Editorial
Pesticide poisoning confirmed
Supervised application must be ensured for safety
A test by the Atlanta Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the US, has confirmed that the four children who died in two villages in Dhmarai Upazila were actually victims of pesticide poisoning. The test results have removed whatever doubt there was regarding the cause behind the deaths which looked rather abnormal.
The US centre has found organophosphate, a poisonous ingredient used in pesticides, in the biological and environmental samples sent by our health ministry for testing. Now the worrying news is that organophosphate is used in preparing no fewer than 48 kinds of insecticides that local farmers spray on crops and vegetables. The danger is a very potent one, considering the fact that people consume various types of vegetables and cereals on a regular basis. It is feared that the poison might have entered the food chain extensively. The children appear to be most vulnerable. It seems many consumers are surviving rather luckily. But nobody should overlook the disastrous long-term consequences on the people at large. Such poisoning, besides leading to death, can have a crippling effect on the population at large.
Clearly, things went wrong as an overdose of pesticides was applied bythe farmers in Dhamrai. The agriculture officers concerned have themselves admitted the unpalatable truth that the farmers were not following the safety rules while spraying pesticides. It has been confirmed by the Atlanta centre, but the question is whose duty was it to tell the farmers that they should never cross the permissible levels while using pesticides? Is it enough to register a pesticide and allowing it to be marketed while doing nothing to train its users?
The Dhamrai tragedy has exposed the extent of the hazards associated with using pesticides indiscriminately. Farmers have to be trained on scientific use of pesticides and fertilisers. This is no doubt a huge task, but considering the threat that indiscriminate use of pesticides poses to public health, there is no other option open to us. The agriculture experts should address the issue with a view to finding a solution to the problem of applying insecticide overdoses. A survey should also be conducted to find out what is going on all over the country. The Dhmarai case could only be the tip of the ice-berg.
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