{"id":37276,"date":"2024-12-19T00:01:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T05:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=37276"},"modified":"2024-12-19T10:26:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T15:26:05","slug":"37276","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2024\/12\/37276\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly Poisoning of Dozens of Children in South Africa Highlights Global Pesticide Threat to Human Life\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

(<\/span>Beyond Pesticides<\/span>,<\/span> December <\/span>19<\/span>, 2024) As <\/span>The New York Times<\/span><\/i> reported<\/a><\/span> last month<\/span>, the government in South Africa declared a national emergency\u201423 children died and <\/span>nearly 900<\/span> people were sickened from <\/span>pesticide poisoning in Johannesburg\u2019s Soweto township. The illnesses and fatalities have been traced to <\/span>small amounts<\/span> of highly <\/span>neuro<\/span>toxic pesticides, <\/span>including<\/span> the insecticides<\/span> terbufos<\/a><\/span> and <\/span>aldicarb<\/a><\/span>, found in local food items. These chemicals, <\/span>described<\/span><\/span><\/a> by South African President Cyril <\/span>Ramaphosa<\/span> as \u201cstreet pesticides,\u201d are being increasingly used (legally and illegally) <\/span>for<\/span> pest<\/span> infestations in the <\/span>townships<\/span> and <\/span>informal<\/a><\/span> settlements<\/span> of South Africa\u2019s poorest <\/span>communities<\/a><\/span>, where <\/span>poverty and <\/span>inadequate waste collection <\/span>exacerbates<\/span> the <\/span>pest management challenges<\/span>. Without formal electricity, running water, or municipal garbage collection, many residents rely on highly toxic pesticides for pest infestations in their <\/span>homes and <\/span>makeshift markets, resulting in food inadvertently being <\/span>contaminated<\/a><\/span> with pesticides.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"The<\/span> announcement<\/a><\/span> highlights the dangers of allowing these highly toxic agricultural chemicals to be used in <\/span>farming<\/span>, with tragic consequences for vulnerable communities when they are diverted for use in urban settings. <\/span>Th<\/span>is<\/span> tragic situation also <\/span>draws attention<\/span> to the elevated threat that pesticides pose when stringent <\/span>enforcement mechanisms are not in place to <\/span>ensure compliance <\/span>with pesticide restrictions<\/span>, even with the recognition that rest<\/span>rictions themselves are not necessarily adequate to protect the public\u2019s health. <\/span>Despite government plans to regulate small, informal stores known as \u201c<\/span>spaza<\/span> shops<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> ad<\/span>vocates argue <\/span>that<\/span>, in <\/span>addition<\/span> to addressing the <\/span>vestiges of apartheid, <\/span>systemic poverty<\/span>,<\/span> and <\/span>inhumane living conditions<\/span> in <\/span>informal <\/span>settlements<\/span>,<\/span> the South African <\/span>government<\/span> sh<\/span>ould<\/span> ban<\/span> toxic pesticides in agriculture<\/span> to \u201cget hazardous pesticides off the street.\u201d [The government <\/span>announced<\/span><\/span><\/a> immediate <\/span>plans to <\/span>inspect all <\/span>registered South African <\/span>t<\/span>erbufos<\/span> manufacturers <\/span>to<\/span> ensure<\/span> that<\/span> practices are in p<\/span>lace to<\/span> prevent <\/span>the <\/span>diversion <\/span>of farm pesticides <\/span>to non<\/span>agricultural markets<\/span>. Regulations on the traceability, repackaging, disposal, and sale of pesticides, insecticides, and food products will be <\/span>reviewed<\/span>.<\/span> Additionally, the Department of Agriculture \u201c… is in the process of reviewing and updating all relevant legislation with respect to the regulation and <\/span>authorisation<\/span> of agricultural pesticides for use in South Africa.\u201d<\/span>]<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span>s reported, at least <\/span>23<\/span> children<\/span>\u00a0died<\/span> as of the end of November<\/span>, including six young children in an incident <\/span>of e<\/span>ating contaminated snacks in Naledi, Soweto<\/span>. <\/span>South Africa\u2019s National Institute for Communicable Diseases investigated <\/span>this incident<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span> attributed the deaths to <\/span>traces of <\/span>terbufos<\/span> identified<\/span> in a <\/span>s<\/span>nack.