South Africa is still using at least 10 pesticides that have been banned elsewhere in the world.
The Institute for Zero Waste in Africa (IZWA) and other sources agree that one of the reoccurring myths is that adequate food production is not possible without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. So if we can produce food without using harmful pesticides, why is this practice continuing?
According to the South African Independent Media Centre (IMC) all agricultural chemicals (pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers etc) have to be registered with the National Department of Agriculture under a very outdated Act 36 of 1947. That means that a worrying 63 years outdates the pesticide legislation. While Act 36 of 1947 makes it clear that the use of the chemical in question has to be as per the conditions laid down within the “product label”, the National Dept of Agriculture seems unable (or unwilling) to enforce the terms and conditions of the Act in question. This has left the doors wide open for abuse by farmers and their pesticide suppliers.
What can it do to you?
Examples of some highly toxic ones are Dichlorvos, Dursban, Thioflo and Dicarzol. Dichlorvos and Dursban are organophosphate poisons that are specifically designed to attack the central nervous system, says the IMC. Thioflo contains Endosulphan, which is highly toxic and there is evidence that an entire village in India was poisoned by it. Dicarzol is a highly toxic Carbamate poison.
At least 150 cases of acute pesticide poisonings are reported annually in SA Common symptoms of exposure to pesticides include skin rashes and irritation, headaches, nausea, vertigo, heart palpitations, depression, chronic fatigue, aching joints and arthritis-like symptoms.
So what can you do?
- Support the organic industry. According to the IZWA, organic food production produces four times more food per hectare, and up to 10 times the income, but as it is more labour intensive, is avoided by highly mechanised, profit-driven agro-industry.
- Jump up and down. Muna Lakhani, IZWA national coordinator says “by jumping up and down, you expose your body to about 2 g-forces (force of gravity) which allows accumulated toxins to pass from where they are stored amorphously in fat and protein.”
- Use charcoal to absorb toxins. Lakhani suggests charcoal can remove toxins from your body. For a free list of practical alternatives email: admin@izwa.org.za or phone 031 202 4576
Some pesticides used in SA, although they are banned elsewhere
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Pesticide |
Impact |
Uses |
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Methyl Bromide |
Health hazards and harmful effects to the ozone layer |
Soil sterilisation; (seed production, strawberries, almonds) Use curtailed by the Montreal Protocol |
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Triforine (Effekto Funginex, Effekto Rosecare and Wonder Fungi Gun) |
Possible harmful effects on sexual development. The chemical can be absorbed through breathing and through the skin. Tests on animals exposed to it showed severe cornea damage, as well as permanent clouding of vision. |
Roses, trees, herbaceous plants, woody shrubs, vines |
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Chlorpyrifos and Kombat Chlorphrifos); Dursban |
A chemical linked to male and female genital deformities. |
Apples, strawberries, dog collars, cat collars, lawns, roach sprays, mosquito foggers, most pests in crops |
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Dimethoate (Effekto Aphicide) |
Damage to the nervous system. Can be absorbed through inhalation, oral ingestion and skin penetration. |
Sugar beet, carrots, apples, pears |
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Dichlorprop |
Which is alleged to be poisonous to carious animals and birds – not for domestic use |
Broad spectrum (kills lots) postemergence herbicide |
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Gamma BHC aka Lindane (Effekto Woodborer) |
Gamma BHC can be absorbed thorugh oral ingestion and through the skin |
Sugar beet, strawberries |
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Procymidon |
- |
Grapes, apples, pears & tomatoes |
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Dichloride Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT) |
Insecticide to control mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Mothers tested in South Africa’s rural areas have pesticides, including DDT, in their breast milk |
Malaria control in SA |
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Dichlorvos |
Organophosphate poisons that are specifically designed to attack the central nervous system |
Cotton, dates, greenhouses, horticulture, mushroom, ornamentals, vegetables, ‘general use”, dairy and meat animals |
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Thioflo – Endosulfan (Karate, Bulldock, others) |
Contains Endosulfan which is highly toxic and poisoned an entire village in India: Insecticide, acaricide. Highly toxic, endocrine disruptor, impacts on bees |
Vegetables, moths, blackcurrants, strawberries, rice, cotton, various insects, wood preservation, home gardening |
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Dicarzol |
Is a highly toxic Carbamate poison |
Vegetables; tree fruit; nuts; perennials and annuals |
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Toxaphene |
Insecticide, acaricide |
Cotton, mielies, vegetables, grains, for lice, fleas, ticks, mange, scab mitescereals, soybeans, livestock, e.g. Africa; pineapples, bananas |
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Paraquat |
Acutely toxic, highly toxic to animals; lings, liver, etc. |
Fruit, coffee, cocoa, coconut, oil, palm, rubber, banana, vines, olive, tea, many vegetables |
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