RESULTS of a Department of Health (DOH) study said aerial spraying is hazardous to humans.

An official statement from DOH contained the decision of the DOH executive committee in their meeting last August 24 that approved and adopted the recommendations of the study done in 2006 by the DOH, Philippine Society Clinical Occupational Toxicology Inc., and UP-National Poison Management and Control Center.

Sun.Star accepts donations for victims of Typhoon Ondoy

The statement was signed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Undersecretaries Alexander Padilla, David Lozada Jr., Mario Villaverde, and assistant secretaries Nemesio Gako, Lydia Fernandez, Elmer Punzalan, and Paulyn Jean Ubial.

The recommendations urged the Department of Agriculture to stop "aerial spraying."

Other recommendations include:

(a) The industry establishes a health surveillance system to detect effects of chronic pesticide exposure in communities adjacent to the banana and other agricultural plantations. Include more detailed neurodevelopmental assessment of children, follow up of previously diagnosed conditions, screening for sentinel conditions, periodic screening of biomarkers and allocate the necessary funds. The DOH as regulatory agency will validate findings.

(b) Based on the Philippine Environmental Impact System (PD 1586), the industry shall perform systematic and periodic monitoring of pesticide residues and metabolites in the environment of communities adjacent to banana and other agricultural plantations and do remediation where necessary. The responsible agencies shall provide oversight function.

(c) Government and industry should develop and strengthen guidelines for protecting communities from pesticide contamination in plantations.

(d) Acute and chronic pesticide exposures can result in harm to both health and environment; hence, a shift to organic farming techniques should be considered.

(e) Given the results generated by the joint DOH-PSCOT-NPMCC study, and in the light of the precautionary principle espoused by the Rio Declaration of which the Philippines is a signatory, we urge the Department of Agriculture that aerial spraying must be stopped until proof of its safety is clearly established by the industry.

The said recommendations are grounded on previous accounts on the matter, specifically:

(1) The technical review commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the health effects attributed to pesticide exposure and spray drift;

(2) The voluminous evidence shown that fungicides such as mancozeb and chlorothalonil cause acute health effects and chronic effects to workers and communities living near plantations;

(3) That drift is unavoidable whenever pesticides are applied;

(4) Aerial spraying has been banned in certain countries because of concerns on drift and its potential effects.

(5) The Food and Agriculture Organization's Guidelines on Good Practice for Aerial Application of Pesticides stipulates that "risk management measures should be implemented and enforced in order to minimize the risk of harm to health and the environment from aerial application of pesticides and also includes guideline to alternative pesticide use such as natural and applied control measures"; and

(6) In an official communication to (Duque), the WHO Philippine Office cited significant comments from the experts' technical review indicating support for surveillance, environmental monitoring, banning of aerial spraying, and further epidemiological study on health effects of pesticides usage. It was also cited that aerial application of pesticides have shown to mostly reach non-target sites and communities. (JCZ)