Sunday, October 12, 2008

A New Pesticide Safety Dimension


Acute toxicity is dramatic, and hence it gets most pesticide safety attention. Sub-acute and chronic effects of pesticides are controversial matters, and no point of view can be established beyond doubt. The study reported at the following link is a case in point:
Pesticide toxicology is nearly always studied in animal models. Real effects in humans are generally not studied. Indirect inferences may be drawn as in the report cited above, but the conclusions are open to debate. Psychiatric conditions cannot be studied in animals in any case.
Human safety deserves better. How can we protect pesticide spray operators from open-ended doubts about possible health effects? Responsible pesticide manufacturing units do this through systems of annual medical examinations coupled with comprehensive health-records. This is an appropriate model for pesticide spray operators. I have developed one and hope to launch it later this month. Post below or write to me at sochiye.pesticidesafety@gmail.com if you would like to operate a health surveillance system for pesticide spray operators in your area.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

much appreciated concept. hope pesticide manufacturer as well as users wake up now

Dr. S. Banerji said...

Thank you for your comment. Distributors and users can make first moves even if manufacturers lag behind. Everyone stands to gain by improving pesticide safety standards.