Time to blow the whistle

26 World Health • 46th Year, No. 5, September-october 1993 nme to blow the whistle Romeo Quijano, Lynn Panganiban & Nelia Cortes-Maramba The dangers from chemicals are incalculable. There is an urgent need to stop the alarming trend towards poisoning humanity and the planet itself. W e live in a toxic environ-ment. There are about ten million known chemicals - many highly hazardous- used or spewed out in agricultural, manufac- turing, transport, mining, power generation and other human activities. Between one and two thousand new toxic chemicals are marketed every year. Among these are pesticides, metallic poisons, hydrocarbons, solvents, illicit drugs and pharmaceu- ticals. People are also exposed to air pollutants (emissions from vehicles and industrial plants), industrial and consumer wastes, as well as toxic substances found in cigarette smoke, alcoholic drinks, cosmetics and many other consumer products. In the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Re- sources has initiated the Philippine Inventory of Chemicals and Chemical Substances (PICCS), which to date has listed over 3000 chemicals and expects to have more than I 0 000 on its files by the end of 1993. Chemicals have been associated with different types of cancer; they can damage the genetic material in the unborn child and cause abortion or malformation; and they can damage the brain, liver, kidney and other vital organs. There is evidence that some of Taking a big risk .· a farmer uses his bare hands to measure pesticide directly into his back-pack sprayer. these substances, especially pesticides, can be immunotoxic, the effect of which makes the individual very susceptible to various types of infec- tion- not too different from what happens to an AIDS victim. Pesticides may kill The health and environmental costs and the extent of human suffering that these toxic chemicals leave in their trail are staggering, especially in developing countries where there are less stringent regulatory controls, If any exist at all, and less effective application of whatever laws there are to protect public health and the environment. A considerable number of toxic chemicals are sold in develop- ing countries, including those that have already been banned in devel- oped countries, and more people are exposed to them due to ignorance and lack of protection. A United Nations report suggests that there are about two million poisonings and I 0 000 deaths a year from pesticides; about three-quarters of the deaths occur in developing countries. In the Philippines, a recent report showed 1302 poisoning cases between January 1992 and March 1993 in the National Capital region alone; and a study in Central Luzon showed a 27% increase in mortality, which translated to about 900 farmers dying every year in one province alone due to exposure to pesticides. An FAO regional director made the observation that Philippine farm- ers use ten times more pesticides than are necessary. From 1987 to 1989, the major pesticide companies in the Philippines put on the market 20 100 tonnes of pesticides. Pesticides sales grew by 70% between 1988 and 1992, and will amount to about US$ 120 million this year. It is not surprising that a study by the Bureau of Plant Industry in 1990 showed that pesticide residues in samples from locally sold vegetables and fruits such as string World Health • 46th Year, No. 5, September-October 1993 beans, eggplants, tomatoes and man- goes exceeded the maximum allow- able levels set by WHO. This alarming load of pesticides has arisen because of the aggressive marketing and promotion practices of some pesticide companies, and the inadequate political will on the part of the government to control them effec- tively and protect people ' s health. Although the Philippine government has a regulatory agency for pesticides under the Department of Agriculture, its very existence is flawed because it is mandated primarily to "assure the agricultural sector of adequate sup- plies of fertilizer and pesticide at reasonable prices", and only secondar- ily to protect the public from the risks inherent in pesticide use. The agency, therefore, has allowed the marketing of highly hazardous pesticide formula- tions, including five of the so-called "dirty dozen" pesticides. Hazards in the workplace Poisoning at the workplace is not uncommon in a developing country like the Philippines. Because of inad- equate regulation and control of factories and establishments, and the poor implementation of existing occupational safety programmes, chemicals are mishandled or improp- erly used, and this results in unneces- sary harm to the workers. About 21.5 million of the labour force are employed in some 500 000 establishments, most of them belong- ing to industries which widely use chemicals. The National Poisons Control and Information Service at the Philippine General Hospital estimates that about 7.4% of cases of poisoning occur at the workplace. The incidence of illnesses and disabilities caused by low-level chronic exposure are not documented and are largely unknown, except perhaps for a few -case reports of neurological , kidney and other disorders. Lead poisoning has been detected in workers employed in car and bat- tery manufacturing plants. They developed nerve damage manifested as severe tingling or pinprick sensa- Mercury poisoning has been docu- mented among workers in the gold- mining industry, with signs of kidney injury. Hydrogen sulfide poisoning has occurred among workers at geothermal plants in one region of the country, two of whom died. Many other cases of work-related poisonings, especially the chronic ones, remain largely unrecognized and unreported. Risks in the home Accidental chemical poisoning is a common occurrence, mainly due to carelessness in handling and storing chemicals. The unsafe practice of putting kerosene in soft-drink bottles and leaving them within reach of children can be fatal if the child mis- takes the contents for water. Kerosene ranks No.l in cases of poisoning of children aged from one to five years, and has recently appeared in the top- ten list of diseases even in the paediat- ric emergency room of the Philippine General Hospital. The storage of cleaning chemicals at home also puts children at risk. In one recent case, a one-year-old child was poisoned with an unknown amount of copper sulfate because the father, whose job entailed keeping swimming pools clean, stored it in a place within the child's reach. The child developed not only kidney and liver injuries but also a blood disorder. 27 Toxic substances present in vehi- cle emissions, cigarette smoke, illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and many other consumer products pose health hazards that are often taken for granted because they have become part of daily routine in a consumer society. Again, people in developing countries are more at risk than those in developed countries. In fact the dangers from chemicals are incalculable. It is not only human health that is at risk but also the en- vironment. Unfortunately, few people are aware of this reality. There is an urgent need to stop the alarming trend towards poisoning humanity and the planet itself. Economic pursuit cannot justify the sacrifice of the basic right to health and a healthful environment. The citizenry, especially of the Third World, must take that important step of becoming part of the solution - be informed and take immediate action! • Or Romeo Ouiiano and Or Lynn Panganiban are Assistant Professors, and Or Nelia Cortes-Maramba is Professor and Proiect Leader, working with the National Poisons Control ond Information Service & Deportment of Pharmacology, University of the Philippines, 547 Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila. tions and weakness of the extremities. Washing aut the pesticide sprayer in an irrigation canal risks contaminating the sail.