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The organophosphate <\/span>t<\/span>erbufos<\/span> can be<\/span> lethal <\/span>if ingested, inhaled, or through contact with skin, and, as President <\/span>Ramaphosa<\/span> wrote<\/a> <\/span>the following <\/span>in his November 15<\/span> address to the country<\/span>:<\/span> \u201c<\/span>E<\/span>ven as our investigations are ongoing, it is critical to understand that this is not a problem confined to <\/span>spaza<\/span> shops and other informal traders. The unregulated use of restricted pesticides in communities has become a growing problem, with devastating consequences\u2026 In many townships, another chemical, aldicarb, and an organophosphate known as <\/span>Galephirimi<\/span>, ar<\/span>e <\/span>commonly <\/span>sold by street vendors and hawkers to control rat infestations. Aldicarb has been banned for use in South Africa since 2016.\u201d However, <\/span>public health <\/span>advocates argue that the <\/span>government\u2019s <\/span>position does not go far enough<\/span> (see <\/span>here, <\/a>here<\/a><\/span>, and <\/span>here<\/a><\/span>)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In South Africa, tens of thousands of farmworkers are put at risk annually when they are exposed to highly toxic pesticides, including <\/span>the car<\/span>bamate insecticide <\/span>aldicarb, often without proper personal protective <\/span>eq<\/span>uipment<\/span>. In response, a partnership between <\/span>Women on Farms Project<\/a><\/span> and Oxfam (in South Africa and Germany) launched a \u201cDouble Standards Pesticides\u201d <\/span>campaign<\/a><\/span> in 2019 to pressure the government of South Africa to ban 67 pesticides already banned in the European Union. As Beyond Pesticides has previously <\/span>reported<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> t<\/span>he <\/span>Women on Farms Project has organized protests in South Africa to demand an end to the indiscriminate import<\/span>ation<\/span> and use of these <\/span>insecticides<\/span>, herbicides, and fungicides. More recently, over 150 farm<\/span>workers, primarily women, marched to the German Consulate-General to demand an end to the <\/span>country\u2019s <\/span>export<\/span>ation<\/span> of pesticides that the country has determined are too dangerous for <\/span>their own d<\/span>omestic use<\/span> (see <\/span>here<\/a><\/span> and <\/span>here<\/a><\/span>). The<\/span> South African protesters have called attention to what they describe as the hypocritical practices of European and U.S. agrochemical companies, which sell products in developing countries <\/span>deemed<\/span> unsafe for use in their own regions. Farmworkers have voiced their health concerns linked to petrochemical exposure, chanting, \u201cWe\u2019re dying of asthma, we\u2019re dying of cancer, we\u2019re dying of heart attacks.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite these efforts, including the <\/span>march to the German Consulate-General and another at the South African headquarters of Bayer\u2014the German corporation responsible for producing and exporting these agrochemicals\u2014there has yet to be any <\/span>significant change<\/span> to these harmful practices. Bayer’s <\/span>updated<\/span><\/span><\/a> website highlights products such as<\/span> the fungicide<\/span> Antracol 70 WP<\/a> <\/span>(<\/span>Propineb<\/span>)<\/span> and insecticides <\/span>Biscaya 240 OD<\/a><\/span> (<\/span>Thiacloprid<\/span>), <\/span>Confidor<\/a><\/span> (<\/span>Imidacloprid<\/span>), and <\/span>Gaucho<\/a><\/span> (<\/span>Imidacloprid<\/span>)<\/span>\u2014<\/span>all of which are banned in the European Union (EU) but remain available for purchase in South Africa. These chemicals, in addition to product mixtures <\/span>containing<\/span> th<\/span>e weed killer <\/span>paraquat and <\/span>terbufos<\/span>, are commonly employed in the region. The blatant sales of EU-prohibited and U.S.-banned substances in the Global South underscores that the ratification of international agreements<\/span> (most of which the U.S. has not ratified)<\/span> can sometimes be more symbolic than impactful.