Pesticides andOur Health?

What are pesticides?

● Chemical compounds that are used to kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi and weeds.
● Used in public health to kill vectors of disease, such as mosquitoes.
● Certain specialized chemical products are used to kill rodents.
● Potentially toxic to other organisms, including humans.

Class of pesticides● Organochlorine pesticides, including aldrin, endrin, clordane, DDT, heptachlor, mirex, toxapheneand hexachlorobenzene are classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
● They have been banned for agricultural or domestic uses in accordance with the Stockholm Convention.
● However, some organochlorine pesticides are still used – e.g. DDT is used to control malaria in some developing

countries. Non-POPs such as organophosphate, carbamate pesticides and neonicotinoid also have been used.

● Herbicides are applied as pre-emergent and post-emergent.

● Synthetic fungicides are commonly used for protection and control over many types of fungi and are specialized

in application.

Pesticide use in Western Pacific Region● The average use of pesticide per area of cropland in Asia

● China, Japan and Republic of Korea occupied overtopped 3.67 kg/ha in 2017 (world average=2.63 kg/ha).

70% of pesticides use in Western Pacific Region.

Ref.FAO http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/EP-1-

How the exposure occurs?
●●●The greatest exposure to highly hazardous pesticides is for agricultural and public health workers during
handling, dilution, mixing and application.
The general population may be exposed through consumption of residues of pesticides in food and,possibly, drinking water.
General population may also be exposed as bystanders during spraying, entering treated areas after spraying, andthrough contact with contaminated containers if they are not disposed of correctly.

Travel through airpesticide
pesticide sprayed

air contaminatedhuman inhalation & enters home

Travel through foodspecies poisoned

crop & soil contaminatedwater contaminatedhuman ingestion

Exposure of children● Young children playing may be exposed to pesticidecontainers, to residues on surfaces, and through ingestion ofcontaminated soil.
● Exposure to organochlorine pesticides of children may also
occur through their mothers via breastfeeding or in utero.
● Children are particularly at risk of exposure…
because of their behavior and may be more sensitive
to effects associated with such exposures.

●because of their potential for a greater intake on abody weight basis.
●because exposure may occur during crucial periodsof development.

-2-©UNICEF/UNI176673/Prakash Mathema

Health Effects● The acute hazard is highly variable depending on the pesticide and includes peripheral and central neurotoxicity

and reduced blood clotting capacity.

● Short-term exposure can cause harmful effects on the liver, kidneys, blood, lungs, nervous system, immunesystem and gastrointestinal tract.

● Chronic exposure can result in effects on the skin, eyes, nervous system, cardiovascular system,

gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, reproductive system, endocrine system, immune system and blood.

● Some may cause cancer, including childhood cancer.

Because pesticides end up virtually everywhere instead of staying where they’re supposed to,their existence in our environment has been liked to the following health problems:Skin, eye, and lung
irritation

Hormone disruptionBrain and nervous
system toxicity

CancerBlood disorders*

Nerve disorders*

Birth defects/
toxicity to fetus*

Reproduction effects**Categorized as a possible chronic effect from repeated exposure to pesticides.

Handling, storage, use and disposal● Obtain and use information provided by manufacturers.
● Ensure use of appropriate, comfortable andaffordable personal protective equipment and ensurethat protective clothing is regularly and safely washed.
● Provide training for appropriate use ofpersonal protective equipment.
● Train pesticide applicators in the appropriate useof pesticides.
● Ensure proper storage of containers to prevent
access by the general public and children.

-3-Elimination and replacement of pesticide use● Eliminate inappropriate use and inappropriate disposal of pesticides.

● Consider opportunities for and promote integrated pest and vector management rather than relying primarily orsolely on pesticides.

● Switch to low-risk alternatives.

● Limit intake of pesticide residues by peeling or washing fruit and vegetables.

Education and Materials● Educate general population as well as pesticide users

TRAINING FOR THE HEALTH SECTOR

on the proper handling of pesticides.

[Date …Place …Event…
Event…Sponsor…
Sponsor…Organizer]● Raise awareness and understanding among

general population as well as pesticide users about
the importance and ways of protecting health and theenvironment from the possible adverse effects ofpesticides and the existence of less hazardous
alternatives.
● WHO training modules for childhood pesticide
exposure and health is available.

PESTICIDESChildren's Health and the Environment

July 2008 version

click!

WHO Training Package for the Health Sector
World Health Organizationwww.who.int/ceh
1

https://www.who.int/ceh/capacity/Pesticides.pdf?ua=1

References
FAO

http://www.fao.org/ﬁleadmin/templates/agphome/documents/Pests_Pesticides/Code/Old_gui delines/PROTECT.pdf.1990

WHO/FAO

http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/pests/code/en/. 2014

FAO/WHO https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/205561/9789241510417_eng.pdf. 2016
FAO http://www.fao.org/pesticide-registrationtoolkit/tool/page/pret/hhp/identiﬁcation-of-hhps. 2018
WHO https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pesticide-residues-in-food. 2018
IPCS http://www.inchem.org. 2019
WHO https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/329501/WHO-CED-PHE-EPE-19.4.6-eng.pdf?ua=1. 2019
WHO https://www.who.int/heca/infomaterials/pesticides.pdf
FAO http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/EP
FAO and WHO https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330659/9789241517065-eng.pdf. 2019
FAO https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330917/9789240000223-eng.pdf.2020

CONTACTWHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and Prevention of Chemical Hazards
Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences
Kita 12, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 0600812, Japan
info@cehs.hokudai.ac.jp

HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY

Center for Environmentaland Health Sciences
WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Healthand Prevention of Chemical Hazards

This leaflet “Pesticides and our Health“ is published by the Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, which is a WHO Collaborating Centre; it is not a publication of the World HealthOrganization. The Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences is responsible for the views expressed in this leaflet, and the views do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of theWorld Health Organization.

Issued in May 2020