Chemicals & Pesticides

Chemical substances are used in humanitarian programmes for a number of important activities such as the provision of clean drinking water and energy. A particular subset of chemicals are pesticides, which are used to manage pests causing damage or destruction to crops, forest plantations and domestic animals. In humanitarian action, pesticides are used to control pests in agriculture and food aid shipments, but also to control vectors such as malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Synthetic pesticides are grouped into herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, rodenticides and other chemical controls. While pesticides provide important benefits when it comes to avoiding damage, their use is associated with a number of significant hazards and complexities. If not properly managed, pesticides can cause unintended and harmful health and environmental effects, including acute effects to human health, chronic exposure resulting in increased risk of disease, environmental contamination of soil and water, effects on non-target organisms, disruption of natural pest controls and resistance to chemicals.

The following steps should be taken when using pesticides in a humanitarian programme:

• Seek to avoid use of pesticides in supported activities. Where recourse to pesticide use is deemed necessary, adopt safe, effective and environmentally sound pest management in accordance with the WHO/FAO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide. Make use of the chemical safety data sheet to understand the acute and chronic toxic effects associated with a certain substance, and which details appropriate safety measures.
• Involve pesticide and health specialists when designing pesticide interventions. Consider the space and time scale of the humanitarian intervention (the longer the use, the higher risk for damage to soil, water and humans).
• Utilize Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Vector Management (IVM) approaches, developing a pest management plan detailing how risks will be minimized. IPM is an ecosystem approach to crop production and protection that combines different management strategies and practices to grow healthy crops and minimize the use of pesticides.
• Determine which pesticides are banned or subject to restrictions in your country of operation. Do not supply or use pesticides that contain active ingredients that are banned or restricted under applicable international treaties and agreements, or meet the criteria of carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, or reproductive toxicity as set forth by relevant international agencies. Note that pesticides may be banned for agricultural purposes but permitted for use in disease control.
• Explore alternative options for pest management, such as cultural methods (rotating crops or using resistant varieties), mechanical methods (destroying pests by hand or using heat/cold), biological (protecting natural enemies of pests), genetic (releasing genetically incompatible pests) or regulatory (imposing quarantines). Note that the switch from chemical controls to other methods may be taken over a period of time, and that a programme needs to be developed which combines a mixture of cost-effective and sustainable measures for pest control.
• Train those handling pesticides to do so in a proper and safe manner, utilizing appropriate application equipment and adequate personal protective equipment.