Toxic farm chemicals take a toll on lives

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation 

 

 

Nearly 600 people killed annually: NHSO

 

THE effects of widely used farm chemicals have led to at least 1,715 deaths over the past three years.

 

“The deaths of nearly 600 people each year are directly a result of the use of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides,” National Health Security Office (NHSO) secretary-general Dr Sakchai Kanjana-wattana said recently, referring to statistics from the universal healthcare scheme. He said such figures were compiled with clear evidence. 

 

According to him, organophosphate and carbamates insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides send some 5,000 people on average to hospitals each year. Their treatment costs about Bt22 million annually. 

 

“Even with medical help, some have succumbed,” Sakchai said.

 

Dr Sakchai

 

In the 2016 fiscal year, 4,924 people came to hospitals because of toxic effects from farm chemicals. Of them, 1,394 suffered from organophosphate and carbamates insecticides while 2,063 others fell ill because of herbicides and fungicides. The rest developed health problems because of exposure to pesticides. 

 

In Thailand, the fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends on September 30. In fiscal 2017, 4,983 patients in the universal healthcare scheme were treated for toxic effects from dangerous farm chemicals.

 

Organophosphate and carbamates insecticides struck 1,299 of them while herbicides and fungicides harmed 2,234 others. The health problems of the rest arose from pesticides. 

 

From October 1 last year to July this year, such dangerous farm chemicals directly harmed the health of at least 4,000 people, 520 of whom died. “When we look into the details, Health Zone 1 has had the highest number of such cases,” Sakchai said. 

 

Health Zone 1 covers Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Phrae, Nan and Phayao provinces. There are 13 health zones in the country. 

 

Statistics show there were 748 and 750 patients suffering from the toxic effects of farm chemicals in Health Zone 1 in 2016 and 2017 fiscal years respectively. 

 

Sakchai said the danger from farm chemicals could be more extensive in reality considering the statistics compiled by his agency only focused on the direct impact. 

 

“It’s undeniable that these farm chemicals will likely have long-term impacts on people’s health via contaminated crops and the environment too,” he said. 

 

 

According to the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), voluntary blood tests conducted on 612 visitors to a fair on herbs and food between August 29 and September 2 found that they had been contaminated with farm chemicals. 

 

Of those undergoing blood tests, 377 or 61.6 per cent had a risky level of contamination. As many as 118 others or 19.3 per cent had been dangerously contaminated. Some 116 others have been contaminated, but within the safe level. 

 

Of those tested, only one had very little or insignificant level of contamination. 

 

 

The Thai-PAN, in collaboration with the Bang Po Hospital, has carried out these blood tests to remind consumers that farm-chemical toxicity is not a distant threat. 

 

“Let me tell you that contamination is more frequent and higher among consumers, when compared with farmers,” Thai-PAN coordinator Prokchol Ousap said. 

 

She said her organisation would submit test results to the Public Health Ministry for monitoring, and would try to raise the issue with the Agriculture Ministry. 

 

Sakchai said the NHSO was aware of the farm chemicals’ threat and hence supported Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsataya-dorn’s move to push for a total ban on paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos.

 

Though the ministry’s Disease Control Department compiles records of patients suffering from exposure to farm chemicals every year, the figures are still many times lower than what the NHSO has recorded. 

 

This is because the NHSO has received direct information from people suffering from the toxic effects of farm chemicals. 

 

The Public Health Ministry has pushed for a complete ban on paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos since last year. The Hazardous Substance Committee has to date only resolved to ban these widely used farm chemicals in farms that produce household vegetables and herbs. In other words, the ban does not apply to the plantation of economic crops.

 

Deputy Agriculture Minister Wiwat Salyakamthorn, who openly vowed to fight for a total ban at the recent herb and food fair, is reportedly in troubled waters. Rumours during the past week suggested that Wiwat might lose his post because of his remarks relating to farm chemicals. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30354068

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-10

"...Sakchai said the danger from farm chemicals could be more extensive in reality considering the statistics compiled by his agency only focused on the direct impact. 

“It’s undeniable that these farm chemicals will likely have long-term impacts on people’s health via contaminated crops and the environment too,” he said..." 

 

If there are long-term, detrimental health consequences, and you have clear evidence of that (as it seems to be), then stop using them. Just stop using them.

 

It is not a difficult decision and you do not need another committee.

 

Just stop using them.

 

 

Edited September 9, 20187 yr by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

2 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

It is not a difficult decision and you do not need another committee.

 

Just stop using them.

