Coming in the midst of ongoing efforts to boost the country's agriculture sector, with pronounced emphasis on increase in productivity from diverse approaches, it is indeed depressing to learn that over 10,000 farmers die and another 400,000 get sick every year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries alone.
Reference, in this regard, may be made to a news report according to which Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Bhanger, Director NCEAC, has made the shocking revelation that pesticides are major contaminating chemicals in an agriculture environment.
For, as it says, on an average 63 percent are used to control cotton pests, 19 percent on rice, and 11 percent on vegetables, sugarcane and fruits diseases which everywhere mean a hazard to exposed populations.
It will also be noted that according to the World Health Organisation, availability and usage of pesticides in Sindh revolves around 50 percent of either extremely hazardous or highly hazardous products. As these compounds are absorbed from inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, their bio-accumulation in individuals can lead to a variety of metabolic and systemic dysfunction, and even outright to diseases.
Consequently, international agencies referring to their morbidity and mortality rates are reported to have indicated that over 10,000 farmers die and another 400,000 get sick every year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries alone.
Understandably, to cope with such horrifying effects of enormous usage of pesticides toxicological studies in spraying community has been resorted to. Such studies on farmers in Sindh, particularly focusing pesticide spray-workers, were conducted by a team of scientists from the department of pharmacology and Centre of Excellence in analytical chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
Initially, an epidemiological survey indicated that from children of eleven to old men of seventy years were exposed to threats from spray of 21 different pesticide products of six groups of agro-chemical compounds. It was observed that among the most frequently sprayed pesticides, a long chain of banned or restricted use products were inclusive.
Again, according to results of survey, two-thirds of the surveyed population complained of 20 ailments - vertigo, headache, unconsciousness, body allergies, so on and so forth. The most affected of victims (94.4 percent) were noted in district Ghotki and the lowest (53.3 percent) in district Shikarpur. On the whole 65.2 percent farmers were found to have been affected in one way or the other. The most important and primary test for organophosphates and carbamate pesticide intoxication, was seen depressed at 45 percent level in 48 percent of surveyed population. This is stated to have revealed their body contents and toxic impact of both group products on health of the farmers.
Some idea of how serious the situation really is may be had from this that during this study several hospitalised cases were detected. More to this, a survey of laboratories in the district headquarters, confirmed non-availability of the kit except in two labs in Karachi. As against this, investigation by pesticide residue amounts of selected pesticides among spraying farmers also indicated highly toxic effects towards increasing morbidity.
At the same time, residue amount of selected pesticides was detected in blood samples of spray workers, on average calculated for endosulfan, monocrotophos, carbaryl and cypermethrin indicated 0.009, 0.005, 0.05 and 0.08 mg/kg body weight, respectively.
Summing up the overall situation, it has been stated that bioaccumulation of just four products of most common pesticide groups, including organ chlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and parathyroid, may be taken as indicators of bioavailability of many other branded ingredients.
As this has also been described as evidence enough of pesticide toxicity seriously impairing health of vastly exposed farmers in Sindh. Needless to point out, due attention needs be paid by both agriculture and health authorities to the urgency of motivating safer pesticide handling, to the accompaniment of toxicity awareness drive, on the one hand, and really effective treatment to its victims, on the other.