New Brunswick certification program for non - commercial pesticide applicators - pesticide safety through education

In the province of New Brunswick there are over 4.500 people including farmers, greenhouse operators, Christmas tree growers, pesticide vendors and golf course managers who use and store commercial and restricted class pesticides on their own property, or property under their own control. Their level of training, knowledge and experience vary greatly, with some lacking the basic knowledge on how to safety mix, load, apply, store, and dispose of pesticides (AU)

Preparing for hazardous substances accidents : A rural fire departments perspective

The crapaud Fire Department is a group of thirty volunteers who serve a small community approximately 35 kilometers from Charlottetown, Frince Edward Island. The coverage area is approximately 200 square kilometres with 500 homes and 1500 residents. As a fire department, in the area of hazardous substances accidents, we are concerned with two areas: 1) Our coverage area includes seventeen kilometres of Trans / Canada Highway. This highway is a conduit for almost 75 porcent on the vehicle traffic which enters Charlottetown from off/Island. As a result, truck traffic carrying dangerous goods has a potential for becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident in our territory. 2) Also is our area area a large number of farms which seasonally store a significant amount of pesticides (ie herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides). Thousands of kilograms of actives ingredient are transported into, stored and used each year in our area. As a result of these concerns and others, our department prepares for potential hazardous substances accidents in several ways: A) Equipping the department with trucks, protective clothing and materials to combat such an accident. B) Training our volunteers in various aspects of hazardous substances accident. C) Working with other groups in Emergency Planning to better prepare for and handle such an accident (AU)

Plaguicidas en América Central : Algunas consideraciones sobre las condiciones de uso / Pesticides in Central America : Some considerations about the conditions for the usage

En este documento se presentan algunos de los resultados obtenidos de los estudios del Programa Regional de Plaguicidas, sobre las características básicas del uso de los plaguicidas en América Central, complementado con otra información disponible en la región en relación al tema de los plaguicidas (AU)

Use and after effects of insecticides

Insecticides, a major part of pesticides, are used to control and kill insects effecting agriculture and public health. Inspite of the effect of these toxic materials, they also effect the environment and other creatures, including human beings, when precautionary measures and related instructions are not followed. This report discusses the applications and handling of insecticides through various stages in Jordan, and consequently can seve as a reference for similar studies in countries of the WHO eastern Mediterranean Region. Following are the most important points covered in this report: Inventory of major insecticides in Jordan- Toxicological risks of insecticides- Field case study- Conclusions and recomendations(AU)

Toxic epidemics caused by alimentary exposure to pesticides : A review

Toxic epidemics have become a serious problem during the twentieth century, due mainly to the huge expansion over the last 50 years of the chemical industry, which has placed tens of thousands of new synthetic organic compounds in the human environment. In the particular case of chemical pesticides, their undiscriminating, widespread use, and harmful potential has been demostrated by the epidemics generated by accidental contamination by pesticides of foods consumed by man, resulting in high mortality and morbidity rates. We have analysed the main characteristics of 63 outbreaks of toxicity caused by alimentary exposure to pesticides described in the scientific literature of this century, with the aim of increasing knowledge and understanding of the factors that are conducive to them or that trigger their onset. Such episodes are good indicators of the incorrect use of these products and serve to demonstrate failures of the available safety systems. We conclude by identifying some preventive measures that could be used to avoid their future repetition.(AU)