 

If you were to educate a farmer about this he would politely nod, then turn around and continue spraying. A government ban is required and even here there is no will to do this. Interesting that 99.8% of the people test positive for farm chemicals to one extent or another. Yet the reaction is nobody cares. Just "oh" and everyone forgets about it and moves on. A strange world.

 

One of the knock-on effects of the uneducated use of pesticides, is when the corn/maize crops to the north of Chiang Mai are burned in the annual bon-fires.  These last 3 months or longer, and the region is filled with smoke, and the (farang) experts say the smoke contains traces of the over-sprayed chemicals.

I wonder if any research has been done, or made public, as to how the population is affected.

This is a well informed article that should be widely spread - unlike all those chemicals.

 

If only the Thai govt would devote as much attention to this real and pressing problem in their own front yard - one that can be solved relatively quickly and simply - as they are doing to hosting junkets on climate change.

 

 

When you are dirt poor, poorly educated  and this is your livelihood;  with the common monoculture system you would likely have so much pest damage that you will probably not have a crop to sell, what are your options?  Answer:  Go to the temple and pray regularly. Get a protective amulet from temple and pray to Buddha to protect you.   Keep on spraying and hope pray for the best!

 

As Post #2 said, it is a simple decision.  Just stop using them!!!    YES!  AND STARVE TO DEATH!!!!!

 

I'm sorry but, NO,  it is not  a "simple decision"   Far from it in fact.  Also, many dangerous chemicals are marketed with clearly marked "With-holding period instructions " which are routinely ignored because people want to take their veges to the market without bugs and bug damage on them.   So you people in the city are at risk too, even when you breathe or when you buy nice looking bok choy, tomatoes and mini cucumbers.   Washing doesn't always take it off.    And that burn off smoke kills people with asthma every year, with or without it's possible toxic chemical residue.

 

We are trying to move to non chemical solutions on our farm but it is most definitely a highly complex problem as opposed to a simple one.

Come and live in the clean green countryside, everyone, away from all that nasty city pollution.  Yeah, RIGHT!

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Agriculture Minister Wiwat Salyakamthorn, who openly vowed to fight for a total ban at the recent herb and food fair, is reportedly in troubled waters. Rumours during the past week suggested that Wiwat might lose his post because of his remarks relating to farm chemicals. 

Rumours are probably true. The big boys of the chemical companies with their political junta "connections" are not going to stand by and let that happen. Too much money at stake for both of them.

Every chance Deputy Agriculture Minister Wiwat's career path will take a sudden detour. 

Edited September 10, 20187 yr by Cadbury

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

If there are long-term, detrimental health consequences, and you have clear evidence of that (as it seems to be), then stop using them. Just stop using them.

Not as long as some of Thailand's brilliant scientist fork in on fake certificates of non-objection.

Fake news.

Big Pharma has said there is no evidence that the bad chems they sell are bad.

So, must be true. Nothing to see here, move along now.

And the government agree (that'll be a new house in Chang Mai for the Mia Noi, a new Merc 300SL for the Mia Yai and i'll have a new Philippe Patek please)…..

8 hours ago, webfact said:

“The deaths of nearly 600 people each year are directly a result of the use of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides,”

The equivalent of about 2 people killed each day compared to the 60+ killed each day in Thailand traffic.

http://www.searo.who.int/thailand/areas/roadsafety/en/

In perspective a minor price for the sellers of toxic chemicals.

2 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Fake news.

Big Pharma has said there is no evidence that the bad chems they sell are bad.

So, must be true. Nothing to see here, move along now.

And the government agree (that'll be a new house in Chang Mai for the Mia Noi, a new Merc 300SL for the Mia Yai and i'll have a new Philippe Patek please)…..

What has big pharma got to do with farm chemicals?

14 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

What has big pharma got to do with farm chemicals?

 

Who do you think makes farm chemicals if it isn't the big pharma companies in the US and China and even China is cutting back on their use (while still exporting the chemicals).

 

http://www.cirs-reach.com/news-and-articles/List-of-Banned-and-Restricted-Pesticide-Products-in-China.html

 

http://www.cnchemicals.com/Press/90269-Germany's ban on glyphosate is irrelevant for China's industry.html

 

 

Edited September 10, 20187 yr by billd766
added extra text

What has big pharma got to do with farm chemicals?

