Abbreviations
This manual was prepared by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under project
GCP/INT/572/NET: "Prevention and disposal of obsolete and unwanted
pesticide stocks in Africa and the Near East", funded by the
Government of the Netherlands. It was written by the National
Resources Institute (NRI), Chatham, United Kingdom, with added and
editorial input from the FAO Plant Protection Service (AGPP). All the
drawings were contributed by an NRI graphic artist.
Despite the limited geographical scope of the
project, the manual is considered applicable and useful in many
countries particularly in the management and stock control of stored
pesticides.
It has been published for distribution to Member
Countries of FAO. In view of the fundamental importance of pesticide
management, it would be useful to have feedback that could be used in
future revisions of this manual. Reference should also be made to
FAO's Provisional guidelines: prevention of accumulation of obsolete
pesticide stocks, published at the end of 1995, and Technical
guidelines on disposal of bulk quantities of obsolete pesticides in
developing countries, a joint FAO/UNEO/WHO publication expected in
1996. Comments or suggestions may be addressed to:
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
Pesticide ordering and shelf-life
Stock inspection and shelf-life
Outdated pesticide stocks
Disposal of outdated and unusable pesticides
PESTICIDE
STOCK PLANNING AND RECORDING SYSTEMS
SPILLS,
LEAKS AND DISPOSAL OF CONTAINERS AND CHEMICALS
PERSONAL
SAFETY AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
General body protection
Hand protection
Footwear
Eye protection
Protection against inhalation
Apron covering
Essential equipment for a pesticide store
Routine pesticide store management proceduress
Ten rules for proper pesticide storage and stock management
References
|
DLCOE-A |
Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa |
|
ec |
emulsifiable concentrate |
|
FAO |
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
|
GIFAP |
International Group of National Associations of Agrochemical Manufacturers |
|
ILO |
International Labour Organisation |
|
LD50 |
the dose of a substance that causes death in 50 percent of a sample of test animals |
|
NRI |
Natural Resources Institute |
|
OP |
organophosphate |
|
PVC |
polyvinyl chloride |
|
UNEP |
United Nations Environment Programme |
|
WHO |
World Health Organization |
|
wp |
Wettable powder |
Most pesticides are chemicals that are used to
kill pests. Among these are insecticides, fungicides, herbicides,
nematicides, rodenticides, acaricides and molluscicides, which are
used to kill, respectively, insect pests, fungal diseases, weeds,
nematodes, rats and mice, mites and ticks and snail disease vectors.
They may also kill other organisms, and most are poisonous to
humans.
The World Health Organization estimated (WHO, 1986)
that 1 million people are affected by insecticide poisoning every
year and that 20 000 die as a result of being unaware of the risks
involved in handling insecticides. Pesticides are classified by WHO
on the basis of their oral or dermal lethal dose (LD). A measurement
called the LD50 is calculated by measuring the number of milligrams
of active ingredient per kilogram of body weight required to kill 50
percent of a test sample of animals - often rats. Each insecticide is
then put into one of four classifications: Class Ia is extremely
hazardous; Ib, highly hazardous; II, moderately hazardous; and III,
slightly hazardous.
Pesticides usually have to be stored before use.
The following account illustrates how essential careful pesticide
storage practice and stock control are, especially when extremely
hazardous chemicals are involved.
The incident was recounted in 1978 by a
storekeeper. He had heard that metal drums of the pesticide dieldrin
(a very dangerous organochlorine which is no longer used because of
its detrimental effect on the environment), had been kept for some
years in a pesticide store with a leaking roof. The drum lids had
partially rusted and corroded. When, in order to inspect outdated
drums at the rear of the store, a storekeeper's assistant climbed up
and jumped across the drums at the front, the lid of one gave way as
he landed on it. The assistant plunged down into the dieldrin
solution which came up to his waist. Within a few hours he had died
of poisoning as a result of pesticide inhalation and absorption
through the skin.