Pesticide regulations and farm worker safety: the need to improve pesticide regulations in Viet Nam

• Published in: Bulletin of the World Health Organization Vol. 90; no. 6; pp. 468 - 473
• Main Authors: TRI PHUNG, Dung, CONNELL, Des, MILLER, Greg, RUTHERFORD, Shannon, CHU, Cordia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Genève Organisation mondiale de la santé 01.06.2012; World Health Organization; The World Health Organization
• Subjects: Agricultural chemicals; Agriculture; Agriculture - legislation & jurisprudence; Agriculture - standards; Biological and medical sciences; Comparative analysis; Control; Developing countries; Environmental health; Export-import trade; Farming; Farms; Farmworkers; General aspects; Government Regulation; Health; Health Policy; Health Policy & Services; Humans; Labeling; LDCs; Legislation; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Occupational Exposure - legislation & jurisprudence; Occupational Exposure - prevention & control; Occupational Exposure - standards; Occupational Health - legislation & jurisprudence; Occupational Health - standards; Occupational medicine; Occupational safety; Pesticides; Poisoning; Policy & Practice; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Registration; Regulation; Risk Assessment - methods; Rural development; United States; United States Environmental Protection Agency; United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration; Vietnam; Websites; Asia; Vietnam; United States; United States > US; Improvement; Need; Regulation(control); Work safety; Pesticides; Tropical medicine; Occupational medicine; Public health; Farming; WHO
• ISSN: 0042-9686; 1564-0604
• DOI: 10.2471/BLT.11.096578

Agricultural pesticide use in Viet Nam has more than tripled since 1990. However, pesticide legislation and regulations have not been developed in response to this large increase in usage, as a result of which pesticides pose a serious threat to human health and the environment. This paper identifies the need to improve pesticide regulations in Viet Nam through a comparative analysis of pesticide regulations in Viet Nam and the United States of America, where the rate of acute poisoning among agricultural workers is much lower than in Viet Nam and where information pertaining to pesticide regulations is made accessible to the public. The analysis identified several measures that would help to improve Viet Nam's pesticide regulations. These include enhancing pesticide legislation, clarifying the specific roles and active involvement of both the environmental and health sectors; performing a comprehensive risk-benefit evaluation of pesticide registration and management practices; improving regulations on pesticide suspension and cancellation, transport, storage and disposal; developing import and export policies and enhancing pesticide-related occupational safety programmes.