4:16 PM Apr 11, 1996

WORLD'S AGROCHEMICAL STUDY

The report 'Pesticides in Zimbabwe, Toxicity and Health Implications', published by the University of Zimbabwe and released this month, cites several environmental and social factors which compound the health and safety problems associated with use of pesticides in most developing countries.

The study points in particular to the lack of monitoring and enforcement machinery that leads to the indiscriminate use of toxic substances banned or restricted in developed countries.

It also notes that under tropical conditions, workers are hampered by protective clothing and equipment -- when it is available -- and, unaware of the dangers, prefer to do with out.

"Most pesticides are developed, tested and manufactured in developed countries situated in temperate climates. Attempts made to simulate tropical climatic conditions do not address all the interacting factors producing the environment of pesticide use in developing countries," write researchers Rene Loewenson and Charles Nhachi in the report.

The study, a collection of articles on the health impact of pesticides, cites concerns by the World Health Organisation over promotional campaigns by some importers and suppliers to off-load toxic pesticides banned in industrialised countries, which they advertise in developing markets as being "more effective".

The value of global sales of pesticides doubled from 1972 to 1985, the most rapid growth being in the Third World. In the last decade Africa had the fastest growing market, with sales increasing by 182 percent between 1980 and 1984, the report notes.

The use of pesticides continues to play an important role in maintaining agricultural production especially on large-scale commercial farms. Most economies in Africa are agro-based, and in Zimbabwe for example, agricultural exports are more than 50 percent of the country's total foreign currency earnings.

According to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organisation, pest-induced losses due to weed infestations, plant diseases and bugs have been estimated at 30-35 percent of harvests.

"It is asserted that, without the use of pesticides, those losses would be higher," writes Rodwell Chitemerere, Safety and Health Inspector with the ministry of Labour in Zimbabwe.

But, according to the study, about 25 million agricultural workers in developing countries are poisoned by pesticides annually with some 20,000 fatalities.

The use of pesticides has become an integral part of agricultural production worldwide. According to the WHO, today, more than one kilogram of pesticides is applied yearly for every person on earth.

About 30-50 percent of the workers on large-scale commercial farms using pesticides in Zimbabwe are exposed to potential poisoning during the spraying season. In this southern African country, more than 60 percent of the workforce is employed in or dependent on agriculture.

"When crops are sprayed from aircraft, farm workers are sometimes used as ground markers. These workers must wear protective clothing," says Trish Mbanga Public Relations Officer, Agricultural Chemical Industry Association (ACIA).

But a survey conducted in Zimbabwe, shows that most workers barely know what the chemicals are they use or their effects.

"This factor, in addition to the high temperatures attained in summer in Zimbabwe, may explain why some workers do not fully comply with the wearing of the full gear when the foremen is not around," says Reginald Matchaba, lecturer department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe.

An analysis of the statistical records of accidents in the use of pesticides in the agricultural sector in Zimbabwe does not however show an alarming number of casualties and fatalities.

"Most cases of pesticide poisoning go unreported. Most people suffer from one or more twitches and skin problems and there may be long-term effects which range from behavioural changes to cancer," Chitemerere points out. "Chronic cases go unreported until the worker is either retired or dismissed on health grounds. Sickness caused by pesticides is still largely misdiagnosed because of the lack of knowledge among health professionals," he believes.

And there is no consistent monitoring system for reporting agrochemical poisonings in Zimbabwe.

"This suggests that more education seminars appropriate for the particular group of workers need to be conducted, in addition to greater emphasis on engineering control measures as opposes to personal protective devices," says Matchaba.