Health Effects of Pesticide Use

Evidence from Bangladesh

Susmita Dasgupta

Craig Meisner

Development Research Group

World Bank

Pesticide consumption (metric tons)

Pesticide consumption (metric tons)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Year

Source: Department of Plant Protection Wing, Bangladesh

Pesticide consumption has more than doubled in the past decade

Alarming Composition of Pesticides

A Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)

analysis of active ingredients in use has revealed:

high shares of chemicals (e.g., carbamates and

organophosphates) with established

Epidemiological links with Non-Hodgkin‟s

lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, aplastic

anemia, fetal death, hormonal changes, DNA

damage, birth defects, and abnormal sperm,

ovaries and eggs.

Active Ingredients Used (sold) in the

Agricultural Sector, BangladeshConsumption (million tons) Year

Insecticides 1990 1991 1992 1994 1993 1995 1996 1997 1998

Carbamate Insecticides 170 182 202 - 210 250 270 290 300

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons 30 24 32 - 28 35 15 1 -

Organo-Phosphates 720 751 821 - 855 810 950 980 1,020

Pyrethroids 9 9 14 - 13 14 15 5 15

Other Insecticides 26 26 33 - 18 45 50 50 30

Total Insecticides 955 992 1102 - 1124 1154 1300 1326 1365

Herbicides

Bipiridils - - - - - 12 20 20 19

Phenoxy Hormone Products 9 10 10 - 6 32 30 30 28

Other Herbicides 26 25 23 - 27 22 13 13 15

Total Herbicides 35 35 33 - 33 66 63 63 62

Fungicides

Benzimidazoles - - 1 - 1 7 5 5 7

Diazines, Morpholines - - 1 - 1 5 4 4 2

Dithiocarbamates 130 125 131 - 120 132 155 170 320

Other Fungicides 4 5 3 - 6 6 5 5 23

Inorganics 142 130 175 - 200 320 375 410 350

Triazoles, Diazoles 276 260 1 - 1 5 6 4 6

Fungicide &Bacterial &Seed Treatment 276 260 312 - 329 475 550 598 708

Rodenticides

Anticoagulants - - 1 - 1 2 2 1 2

Other Rodenticides - - 5 - - 5 4 5 4

Total Rodenticides - - 6 - 1 7 6 6 6

A. Source: FAO

Need for Careful Assessment and

Planning

Current projections suggest that the agricultural output of

Bangladesh needs to grow several times during the next several

decades, as the population of Bangladesh continues to grow and

incomes increase.

Bangladesh, a densely populated country (997 people km2 in

2000), will have to increase yields from the land currently under

cultivation in order to serve this increased demand.

During the past several decades, rising agricultural productivity

has been driven by an increased utilization of capital and

chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers) and genetic alteration of crops.

The cited increase in the use of toxic chemicals warrant careful

assessment of the current situation and experimentation with

feasible alternative production systems, for example, Integrated

Pest Management/ and organic farming techniques.

Limited Secondary Data on Pesticides

The Department of Plant Protection, Ministry of

Agriculture maintains

1.Time series of yearly consumption of pesticides.

2. A list is complied every year to indicate which

pesticides (by active ingredient and company) have

been given permission to be sold in the market.

However, the popular belief is as large scale smuggling of

pesticide from neighboring countries takes place, both the

yearly consumption and list of permitted pesticides actually

understate the amount of pesticides being consumed as well as

the variety of pesticides available in the market.

Current Information on Health Effects

Historical information on the health effects of pesticide use in

Bangladesh is not available. Although the Director General of

Health Services (DGHS) maintains aggregate data on poisoning

related morbidity or death up to 1998-99, information by source

of poisoning (i.e. morbidity and mortality related to pesticides)

is not available.

A newly improved system of health-related information is being

introduced by the DGHS. The new system (information is

compiled on the basis of source of poisoning, e.g., poisoning

with organophosphates treated as a separate and distinct entry)

initially covered only two districts beginning in 2000-01:

Gazipur and Narsingdi. The new system is expected to

gradually extend its coverage to other districts as well over time.

World Bank

Research on

Pesticides

Crop composition of the survey

846

430

748

355311

149

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Boro Beans Eggplant Cabbage Potato Mango

Crop

Nu

mb

er o

f fa

rm

s

Pesticide Applications Reported by

Survey Respondents

One in five pesticides reported by survey respondents has

been classified by the WHO as “Extremely Hazardous”.