It's the same companies

Seem to remember something in the news a while back when the inappropriate but "informed" department decided that farmers were in no danger from using one specific fertiliser/insecticide/or something (sorry, have forgotten the name but may have been paraquat).  Now, well this is later, so maybe, just maybe that issue has been pushed under the carpet and forgotten about.  What is of an interesting note is that the person spraying in the photograph does not appear to be wearing any form of mask and not the best protective clothing.

 

'nuf sed.

9 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Fake news.

Big Pharma has said there is no evidence that the bad chems they sell are bad.

So, must be true. Nothing to see here, move along now.

And the government agree (that'll be a new house in Chang Mai for the Mia Noi, a new Merc 300SL for the Mia Yai and i'll have a new Philippe Patek please)…..

Well the "bad chems" are undoubtedly bad enough but would be much less deadly if the users followed directions on mixing and use, observed with-holding period restrictions and wore proper protective clothing, boots, and proper breathing filters during use.   

But they don't and won't, and will continue to die unnecessarily!!!  TIT.  Many still won't wear seat belts or crash helmets either.  Death wish and life is cheap, even their own!!!!

Edited September 10, 20187 yr by The Deerhunter

10 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Fake news.

Big Pharma has said there is no evidence that the bad chems they sell are bad.

So, must be true. Nothing to see here, move along now.

And the government agree (that'll be a new house in Chang Mai for the Mia Noi, a new Merc 300SL for the Mia Yai and i'll have a new Philippe Patek please)…..

Yep...

Follow the corporate/govt mafia profit incentive.

The chemicals wash into the ecosystem and live in the fish, snails bugs & frogs that we eat, as an apex predator humans accumulate these poisons in their body fat & tissue. Then one day that headache or pain in the kidney takes us to the hospital where they diagnose CANCER. Thats the end of you,  or your loved one. The people making the fuss are the heroes and need to be supported by us all

 

A typical Thai problem. The chemicals are a danger to the people, animals, nature  and environment. But nothing happens, because of the big money in the background.

 

Therefore it's not surprising that the vast majority of poor farmers don't receive any education about the danger of these chemicals. Neither learning about the problem  at school, nor giving information by TV (but advertising!).

 

The most annoying, the farmers seem to think that killing the vermin 3 times is better than one time. That means spraying the poison 3 times within a short time.

 

Reporting to the village office is very dangerous. The officers seem to die for laughing.

11 hours ago, billd766 said:

 

Who do you think makes farm chemicals if it isn't the big pharma companies in the US and China and even China is cutting back on their use (while still exporting the chemicals).

 

http://www.cirs-reach.com/news-and-articles/List-of-Banned-and-Restricted-Pesticide-Products-in-China.html

 

http://www.cnchemicals.com/Press/90269-Germany's ban on glyphosate is irrelevant for China's industry.html

 

 

I think you're getting your conspiracy theories mixed up. Big pharma means pharmaceutical companies like Glaxosmithkline who have nothing to do with the pesticides mentioned in the article.

2 hours ago, Tailwagsdog said:

The chemicals wash into the ecosystem and live in the fish, snails bugs & frogs that we eat, as an apex predator humans accumulate these poisons in their body fat & tissue. Then one day that headache or pain in the kidney takes us to the hospital where they diagnose CANCER. Thats the end of you,  or your loved one. The people making the fuss are the heroes and need to be supported by us all

 

Totally agreed to your post.

 

I wonder if those expats who retired in Thailand will have their retirement and life shorten greatly, based on the huge amount of chemicals that they have been ingested by eating all their super delicious food.

Edited September 10, 20187 yr by Bkkthebest

On 9/10/2018 at 6:55 AM, canopy said:

 

If you were to educate a farmer about this he would politely nod, then turn around and continue spraying. A government ban is required and even here there is no will to do this. Interesting that 99.8% of the people test positive for farm chemicals to one extent or another. Yet the reaction is nobody cares. Just "oh" and everyone forgets about it and moves on. A strange world.

 

One reason why it won't be banned by the government... the manufactures have bought themselves a position into the policy making fraternity & own the right people in the right places...
Nothing will stop profit making or corruption in Thailand... not even death!

55 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

One reason why it won't be banned by the government... the manufactures have bought themselves a position into the policy making fraternity & own the right people in the right places...
Nothing will stop profit making or corruption in Thailand... not even death!

If all of the Thais unite together to go against this chemical practices, i don't think the govt can handle that and go for the ban right away.

If all of the Thais unite together to go against this chemical practices, i don't think the govt can handle that and go for the ban right away.

Good chance to do that in November.
Bangkok is hosting the ASEAN summit of pesticide manufacturers.

