Detoxifying agriculture and health from highly hazardous pesticides: a call for action

While all pesticides can be dangerous when used inappropriately, highly hazardous pesticides are of particular concern due to the severe adverse effects they can cause to human health and the environment. Even though they constitute only a minor share of all authorized pesticides, they can cause the most harm. With ad-equate investment in scaling-up existing and new ecological alternatives for pest control, pesticides that pose unacceptable risk to humans and the environment can be phased out from agriculture and other use sectors.

 

Pesticides are inherently hazardous, and among them, a small number of highly hazardous pesticides cause disproportionate harm to the environment and human health. There is particular concern in developing countries, where controls on the conditions of use are constrained.