 pages covers IPM developments in a wide range of
Dept of Biochemistry and Physiology University ofReading Reading UK
The pesticide hazard The Pesticide Hazard-A Global Health and Environmental Audit. Barbara Dinham, Zed Books, London, UK, 1993, hardback, £32.95/US$ 55.00, paperback, £ 12.95/US$19.95. The Pesticide Hazard is timely and provides a needed assessment of the use of pesticides throughout the world. Much of the information included in the book is the result of co-operative efforts of individuals and organizations that are linked through the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International. The book, compiled by Barbara Dinham is, as the subtitle suggests, a 'global health and environmental audit' focused on pesticides. The author notes that during the past 30 years and since Rachel Carson alerted the world to the environmental and public health hazards of pesticides, pesticide use has increased 20-fold. Concurrently, the types of pesticides used have increased and the amounts of some used have changed. Overall, the use of some of the more persistent pesticides, such as DDT and BHC, has declined in many parts of the world, however, they and other chlorinated insecticides are still being applied, mostly in developing nations. At the same time, several more highly toxic materials have replaced the chlorinated and other pesticides. Although these new, highly toxic materials are applied at gram dosages per hectare whereas some of the older pesticides were applied at kilogram dosages, their use continues to pose serious hazards to humans and their environment. In Part I of the book broad issues are discussed such as the effect of trade on the expansion of pesticide use throughout the world, and the health and safety issue. Also, the widespread environmental damage associated with pesticide use is discussed. In the chapter on trade, aptly entitled 'Trading in Hazard', the major factors influencing the expanding global trade in pesticides are analyzed. These include: the role that pesticide companies, European export policies, World Bank and others play; the impact that export crops used to improve trade balances of developing nations, have on pesticide use; and the question whether international controls could effectively reduce the serious pesticide problem being experienced especially in developing countries. The author correctly indicates that accurate world data on the number of
271
people poisoned by pesticide use arc impossible to obtain bccause the information is not being collected.Thus, the World Health Organization ( W H O ) can only estimate that there arc a minimum of 3 million cases of human pcsticidc poisonings and 20 000 accidental deaths each year. Another study rcportcd in the book estimates that 25 million Third World farm workers arc poisoned each year. None of these data include the chronic health problems resulting from pesticide use such as cancer, sterility,neurological, and hormonal changes in humans. Such statisticsarc not collected in Third World countries, and indeed are often incomplete for developed nations. Some helpful data arc presented concerning human health problems, including cancer, caused by the chronic exposure to pesticides especiallyby farm workers. Conccrn is also cxprcsscd about the impact pesticides have on the reproductive health of Third World women and thc pesticide rcsiducs found in human milk. The public hcalth costs of pesticide use in the world arc unknown, cxccpt that it is probably double the current amount spent on pesticides worldwide which is rcportcd to bc $24 billion each year. The author emphasizes that bccause pesticides arc big business, chemical companies vigorously promote the use of pesticides. In considering some non-chemical pest controls, Dinham mentions that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) proposes the broad use of ecological mcthods of pest control and the use of pesticides when allelse fails.Unfortunately, she ncglccts to mention that the term I P M has been co-opted by chemical companies to justify the application of pesticides. For this reason many pest management specialistsnow avoid the use of the term I P M and prefer to use the term 'non-chemical controls'when referringto ecological methods of pest control. From 35% to 50% of the foods sampled in most nations contain detectable pcsticidc residues and from I% to 5% have residues in excess of thc rccommcndcd limits.In some cities,likc San Paulo, the author reports that as much as 41% of thc produce on sale in supermarkets contained pesticide rcsiducs surpassing the Icgallimits.She did not mention that most food with excessive residue levels is sold and consumed by the public in both developing and developed nations, before the resultsof the testsarc known. In addition to the public health impacts of pcsticidcs,the author reports on the diverse cnvironmcntal impacts of pesticides. These include the destruction of beneficial natural enemies and pollinators;the contamination of surface water that resultsin fish and shrimp kills;the killingof birds, mammals, and other wildlife; serious groundwater contamination; and the increase in pesticide resistance in pests. About 900 species of pests arc now reported to bc resistantto pesticidesworldwide and these include insect pests,plant pathogcns and weeds. In general, the section dealing with environmental impacts is not as complctc an assessment as the reader would have liked. The second section of the book documents pesticide use in nine countries.
272
These include Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Egypt, South Africa, India and Malaysia. The author and her collaborators conclude that pesticide use and associated problems have escalated. They emphasize that the safe use of pesticides should be a major focus in both Third World and developed countries. Further safe, non-chemical alternatives must be encouraged and others developed, and farmers must be educated to safely use them. In conclusion, much valuable information on the public health and environmental impacts of pesticide use worldwide is contained in 'The Pesticide Hazard'. The sections on the integration of world trade in pesticides, and on public health impacts are especially well done. The book is well written and documented, and the graphs and tables presented enhance the understanding. The information presented challenges the reader to think carefully not only about the benefits but also about the many risks of pesticide use, especially in Third World countries. The book will be helpful to agriculturalists, public health specialists, ecologists and environmentalists and all who are working to make agriculture safe and sustainable for the future. DAVID PIMENTEL
Department of Entomology College ofAgriculture and Life Sciences Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
Environmental agriculture
Biological Control and Integrated Crop Protection: Towards Environmentally Safer Agriculture. J.C. van Lenteren, A.K. Minks and O.M.B. de Ponti (Editors), Pudoc Scientific, Wageningen, 1992, 239 pp., Dfl. 123, ISBN 90220-10-77-5. As pointed out by the editors in their introduction to the Conference which is reported in this book, integrated pest management (IPM) has been with us for nearly 40 years, at least as a research objective. The public and political pressures which led to the initiation of this research area have steadily increased throughout this period and it is, therefore, timely to review progress. In particular, progress towards implementation of IPM and the definition of constraints on its practical uptake require careful analysis. The proceedings of the Conference held in Veldhoven in September 1991, which form the substance of this book, aim to address this issue and, generally, achieve their objective very well. The contents of the book are presented in four major sections, research, policies, extension and recommendations. The research section, comprising nine papers and some 115 pages covers IPM developments in a wide range of