Number of pesticide applications by WHO classification

Classification Frequency Percent

Extremely hazardous 778 19.12

Moderately hazardous 2383 58.58

Slightly hazardous 305 7.50

Unclassified 602 14.80

Total 4068 100.00

Note: Based on 51 active ingredients and 161 formulations (commercial names)

Pesticide Applications Reported by

Survey Respondents

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs):

The survey cited 18 applications of Endrin and 40

applications of Heptachlor were cited in the survey.

DDT is still sold in the retail markets.

Number of pesticide applications by WHO classification

Classification Frequency Percent

Extremely hazardous 778 19.12

Moderately hazardous 2383 58.58

Slightly hazardous 305 7.50

Unclassified 602 14.80

Total 4068 100.00

Note: Based on 51 active ingredients and 161 formulations (commercial names)

Use of Protective Clothing

The study found that the use of protective clothing during mixing

and spraying of pesticides was not a common practice.

Farmers usually worked in the fields and sprayed pesticides bare

footed (only 1% reported wearing sandals);

2% wear gloves while spraying pesticides;

57% of the farming population cover their head with „gamchha‟

while working in the fields;

8% reportedly wear hats;

6% use locally available cotton masks (the cotton mask in use is,

essentially, an ordinary piece of cloth kept in place by strings made

of cloth; hence quite ineffective);

3% use eye glasses.

Health Effects

Acute:

mild headaches

flu-like symptoms

skin rashes

blurred vision

other neurological

disorders

Chronic:

cardiopulmonary

problems

neurological and

hematological

symptoms

adverse dermal

effects

Overall Health Effects found in the Survey

47% of the farmers and pesticide applicators in

the survey reported frequent health problems

such as irritation in their eyes, headaches,

dizziness, vomiting, shortness of breath, skin

effects, and even convulsions among others.

Overall Health Effects found in the Survey

47% of the farmers and pesticide applicators in the survey

reported frequent health problems such as irritation in their

eyes, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, shortness of breath,

skin effects, and even convulsions among others.

Among those (respondents) who experienced ailments 86%

were quite sure that their ailments were due to exposure to

pesticides.

The interviews further revealed that 28% of the respondents

experienced multiple health effects, with the maximum

number of ailments as five.

Specific Health Effects found in the Survey

Among the most perceptible health problems encountered in

the survey, eye effects, neurological effects (headache,

dizziness), dermal effects and gastrointestinal tract effects

(vomiting) were the most common.

Right after application of pesticides:

27% of the respondents reported irritation in the eyes

33% reported headache/ and dizziness

14% reported skin irritation

9% reported vomiting

Duration of Reported Ailments

0.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 1.0

24

0.5

5.1 5.87.96.14.3 4.7

727296 360168

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Eye

Irritation

Headache Dizziness Vomiting Shortness

of breath

Skin

Irritation

Len

gth

of

sick

nes

s (d

ays)

Minimum Mean Maximum

Safer Alternative: Integrated Pest

Management (IPM)

In contrast to the 47% among the general

pesticide-using population only 31% of the

IPM farmers reported health problems such as

irritation in their eyes, headaches, dizziness,

vomiting, shortness of breath and skin effects.

Statistical analysis confirmed the difference in

health effects is significant.

Is Environmentally-Friendly Agriculture

Less Profitable for Farmers?

Evidence on Integrated Pest Management

Adoption of IPM

Education, prior training, experience, ownership and poor health have significant positive effect on IPM adoption probability.

IPM Techniques in Practice :

Manual removal of pests (70% of the sample),

Use of natural parasites and predators (58%),

Light traps (14%),

Crop rotation (10%)

Smoke (5%).

Comparative Input-Use, Yield, Profitability,

Soil and Environmental Effects

Input-use accounting, conventional production functions and frontier production estimation suggested:

1. The productivity of IPM rice farming is not significantly different from the productivity of conventional farming.

2. Since IPM reduces pesticide costs with no countervailing loss in production, it appears to be more profitable than conventional rice farming.

3. Our interview results also suggest substantial health and ecological benefits.

Recommendations

Information system on pesticides

Monitoring health and environmental

effects of pesticides

Evaluation and promotion of safer

alternatives