ERADICATING THE PESTICIDE PROBLEM IN LATIN AMERICA

• Published in: Business and society review (1974) no. 92; pp. 55 - 59
• Main Authors: Tansey, Richard R, Hyman, Michael R, Jacobs, Richard S, Merrill, Lynn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Warren, Gorham & Lamont 01.01.1995; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Agricultural commodities; Agricultural labor; Agricultural policy; Agriculture; Bans; Business community; Consumer protection; Farmworkers; International trade; Latin America; Pesticides; Policy making; Public policy; Toxicity; US imports; United States > US; Latin America
• ISSN: 0045-3609; 1467-8594

Roughly 20% of annual produce sales in the US come from Latin America. Latin America depends on US-banned pesticides. Roughly 10% of the annual $22 billion in global pesticide sales is of such pesticides. The pervasiveness and toxicity of pesticide residues on imported foodstuffs threaten the health of US consumers. Although the true health threat posed by pesticide residues remains uncertain, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks pesticide residues as a leading health problem in the US. Pesticides also threaten the health of Latin American farm workers. Estimates of worldwide pesticide poisoning range from 400,000 to 25 million per annum, and estimates of worldwide pesticide-induced deaths range from 10,000 to 40,000 per annum. More exhaustive efforts to inspect imported foods for pesticide residues are needed. In the US, less than one percent of imported produce is inspected for US-banned pesticides. Some actions that should be considered are: 1. revised Food & Drug Administration procedures, 2. a reconsideration of the new EPA standard, and 3. new legislation.