The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has disposed of some 370 tons of unused toxic pesticides in Zambia and the Seychelles as part of its on-going program to help developing countries clean up obsolete pesticides. Most of the pesticides were unused stocks donated through foreign aid programmes. Obsolete pesticide stocks pose a serious threat to public health and the environment, said FAO Agricultural Officer Alemayehu Wodageneh. Storage conditions rarely meet international standards. In many countries, pesticide containers are kept in the open, containers deteriorate and leak their contents into the soil, contaminating soil, water and groundwater.
Most stores are in urban areas.
Many of these chemicals are so toxic that a few grams could poison thousands of people or contaminate a large area. According to FAO, donor countries, aid agencies, agrochemical companies and recipient governments are all responsible for the steady accumulation of obsolete pesticides in developing countries. The amount of stocks in the Near East countries is estimated at 5,000 tons. Several countries in Asia and Eastern Europe have stocks in excess of 5,000 tons each. Due to the absence of environmentally sound disposal facilities stocks are constantly increasing.