Women plantation workers poisoned by toxic pesticides: study

comments     Kevin Tan     Published     Updated

Two non-governmental organisations today called for a ban on paraquat and other toxic pesticides as plantation workers exposed to them suffered poisoning and developed serious medical conditions.

Tenaganita and Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN-AP) said those affected were women plantation workers who sprayed these toxic pesticides.

The NGOs said this in a statement which detailed the findings of their recent study of pesticides poisoning in plantations.

The study was conducted in 17 plantations in Selangor, Perak, Kedah and involved 72 women plantation workers.

Through a process of consultation, survey and daily monitoring, it was found that the women suffered common symptoms.

It was noted that the women suffered from fatigue, vomiting, back pain, giddiness, difficulty in breathing, skin problems, nausea, eye irritation, headache, tight feeling in the chest, swelling, and burning sensation in the vagina By the end of the study, six women were sent for referral to hospitals for treatment of severe medical problems. They were found to be anaemic which increases their vulnerability to poisoning, said Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez.

The study confirmed that pesticide poisoning occurs when the persons tested have lower acetyl cholinesterase enzyme level in their blood.

The enzyme levels of the selected sprayers increased after a one-month break from spraying the pesticides.

Commonly used

The most commonly used pesticide in local plantations was paraquat, which is classified in Malaysia as Class I (extremely hazardous) pesticides.

The study also noted that oil palm plantation was expected to rise from 2.7 million hectares in 1998 to 4.3 million hectares in 2020, with a subsequent rise in the use of agrochemicals.

Paraquat usage is expected to rise from 5 million litres in 2000 to 7.4 million litres in 2020.

Fernandez blamed the poisoning of the women and their communities in the plantation on the indifference and negligence of the plantation and pesticides industry. She also chided the government for not playing an effective role in preventing the problem.

If the Malaysian government had, through its enforcement agencies, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health and the Pesticides Board, effectively implemented the laws, the women would not have suffered, she said.

Meanwhile, PAN-AP executive director Sarojeni V Rengam explained that the problems faced by the women were highlighted to all the relevant government agencies, but the situation has not improved.

We urge the Pesticides Board to seriously address pesticides poisoning of plantation workers, she said.

Reiterating its campaign against the pesticide industry, the NGOs singled out Syngenta, which is one of the producers of paraquat, claiming that the world largest agribusiness company was irresponsible in its promotion of hazardous pesticides.

We call on organisations, unions and people to support the campaign so that women, in particular women workers in the plantations, will no longer be poisoned by these chemicals.



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