“Highly Hazardous Pesticides means pesticides that are acknowledged to present particularly high levels of acute or chronic hazards to health or environment according to internationally accepted classification systems such as WHO or GHS or their listing in relevant binding international agreements or conventions. In addition, pesticides that appear to cause severe or irreversible harm to health or the environment under conditions of use in a country may be considered to be and treated as highly hazardous”. (Definition as per International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, adopted by FAO and WHO in 2013). A considerable proportion of the pesticides still being used in the world can be considered highly hazardous, because they have a high acute toxicity, have known chronic toxic effects even at very low exposure levels, or are very persistent in the environment or in organisms, for example. Highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) pose significant risks to human health or the environment.
Toxic pesticides used in mango orchards and floriculture farms in India affect the lives of young children. Who is responsible for their poisoning? Find out in this documentary by PAN Asia Pacific, in cooperation with Society for Rural Education and Development, Sahanivasa and APVVU.
Dr. Romeo Quijano, chairperson of PAN Asia Pacific, has personally witnessed the damaging effects of Highly Hazardous Pesticides on people’s health and the environment over the past decades. He calls for the accountability of pesticide manufacturers and plantation companies for human rights violations related to the use of pesticides.