\u202fWithout a global regulatory framework to manage such pesticides’ transport, storage, and use, these practices foster international dependency on hazardous chemicals in agriculture.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond Pesticides, in alignment with public health and environmental advocates, argue<\/span>s<\/span> that <\/span>the <\/span>regulation of petrochemical pesticides, even a global framework, will <\/span>not provide<\/a><\/span> a solution that <\/span>addresses<\/span> the enormous scope of the harm pesticides cause. <\/span>The<\/span> sale of pesticides <\/span>deemed<\/span> so hazardous they are banned in wealthier, <\/span>predominantly Western<\/span> countries <\/span>represents<\/span> a double standard that reflects a \u201clower value on lives and ecosystems in poorer nations.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the systemic injustices <\/span>observed<\/span> in South Africa parallel the challenges faced in the U.S. agricultural sector, like in California\u2019s Central Valley and Florida\u2019s citrus groves<\/span>,<\/span> where farmworkers face some of the lowest wages and harshest conditions, including exposure to toxic pesticides (see <\/span>examples<\/span> here<\/span><\/span><\/a>, <\/span>here<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> and<\/span> here<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> including aldicarb use in citrus crops). These practices perpetuate environmental racism in agricultural work, with pesticide exposure, drift, and tainted water supplies compounding health risks for farmworkers and those <\/span>residing<\/span> in farming-intensive regions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on environmental racism in South Africa, see the <\/span>talk of Marcos Orellana<\/span>, PhD<\/span><\/span><\/a> (See <\/span>2023 <\/span>Foru<\/span>m, session <\/span>2<\/span>)<\/span>,<\/span> the United Nations Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights<\/span>. Dr. <\/span>Orellana<\/span>, <\/span>an expert in international law and the law on human rights and the environment<\/span>, issued UN <\/span>reports in <\/span>South Africa<\/a><\/span> and <\/span>Australia<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> captur<\/span>ing<\/span> the significance of his work for environmental justice. Dr. <\/span>Orellana<\/span> teaches at the American University Washington College of Law<\/span>. <\/span>Dr. <\/span>Orellana<\/span> said, \u201cThe term ‘environmental racism’ describes institutionalized discrimination based on race or <\/span>colour<\/span>. In pre-1994 South Africa, the distribution of environmental risks and harms disproportionately and often deliberately targeted low-income groups and along racial lines. Today, despite the efforts by Government in setting up institutions and laws to address this legacy of environmental racism, pervasive air, water, and chemical pollution still imposes a heavy toll, especially on disadvantaged communities. Overcoming it will require significant additional efforts, including structural, legislative, economic, and environmental changes.”\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pesticide exports from U.S. manufacturers also contribute to the dangerous global impact of these toxic chemicals. As Beyond Pesticides <\/span>reported<\/a><\/span>, a 2024 Brookings <\/span>study<\/span><\/span><\/a> by Nathan <\/span>Donley<\/span>, PhD,<\/span> and Robert Bullard<\/span>, PhD<\/span> found that between 2015 and 2019, the U.S. exported unapproved pesticides <\/span>containing<\/span> neurotoxic organophosphates and carbamates to 42 nations. Notably, 81% of these recipient countries were <\/span>low-to-middle-income nations<\/a><\/span>, and 78% were estimated to experience pesticide poisoning among more than 30% of their agricultural workforce each year. <\/span>The 201<\/span>5 <\/span>documentary<\/a> Circle of Poison<\/i><\/a><\/span>\u2014f<\/span>eaturing <\/span>Beyond Pesticides\u2019 <\/span>e<\/span>xecutive <\/span>d<\/span>irector Jay Feldman<\/span> and l<\/span>u<\/span>minaries <\/span>i<\/span>ncluding <\/span>Vandana Shiva, Noam Chomsky, and President Jimmy Carter<\/span>\u2014<\/span>also <\/span>focus<\/span>es<\/span> on the toxic pesticide export issue. It <\/span>documents<\/span> the <\/span>power of the <\/span>global<\/span> pesticide industry <\/span>in<\/span> shaping regulations (or lack thereof) and the <\/span>dependency <\/span>on petrochemical pesticides<\/span> in<\/span> food and farming around the world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[<\/span>T<\/span>he need to halt such exports<\/span> stems from the concept of the<\/span> “circle of poison,” where banned pesticides are exported, used abroad, and returned as residues on imported foods, contaminating domestic food supplies. These practices perpetuate environmental <\/span>injustice<\/span>, disproportionately affecting populations in developing nations and marginalized communities globally, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) populations in the U.S., who already face higher levels<\/a><\/span> of pesticide exposure.<\/span>]<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Banned pesticides, often referred to as \u201clegacy chemicals,\u201d continue to harm agricultural workers decades later. Substances like DDT, DBCP, and PFAS\u2014long banned or restricted\u2014still affect human health and ecosystems today. <\/span>T<\/span>his is not merely a historical issue but an ongoing crisis, as new toxic chemicals are introduced, used, and exported, with their full impacts often emerging years later (see <\/span>here<\/a><\/span> and <\/span>here<\/a><\/span>). The seemingly intractable problem of toxic pesticide exports remains unabated as the vested economic interests in the petroleum and chemical industry keep their grip on the chemical-intensive agriculture pesticide treadmill. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To address this challenge, Beyond Pesticides urgently<\/a><\/span> calls for global collaboration to reframe the public debate and advocacy towards holistic systems change via support for organic land management. Global or national regulatory structures continue to <\/span>fail to<\/span> adequately protect human life and health, or the environment, and the price is too high to trust laws or enforcement can overcome industrial agriculture, pesticide and petrochemical industries<\/span>,<\/span> and their profit motive. A holistic solution that <\/span>eliminates<\/span> reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides exists and U.S. organic certification and underlying principles <\/span>serve as a model for<\/span> a<\/span> global shift in agriculture that prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and the elimination of toxic chemicals.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The tragic and unnecessary deaths of <\/span>twenty-three<\/span> children in South Africa from pesticide exposure are a stark reminder of the urgent need for change<\/span>.<\/span> While it is too late to reverse the cloc<\/span>k <\/span>for those who have already suffered, decisive action can prevent future harm. American readers can call on legislators and regulatory agencies, particularly EPA, to end the export of pesticides banned or deregistered domestically.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Advocate for the elimination of hazardous chemicals by <\/span>urging U.S. senators<\/a><\/span> to ratify the Stockholm Convention and <\/span>requir<\/span>e<\/span> EPA to classify persistent toxic petrochemical pesticides as unreasonable environmental risks as aligned with the <\/span>Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act<\/span><\/i> (FIFRA). Visit Beyond Pesticides\u2019 <\/span>Agricultural Justice<\/a><\/span> webpage to learn more!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As 2024 draws to a close, our team<\/span> welcome<\/span>s<\/span> you to raise your voice and join us in forging a path to a livable future<\/span>!<\/span> For more <\/span>information on Beyon<\/span>d Pesticides\u2019 programs, please the newly-released<\/span>\u00a0Annual Report<\/a> <\/span>featured on our website!\u202f<\/p>\n

