Chemical safety: study on the use and impact of pesticides

ABSTRACT

Saint Lucia. The use of chemicals for pest and vector control has led to reductions in the incidence of several communicable diseases and improvements in food quality and production. Nevertheless, the toxic properties of these pesticides present a separate threat to human health and to the environment. The potential for occupational exposure is of particular concern in the Caribbean where agriculture and vector control programmes employ more than 40 percent of the labour force. Within Saint Lucia alone, over 1500 tonnes of pesticides (insecticides, fungicides and herbicides) were imported in 1990. A project has been developed to asses and reduce the incidence of acute pesticide poisoning and the prevalence of chronic pesticide poisoning in Saint Lucia and in Trinidad and Tobago. Collaborators in this intersectoral undertaking include the Ministries of Agriculture/Health in Saint Lucia and in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean Environmental Health Institue (CEHI), and the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC). This article summarizes the results of the first phase of the project a survey of the knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs (KAPB) of vector officers in Saint Lucia and members of the Saint Lucia Banana Growers Association (SLBGA) (AU)