Abbreviations
These guidelines were prepared by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under project
GCP/INT/572/NET: "Prevention and Disposal of Unwanted Pesticide
Stocks in Africa and the Near East", funded by the Government of the
Netherlands. Despite the limited geographical scope of the project,
the guidelines are considered generally applicable and of interest to
many countries, aid agencies and the pesticide industry..
They have been published as provisional because
they have not yet received approval from the member countries of FAO.
In view of the significant interest expressed in the subject, it has
been decided to make the present version available as a project
publication. Interested parties are invited to provide written
comments to FAO based on their experience in the implementation of
these guidelines. Their comments will be considered in the definitive
version of the guidelines.
Chief, Plant Protection Service
Plant Production and Protection Division
FAO
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Telex 610181 FAO I
Fax (39-6) 52256347
1- THE
PROBLEM OF OBSOLETE PESTICIDES
1.1 When are pesticides obsolete?
1.2 Occurrence and state of obsolete pesticide stocks
1.3 Causes of accumulation of obsolete pesticides
1.4 Hazards connected to obsolete pesticides
1.5 Disposal of obsolete pesticides
2 -
ANALYSIS OF CAUSES OF ACCUMULATION OF OBSOLETE PESTICIDES
2.1 Banning of products
2.2 Inadequate stores and poor stock management
2.3 Unsuitable products and packaging
2.4 Donations or purchases in excess of requirements
2.5 Inadequate coordination among and within aid agencies
2.6 Commercial interests and hidden factors
3 -
PREVENTING THE ACCUMULATION OF OBSOLETE PESTICIDES
3.1 Why prevention is necessary
3.2 Responsibility for pesticide stocks
3.3 Guidelines for governments of developing countries
3.4 Guidelines for aid agencies
3.5 How the pesticide industry can help to prevent the accumulation of obsolete stocks
1 Avoiding incidents with pesticide stocks
2 Appraisal of requests for pesticide donations
3 Recommendations for stacking containers
4 Summary overview of recommended preventive measures to avoid accumulation of obsolete pesticides
5 References and further information
6 Definitions
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FAO |
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
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FAO/ECLO |
FAO Emergency Centre for Locust Operations |
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GIFAP |
International Group of National Associations of Agrochemical Manufacturers |
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GLOBE |
Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment |
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GTZ |
German Agency for Technical Cooperation |
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IMDG Code |
International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code |
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IPCS |
International Programme on Chemical Safety |
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IPM |
Integrated Pest Management |
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IVC |
Integrated Vector Control |
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MSDS |
Material Safety Data Sheet |
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NRI/ODA |
Natural Resources Institute/Overseas Development Agency |
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OECD |
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
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OECD/DACOECD |
Development Assistance Committee |
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PIC |
Prior Informed Consent |
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UN |
United Nations |
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UNCED |
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development |
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UNEP |
United Nations Environment Programme |
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UNEP/IEO |
UNEP Industry and Environment Office |
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UNEP/IRPTC |
UNEP International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals |
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UNEP/SBC |
UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention |
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WHO |
World Health Organization |
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Most developing countries have outdated and
deteriorated stocks of pesticides that can no longer be used as
prescribed on the label. These stocks are often stored in poor
conditions and pose a threat to human health and the environment.
With the exception of a few newly industrialized countries,
developing countries do not have adequate facilities to dispose of
such stocks in a safe and environmentally sound manner. In many
cases, therefore, the recommended disposal method would appear to be
shipment of the pesticides to a country that has special hazardous
waste incineration facilities.
In view of the dangerous nature of these pesticides
and the high costs of safe and environmentally sound disposal, the
long-term solution to obsolete stocks lies in preventive measures:
improved stock management and reduction of stocks.
The objective of these guidelines is to raise
awareness about the mechanisms through which obsolete pesticide
stocks accumulate and to enhance the formulation of policies and
procedures aimed at prevention of such accumulation. The guidelines
analyse the causes of this accumulation and recommend how it can be
prevented. They provide guidance to the governments of developing
countries, aid agencies and the pesticide industry. For developing
countries, they are considered of special interest to ministries of
agriculture and ministries of health, particularly for senior staff
responsible for assessing the country's yearly pesticide requirements
and for procuring pesticides; staff responsible for the management of
national pesticide stocks; heads of departments or services
responsible for plant protection, migratory pest control and vector
control; directors of produce boards and cooperatives involved in
large-scale pesticide distribution; and others responsible for
pesticide procurement and management.
The guidelines should be regarded as a further
instrument to enhance implementation of the FAO International Code
of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, which was
adopted by the Conference of FAO in 1985. The objective of the Code
of Conduct is to set forth responsibilities and establish voluntary
standards of conduct for all public and private entities engaged in
or affecting the distribution and use of pesticides, particularly
where there is either an inadequate national law or no law regulating
pesticides. The Code of Conduct was amended in 1989 to include the
Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure (FAO, 1990).
The guidelines supplement the Guidelines on
disposal of bulk quantities of pesticides in developing countries
(UNEP/FAO/WHOa, in preparation). Other FAO technical guidelines
relevant to the subject are listed in Annex
5.
The issue of obsolete pesticide stocks is
increasingly receiving international attention. A growing number of
developing countries are requesting aid agencies to provide
assistance for disposal of obsolete stocks and this has already
started, together with assistance aimed at preventing further
accumulation of obsolete pesticide stocks.
Donor assistance for the prevention and disposal of
obsolete pesticide stocks is supported by several international
agreements and policy documents. The most specific document in this
respect is the OECD/DAC Guidelines for aid agencies on pest and
pesticide management (OECD, 1995). Other important documents are
Agenda 21: Chapter 20 (Environmentally sound management of
hazardous wastes including prevention of illegal international
traffic in hazardous wastes), (UNCED, 1992) and the Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal, 1989 (UNEP/SBC, 1994), both of which
emphasize the importance of preventing the generation of hazardous
waste. The World Bank also included some paragraphs on disposal of
obsolete pesticide stocks in a relevant publication (World Bank,
1993). GIFAP, the international umbrella organization of national
associations of agrochemical companies, also recognized the problem
and established a working group on unwanted pesticides to see how the
pesticide industry could contribute to preventing obsolete pesticide
stocks.