Uses and Environmental Pollution of Biocides - Pesticides: Evaluation of Environmental Pollution - page 12

environmental pollution, and health problems in some areas. Programs for guidance of
the farmers in this respect are far and few. The pesticide industry does not put sufficient
resources on dissemination of knowledge on pests, pesticides, environment, and manage-
ment techniques. In this area, there is great scope of extension work in the public sector.
Many individuals are unaware that pesticides, freely available and so commonly used,
are in fact deadly poisons.
Lack of advanced analytical methods tends to prevail in developing countries.
Methodology is available for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesti-
cides (OCPs) as a result of a vast amount of environmental analytical chemistry research
and development over the past 30-40 years. However, the establishment of an analytical
laboratory and the application of this methodology at currently acceptable international
standards are relatively expensive undertakings. Furthermore, the current trend to use
isotope-labeled analytical standards and high-resolution mass spectrometry for routine
POPs analysis is particularly expensive. These costs limit the participation of scientists
in developing countries, and this is clear from the relative lack of publications and infor-
mation on POPs from developing countries. The responsible use of pesticides requires
the ability to read and follow label directions. Farmers also often lack the resources to
purchase equipment and supplies specified on the label to properly apply a pesticide. Pest
identification is lacking, and risks from pests are often not properly assessed. Pesticide
and application equipment availability is too often determined by the government's or
aid agency's use of “surplus” goods from elsewhere and often not well suited to solve the
problems at hand. Improper protective gear for the applicator and improper safeguards for
the environment are also the case in developing countries.

1.2.6 Pesticide Movement in the Environment

Pesticides are found at detectable levels in many parts of the environment in the inhabited
as well as noninhabited areas of the world. Once pesticides are released into the environ-
ment, they tend to build up in the fat tissues of living organisms, causing serious harm to
the health and a potential loss of biodiversity.
The introduction of pesticides into these areas can occur in several ways and for a variety
of purposes (Westlake and Gunther 1966). It can result from direct application to suppress
insects and other pests in agriculture, forestry, home, garden, and greenhouse and pests
and vectors affecting man and animals. From the relatively small treated areas, indirect
entry into wide areas of the environment can occur through wind, water, and food. A brief
synopsis of the main direct and indirect sources of environmental contamination by pes-
ticides is given in Table 1.4. Drift and evaporation during aerial application, volatilization

TABLE 1.4
A Brief of the Direct and Indirect Sources of Environmental Contamination by Pesticides

Direct Sources Indirect Sources

Application for pest control in agriculture
Application for pest/disease control in livestock
Soil treatments to control subterranean pests
Water treatments to control weeds, mosquitoes,
and other

Drift (air), rain, and snow
Animal dips
Soil erosion
Sanitation system carrying pesticides from washing
and cleaning of equipment and containers
Dumping of pesticides
Industrial wastes from pesticide-manufacturing plants
Pesticide spills