AS consumer advocates, we have always been concerned with the dangers that pesticides pose to society.  At the end of last month, Pesticides Awareness Week was marked with the Ministry of Agriculture’s media advertisements warning the public that pesticides are harmful to health and the environment.  Farmers were also reminded that the use of less hazardous pesticides does not reduce agricultural productivity.

At the same time, the public were reminded of the dangers of lead poisoning, since Lead Poisoning Prevention Week coincided with Pesticide Awareness week.  The toxic effect on the human body of both pesticides and lead tended to be much the same: With small children, the toxic effects tended to be four times as impacting as compared with adults.  Small children become intellectually retarded with poor school performance and manifestly difficult behavioural patterns with family and school.  All humans’ brain, kidneys, liver, blood and reproductive system become affected.  This results in victims being chronically unwell, low productivity at work and early death.

Before the 19th century, chemical pesticides were rarely used and farmers and householders relied upon certain herbs such as neem or aromatic spices and these controlled pests fairly effectively and did not have the side effects of the modern, more effective chemical pesticides.

Though the effects of lead poisoning were known in the ancient world, its cause was never fully identified.  An example of this is the City of Pompeii, which readers may recall was completely covered with dust from the eruption of  the volcano Vesuvius.  Pompeii was among the best-appointed cities in the Roman Empire, and  the wealthy of ancient Rome lived there.

It provided many amenities which may be considered quite modern.  One such amenity was the provision of piped water to homes which was used for drinking and cooking, but the pipes used were made of lead, which poisoned the water.   Pompeiians died at younger ages compared to other cities; no one suspected this was due to lead poisoning from the water pipes.

Mosquito coils contain chemicals which are not only poisonous to mosquitoes, but also to humans who inhale their smoke. The Western-produced coils have to conform to standards which prescribe that the chemicals used in their production must be at safe levels, but those from East Asia, usually smuggled into the country, are attractively packed and often smell like incense, but do not conform to international standards and are dangerous to health.

These smuggled coils are usually sold in the markets and in small shops and are sometimes seized by the Bureau of Standards and the Food and Drugs Department.  These institutions, unfortunately, do not have enough inspectors to be able to eliminate them from the market.

Liquid insecticides, usually in sprays, are equally dangerous to health if inhaled or go on the skin.
The pesticides used in agriculture to control unwanted grasses and other vegetation and to eliminate destructive insects and other pests from damaging and destroying crops, tend to be far more toxic than necessary.  Less toxic pesticides could be as effective for farming use and would pose less of a danger to human life and health, as well as the environment.

Some of these very toxic pesticides such as paraquat have no antidote, and environmentalists and social workers are trying to have some of them banned from being imported.  Many suicides are caused by ingesting these deadly pesticides.

Lead poisoning was caused by using cooking pots or crockery which have  a lead content or leaded papers used to wrap foods;  today, most cases of lead poisoning are caused by use of lead-based paints.  There are always alternatives to such paints and consumers are enjoined to exercise care when choosing paints.

With a modicum of awareness, consumers could protect themselves and the  environment by using milder and less toxic pesticides, which are just as effective as the harsher ones and are probably less expensive.  When sprays are used in homes against insects, masks should be worn to cover as much of the face as possible as gloves and if any of the insecticides get on the skin, it should immediately be washed off.  The body and face should be covered as far as  possible with agricultural spraying.

The skin is an  organ which easily absorbs whatever is on it into the bloodstream  and baths should be taken after use of pesticides. When using mosquito coils, avoid inhaling the smoke and keep the lighted coil away from the bed, so the smoke dissipates before reaching the bed.  The deleterious effects of pesticides on the body tend to be slow to detect;  users should, therefore, never relax their precautions.