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 -Published: Thursday, December 5, 2019 Use of glyphosate
banned
in protected wild area By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The National System of Conservation Areas, known as SINAC for its acronyms in Spanish, issued a guideline Wednesday to prohibit the use of glyphosate in all protected wild areas of the country. The rule applies in places like Manuel Antonio National Park in the Pacific Coast or Corcovado National Park in the southern zone of the country. According to SINAC, the decision was made because glyphosate is a herbicide that is widely used in Costa Rica and has been classified by the World Health Organization as carcinogenic to humans. SINAC made the decision based on Article 50 of the Political Constitution, which states: “The Government must ensure the mayor possible well-being for all the inhabitants of the country, guarantee and preserve the right of people to a healthy and ecologically safe balanced environment ”. "Herbicides such as glyphosate kill not only so-called weeds but also plants on which insect species depend on their food and cause damage to vegetation, so as an institution committed to the environment, we must lead efforts to avoid these types of threats,” said the SINAC in its statement. With this order, all the chemicals that will be used in the maintenance of all the protected areas of the country must contain alternative eco-green substances to the glyphosate. In September the Ministry of Health issued a health alert for the use of glyphosate herbicide. The product should be used only by agricultural companies, but it is being used in public areas. According to the authorities, these herbicides are being used illegally in public places to eliminate weeds in parks, sidewalks, green areas and sports fields, among others. "We have received complaints about the use of herbicides such as glyphosate on sidewalks, sprayed on by municipal workers," said Eugenio Androvetto, from the ministry. "We have changed the respective sanitary orders to prevent misuse, and that is why the health alert has been issued." Unauthorized uses represent a high risk of exposure to the entire population since its applications are carried out outdoors, without people being aware of the risk involved in exposure to this type of products, said the ministry. The products may cause acute and serious poisoning with effects such as eye and nose irritation, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, and even death, it added. "These types of products can only be applied by people and companies that have an authorization that guarantees specialized handling," said Androvetto. Herbicides for domestic use come in ready-to-use presentations without requiring repackaging, diluting it with water or another solvent or mixing it with another product, these are those indicated for use in homes, buildings, and gardens, the ministry said. The authorities called on the population to report any suspicion or illegal use of the herbicide glyphosate at the phone number (506) 2233-2854. In August, health authorities issued the sanitary order to the legal representative of a farm company 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 of the La Ceiba school. "The sanitary order was made under the precautionary principle, in order to protect the population of the community close to the 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. 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, children and teachers were at school, when the direction of the wind sent the pesticide to the school area by way of a nearby crop sprayer. 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 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." 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 it supported the proposal of executive decree for the prohibition of the importation, manufacture, sale, or supply of technical grade active ingredients, its salts, and formulated products containing the active ingredient glyphosate," said the Ombudsman in its statement. 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. ------------------------ Should the government bans the use of glyphosate in all its types of agro-chemicals? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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