35 minutes ago, Bkkthebest said:

If all of the Thais unite together to go against this chemical practices

Be realistic. This will never happen because no one cares. Farmers are happy as a clam spraying away.  They absolutely love these poisons, the more the merrier. All over Thailand it's the same. And the people are happily consuming all of these poisoned products vigorously without any objections whatsoever. No one wants organic. No one is asking for healthy products. No one cares about environmental impacts; look at the people happily polluting oceans and waterways from bags to poisons. Not a care in the world. People care only about cheap and that's why we are in this predicament. There are just a few largely ignored activists that care more than that. And notice how this thread garners little interest and is mostly ignored by expats. To them, quibbling about elon and living on 45k baht are far more important topics. This is the reality we live in.

 

13 minutes ago, canopy said:

Be realistic. This will never happen because no one cares. Farmers are happy as a clam spraying away.  They absolutely love these poisons, the more the merrier. All over Thailand it's the same. And the people are happily consuming all of these poisoned products vigorously without any objections whatsoever. No one wants organic. No one is asking for healthy products. No one cares about environmental impacts; look at the people happily polluting oceans and waterways from bags to poisons. Not a care in the world. People care only about cheap and that's why we are in this predicament. There are just a few largely ignored activists that care more than that. And notice how this thread garners little interest and is mostly ignored by expats. To them, quibbling about elon and living on 45k baht are far more important topics. This is the reality we live in.

 

My question to you is..Do you care?

1 minute ago, Bkkthebest said:

My question to you is..Do you care?

 

It doesn't matter what I think. But yes I care absolutely 100%. I love the forests, wildlife, nature, a healthy lifestyle, everything like that. It is depressing the attitude of the people is like a giant wrecking ball destroying all the things I feel are sacred. I have no illusions of changing the world and do not have a holier than thou opinion of myself. I just accept I am different than everyone else.

 

1 hour ago, canopy said:

Be realistic. This will never happen because no one cares. Farmers are happy as a clam spraying away.  They absolutely love these poisons, the more the merrier. All over Thailand it's the same. And the people are happily consuming all of these poisoned products vigorously without any objections whatsoever. No one wants organic. No one is asking for healthy products. No one cares about environmental impacts; look at the people happily polluting oceans and waterways from bags to poisons. Not a care in the world. People care only about cheap and that's why we are in this predicament. There are just a few largely ignored activists that care more than that. And notice how this thread garners little interest and is mostly ignored by expats. To them, quibbling about elon and living on 45k baht are far more important topics. This is the reality we live in.

 

 

That is not entirely true.

 

I have a good Thai friend here in rural Khampaeng Phet who does hydroponic and green farming and she is completely pesticide free. She cannot meet all the orders that she has because she cannot produce enough to meet the demand.

 

Not every Thai wants cheap though so many do as they have little income to live on.

 

There are a good many Thais who DO care about the environment and can afford the extra which is why in Lotus Tesco, BigC, Tops and Makro there are a lot of pesticide free fruit and veg for sale.

 

As for your comment that the thread gathers little interest please note that it was only opened yesterday morning.

39 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I have a good Thai friend here in rural Khampaeng Phet who does hydroponic and green farming and she is completely pesticide free. She cannot meet all the orders that she has because she cannot produce enough to meet the demand.

Wow. In my area hydroponic farming has exploded in popularity in the last 5 years. I asked farmers about pesticide use. They say only once a week. I emphasize "only" because that seems more frequent than conventional crops. If you have any references to how to grow hydroponics without pesticides I would be very happy to pass that information along. It sounds too good to be true. I always envisioned needing a completely enclosed environment as a barrier.

 

600 dead, And that is only those whose death has been directly attributed to chemicals, how many more die of chronic effects? Could be shortening average life spans by months or even years. 

 

I suspect many farangs are not so bothered as many came here late in life and do not have a life time of high chemical exposure. Also as we eat more imported foods probably end up with lower pesticide loads in our bodies.

 

Yes, farmers will not stop if they see their livelihoods at risk. But education, education and education is needed.

 

I grow some vegetables and fish organically - but it isn't easy as losses in some crops are over 50%

5 hours ago, canopy said:

Wow. In my area hydroponic farming has exploded in popularity in the last 5 years. I asked farmers about pesticide use. They say only once a week. I emphasize "only" because that seems more frequent than conventional crops. If you have any references to how to grow hydroponics without pesticides I would be very happy to pass that information along. It sounds too good to be true. I always envisioned needing a completely enclosed environment as a barrier.

 

 

I will ask her when I see her again.