From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#2 (October 1997), Briefs page

Across Africa, obsolete pesticides pose threat to health

There may be more than 20,000 tons of obsolete pesticides in Africa, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). And stocks are growing because the continent has no environmentally sound disposal facilities. FAO adds that donor countries, aid agencies, agrochemical companies and African governments are all responsible for the steady accumulation.

"Obsolete pesticide stocks pose a serious threat to public health and the environment," said FAO Agricultural Officer Alemayehu Wodageneh. "In many countries, pesticide containers are kept in the open, containers deteriorate and leak their contents... contaminating soil, water and groundwater. Most stores are in urban areas. Many of these chemicals are so toxic that a few grams could poison thousands of people."

In July FAO said it had disposed of some 370 tons of unused toxic pesticides from Zambia and the Seychelles, as part of a programme to help developing countries clean up this environmental hazard. Storage sites were cleaned and highly dangerous chemicals were shipped to Europe for incineration. Most were unused stocks donated through foreign aid programmes.

The removal cost $1.3 mn, and FAO got financial help from the Dutch government and the German Technical Cooperation Agency. FAO says it will need over $100 mn to dispose of all the obsolete pesticide stocks in Africa. It is currently seeking funding from agrochemical companies to remove 20 tons of dangerous chemicals from the Gambia, 300 tons from Senegal, and 200 tons from Botswana.

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