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides. <\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Feature image: View from Kliptown Youth Program<\/span> Centre in Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa. Secondary image: Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Photos by Beyond Pesticides’ Community Policy and Action Manager, Rika Gopinath.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sources<\/span><\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In South Africa, Food Poisoning Kills at Least 23 Children<\/a>, <\/span>The New York Times, <\/span><\/i>November 23, 2024<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exported Toxicity: The EU’s Banned Pesticides in South Africa<\/span><\/span><\/a>, Women on Farms Project, editor, solidar.org, February 2024<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Government\u2019s toxic malaise causes poisonings, not <\/span><\/span>spaza shops<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>The Mail & Guardian, <\/span><\/i>November 7, 2024\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bayer\u2019s Use of EU-Forbidden Pesticides Ignites Protest in South Africa<\/a><\/span>, Beyond Pesticides <\/span>Daily News<\/span><\/i>, September 19, 2023<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Child and adolescent mortality associated with pesticide toxicity in Cape Town, South Africa, 2010\u20132019: a retrospective case review<\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/span>BMC Public Health<\/span>, April 2023\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. Exportation of Banned and Highly Restricted Pesticides Continues to Inflict Serious Harm<\/a><\/span> Beyond Pesticides <\/span>Daily News<\/span><\/i>, August 5, 2022<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where Do Pesticides Banned in Europe Go? Mostly to Poorer Countries, While Two-Thirds of Those Sent to Richer Countries Head for the U.S.<\/span><\/span><\/a>, Beyond Pesticides <\/span>Daily News<\/span><\/i>, September 25, 2020<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, December 19, 2024) As The New York Times reported last month, the government in South Africa declared a national emergency\u201423 children died and nearly 900 people were sickened from pesticide poisoning in Johannesburg\u2019s Soweto township. The illnesses and fatalities have been traced to small amounts of highly neurotoxic pesticides, including the insecticides terbufos and aldicarb, found in local food items. These chemicals, described by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as \u201cstreet pesticides,\u201d are being increasingly used (legally and illegally) for pest infestations in the townships and informal settlements of South Africa\u2019s poorest communities, where poverty and inadequate waste collection exacerbates the pest management challenges. Without formal electricity, running water, or municipal garbage collection, many residents rely on highly toxic pesticides for pest infestations in their homes and makeshift markets, resulting in food inadvertently being contaminated with pesticides.\u00a0 The announcement highlights the dangers of allowing these highly toxic agricultural chemicals to be used in farming, with tragic consequences for vulnerable communities when they are diverted for use in urban settings. This tragic situation also draws attention to the elevated threat that pesticides pose when stringent enforcement mechanisms are not in place to ensure compliance with pesticide restrictions, even with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,134,158,371,350,629,60,215,277,71,68,244,35,10,24,521,313,162,414,326,1,544],"tags":[459,1163,1975,744,706,1971,609,1976,939,1974,1073,1972,1176,600,988,644,1973,936,1977],"class_list":["post-37276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-aldicarb","category-bayer","category-children","category-contamination-2","category-death","category-environmental-justice","category-farmworkers","category-food-borne-illness","category-imidacloprid","category-monsanto","category-organophosphate","category-paraquat","category-pesticide-regulation","category-pests","category-poisoning","category-rodenticide","category-rodents","category-terbufos","category-thiacloprid","category-uncategorized","category-united-nations","tag-agriculture","tag-aldicarb","tag-circle-of-poison","tag-death","tag-environmental-justice","tag-export","tag-farmworkers","tag-galephirimi","tag-insecticides","tag-orellana","tag-pesticide-exposure","tag-pesticide-poisoning","tag-pesticide-regulation","tag-pesticides","tag-poisoning","tag-public-health","tag-ramaphosa","tag-south-africa","tag-terbufos"],"yoast_head":"\nDeadly Poisoning of Dozens of Children in South Africa Highlights Global Pesticide Threat to Human Life\u00a0\u00a0 - 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