Available statistics on pesticide poisonings are mainly rough estimates or even guesstimates rather than based on thoroughly and systematically gathered data. Therefore it is important to undertake thorough documentation of poisonings wherever possible. Ideally, all health and environment protection personnel would be thoroughly skilled in diagnosing pesticide poisonings and able to document them for detailed analysis and interpretation at national level - but this situation rarely exists. Developing countries in particular do not have the necessary resources to run national poison information, control and surveillance systems to track pesticide impacts on health and environment. But community-based monitoring of pesticide impacts based on a participatory approach can help in gathering valuable information which can help to identify where action is needed to avoid harm.
Resources
The PAN Pesticide Databaseprovided by PAN North America provides information on the toxicity and regulation of pesticides and is available at:
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Index.html
The PAN Pesticide Library
provided by PAN UK provides information on articles and studies dealing with pesticides at:
http://www.pesticidelibrary.org
The PAN Community-based Pesticide Action Monitoring (CPAM)
is a programme developed by PAN Asia & Pacific for awareness-building and empowerment of local communities. It is based on Participatory Action Research and aims, for example, to fill the information gap on the impact of pesticides on human health and the environment.
More at: http://www.panap.net/18.0.html
For action against paraquat
"Paraquat ‘unacceptable health risks for users’ download
For action against endosulfan
PAN Asia & Pacific Position Paper on Endosulfan (2006) download
Back to tasks of governments
Suggestion for Action
If you know a case of poisoning caused by a pesticide product document the case by using either the Form for "Human Health Incidents" (download) or the one for "Environmental Incidents" (download). Fill it in as exactly and as complete as you can and sent it to FAO Code Action. If you like you can also send it to the "Designated National Authority" (DNA) of your country (the address can be found here) and to the Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention at pic@pic.int.Suggestion for Action
Contribute to the requirement of the FAO Code of Conduct that governments should carry out health surveillance programmes, document poisoning cases ( neues FensterFAO Code Art. 5.1.3 ) and maintain statistics (neues FensterFAO Code Art. 5.1.9 ) by finding out what type of data/ statistics on pesticide poisoning incidences are maintained in your country and by supporting a detailed and transparent system.Suggestion for Action
Paraquat and Endosulfan are among the most dangerous pesticides available. Become active to eliminate their use. (For more information see left)Message
... from a family
‘At just eight years of age, Modachirou Inoussa was already helping his parents
in the cotton fields, and the 29th July 2000 started as a day like many others. Modachirou had worked hard and ran back to the house feeling thirsty. Finding nothing to drink, he set off to search for his parents. On his way, Modachirou found an empty container, and scooped up some water to drink from a ditch. That evening he did not return home. A village search found his body next to the empty Callisulfan bottle innocently used to quench his thirst.’ (Source: Cotton pesticides cause more deaths in Benin,
Pesticides News No. 52, June 2001, pages 12-14, PAN UK)
top
PAN Germany, Emailvalidieren