Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
addresses various levels of exposure (high, medium, low, absent) through various routes
of exposure, either directly or indirectly (e.g., food, air, water, soil). Therefore, the avail-
ability of data on pesticide consumption and use patterns, levels of pesticide residues in
different environmental components, health risks associated with occupational exposure
to pesticides in workplaces, and hospital discharge data of pesticide poisoning incidents is
needed (Hodgson and Levi 1996).
Human exposure to pesticides in Egypt may be excessive, especially through ground
application of insecticides in cotton fields, where compounds of high toxicity are often
used. A very large number of workers, laborers, and spraying supervisors are involved in
the spraying of cotton fields three to five times each season. Unfortunately, they are often
not equipped with protective clothes or masks. Moreover, over a period of 40 days in hot
climate, many thousands of children are engaged in collecting egg masses of the cotton
leafworm,
Spodoptera littoralis
, in the cotton fields in Egypt. Furthermore, they help spray
pesticides in cotton plantations three to five times in the season. Some of these children are
under 15 years of age (Mansour 2004). Similarly, in Costa Rica, one in five individuals who
handle pesticides is under 18 years of age (Wesseling et al. 1997).
Furthermore, the large numbers of workers involved in pesticide formulation plants
and in greenhouse cultivation have to be also considered. Therefore, this may reflect the
great magnitude of human exposure to pesticide intoxication in Egypt. Official reports on
pesticide poisoning are lacking, except for some drastic cases released to the public and a
few reports published by scientists. The only available data to us are those published by
El-Gamal (1983), who reported cases of poisoning and a number of fatalities each year from
1966 to 1982 (Figure 15.17). He stated that after the year 1977, accidents due to acute intoxica-
tion had decreased because of the introduction of some preventive measures. But, he added
that over 60% of the workers engaged in pesticide applications suffer from chronic toxicity.
3000
2671
No.of cases
No.of deaths
2500
1951
2000
1608
1389
1473
1439
1500
1309
1270
1091
1062
1066
967
1000
741
569
493
510
491
500
67
69
44
44
42
44
34
35
33
24
29
31
21
38
10
2
4
0
Year
FIGURE 15.17
Incidences of pesticide poisoning in Egypt during the period 1966-1982. (Adapted from El-Gamal, A. 1983.
Persistence of some pesticides in semi-arid conditions in Egypt.
Proceedings, International Conference on
Environmental Hazards in Agrochemistry, Alexandria, Egypt
, 8-12 November 1983, vol. I, pp. 54-75.)
Search WWH ::
Custom Search