Pesticides banned in some countries are legally poisoning farmers in developing countries because of misguided export laws. Agricultural workers in rural Brazil have suffered devastating health conditions because of pesticides shipped from Britain, according to The Guardian.
What's happening?
Chemical pesticides banned in the United Kingdom are still making their way to other countries, putting people's health at serious risk. For example, Brazilian farmers are ingesting diquat exported from the U.K.
Diquat is a weed killer that can cause vomiting, blindness, organ damage, and death, according to The Guardian. It is banned on British and EU farms because of its significant risks to farm workers, nearby residents, and birds.
However, a loophole in the legal system allows chemical manufacturers to continue making diquat in U.K. factories and shipping it to nations with less stringent environmental regulations.
"It's beyond belief that this is apparently happening lawfully," Green Party MP for Brighton Pavillion Siân Berry told The Guardian.
Why are pesticide regulations important?
Health and labor advocates are calling for an end to exporting pesticides banned in their countries of origin. Pesticide producers exploit workers and engage in unethical business practices when they put people at risk for corporate gain.
Marcos Orellana, the U.N. special rapporteur on toxics and human rights, told The Guardian that exporting banned pesticides to the developing world was a form of "modern-day exploitation."
If chemical products are deemed too toxic to use in one country, they are too dangerous to use anywhere. Farm workers aren't even safe using diquat while wearing personal protective equipment, according to the European Food Safety Authority.
"It seems that for countries that produce and export banned pesticides, the life and health of people in recipient countries is not as important as their own citizens," Orellana told The Guardian.
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What's being done about pesticide poisoning risks?
Fortunately, there are alternatives to toxic pesticides that encourage crop growth without harming human health. According to the Pesticide Action Network, they include thermal weeding, controlled grazing, and living mulches.
Some nations, including Belgium and France, have already stopped exporting pesticides that are banned in their countries. Now is the time for other nations to follow suit to protect workers' health, support the biodiversity of global lands, and promote sustainable agriculture.
Even in your own yard, you can do your part to reduce pesticide use.
Simply planting basil in your garden can naturally deter pests without chemicals. Meanwhile, managing weeds can be efficiently accomplished using vinegar, boiling water, wood chips, cardboard, mulch, or rocks as natural alternatives.
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