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Authorities
order pineapple farm to cease use of agrochemicals
in San Carlos
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Ministry of Health issued on Monday, the sanitary order to the legal representative of the company Bella Vista, located in San Juan de Florencia* in San Carlos, to immediately suspend the application of agrochemicals in the area of pineapple crops. According to the Ministry, this action was taken after suspicions of a pesticide allegedly used by the company were linked to poisoning students and teachers fo the La Ceiba* school on Friday of last week. "The sanitary order was made under the precautionary principle, in order to protect the population of the community close to the Bella Vista pineapple plantation, which includes the area of La Ceiba School," said the Ministry in its statement. The ministry also announced the opening of a file, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, to investigate the case. As A.M. Costa Rica reported on Monday, the Ministry confirmed that 22 people, 16 children, and six adults, from the school, were hospitalized for alleged agrochemical poisoning that was used in the crop sprayer in a pineapple plantation. According to the investigation, on Friday children and teachers were at school, when the direction of the wind sent the pesticide to the school area by way of a crop sprayer from a nearby pineapple plantation. According to the Red Cross officials, more than five ambulances were sent to attend to the emergency. By the time the paramedics arrived, the teachers had already evacuated the children from the school. "The children presented symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, itching and irritation of eyes, apparently after having been in contact with agrochemicals," said the Ministry of Health in its statement. The children were sent to the San Carlos Hospital* emergency room, where they received medical treatment for poisoning. All the children were released in the afternoon in stable condition. According to the Ministry, an investigation into the incident was opened to "make an administrative or possibly a criminal complaint. Measures that are required to prevent similar situations from happening again." Related to herbicides considered harmful, in May the Ombudsman's office recommended the total elimination of the use, exportation, and import of the herbicide glyphosate considered as harmful to health. "It is considered necessary and supported the proposal of Executive Decree for the prohibition of the import, manufacture, sale, and supply of active ingredients technical grade, its salts and formulated products containing the active ingredient glyphosate," said the Ombudsman in its statement. Glyphosate, often marketed under the Round-Up brand, is applied in urban public areas such as parks, cemeteries, street rounds, sidewalks, pipes, and all kinds of green areas. Its use is currently prohibited at three universities, the University of Costa Rica, the State University at a Distance and the National Technical University and in municipalities, which in alphabetical order are: Alajuela, Aserrí, Barva, Belén, Corredores, Curridabat, Desamparados, Escazú, Esparza, La Unión, Montes de Oca, Orotina, Pérez Zeledón, Quepos, San Isidro de Heredia, San Mateo, Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, Sarapiquí, Talamanca, and Tibás. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, said the weed killer glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans, but recommended new measures to prevent potential ecological risks, especially to monarch butterflies and other pollinators should be adhered to. According to the agency, glyphosate developer Monsanto was convicted in 2018 and 2019 of not taking the necessary steps to warn people of the potential risks of Round-Up, their weed killer containing the chemical, which two California juries found caused cancer in two users. In a statement, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the agency found "no risks to public health from the currently registered uses of glyphosate." It did not propose new instructions, subject to a public comment period, for farmers and others using the chemical to reduce "spray drift" that can harm butterflies. Under those regulations, glyphosate labels in the U.S. would have to instruct aerial users to spray the chemical from more than 10 feet (three meters) above crops, or if wind speeds exceed 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour). Meanwhile, labels would be required to state that when applied on the ground, the chemical must not be sprayed from more than four feet above crops and all must be set to mist the product at a "fine" or coarser setting. The proposed instructions also include new regulations around glyphosate's use around water. The EPA said the chemical presents "low toxicity" to honey bees, but does present a "potential risk" to birds and plants, including aquatic plants. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, said in 2015 that glyphosate was likely carcinogenic. German pharmaceutical firm Bayer, which bought Monsanto, announced that over 13,000 lawsuits related to the weed killer had been launched in the U.S. ---------------------------- Should the Ministry of Health prohibit the use of all types of agrochemicals used as pesticides? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com |
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