Researchers have found that an outright ban on the import and sale of some hazardous pesticides may help bring down cases of suicides among farmers.
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According to the World Health Organisation:
- Self-poisoning using pesticides is one of the three most common means of suicide worldwide.
- In addition, accounts for 14-20 per cent of all suicides.
- Many of these deaths occur among people who live in rural areas in low and middle-income countries.
- Making it a major public health problem in these regions.
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According to a Study:
- “A worldwide ban on the use of highly hazardous pesticides is likely to prevent tens of thousands of deaths every year,” said expert.
- The researchers conducted a review of literature on the effect of changing regulations to restrict access to pesticides.
- These include administrative interventions.
- In addition, including restricting sales to licenced users and outright national bans on the import and sale of specific pesticides.
- Thereby removing the most harmful pesticides from farming practice.
- The study reviewed 27 studies spanning 16 countries.
- Including 5 low and middle-income countries and 11 high income countries.
- The most common regulations applied were national bans on specific pesticides (in 6 countries Jordan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Greece, South Korea and Taiwan).
- In addition,sales restrictions (in 5 countries India, Denmark, Ireland, the UK and the US).
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- National bans were effective in reducing pesticide-related suicides in five of the six countries where these were evaluated (all except Greece).
- And were associated with falls in overall suicide rates in three of the countries (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Korea).
- However, the evidence for the effectiveness of sales restrictions is less clear as the studies did not provide strong enough evidence.
- Rather than focussing on safe storage.
- Furthermore,policy focus should shift towards bans on the pesticides most often used in suicide,Expert said.
- This will involve identifying those most commonly contributing to suicide deaths in low and middle-income countries.
- Also replacing them with safer, less toxic alternatives to ensure pest management is still possible.
- And allay concerns that pesticide bans may reduce crop yields,Expert added.