VietNamNet Bridge – The abuse of plant protection chemicals in agricultural production has harmed people’s health, while it would cause long term impacts on the living environment.

The reports by the watchdog agency showed that there are 93 plant protection chemicals and veterinary medicine factories and processing, and bottling and packaging workshops nationwide. There are also 28,750 sales agents who distribute plant protection chemicals, more than 100 veterinary medicine production and trade bases.

Most of the plant protection chemical and veterinary medicine production workshops are located in industrial zones (2/3), while the other 1/3 located in other places, including residential quarter areas.

Scientists have pointed out that the product bottling and packing does not generate big volumes of waste water, but the waste water contains toxic air, that pollutes the environment and harm people’s health, such as Phenol, lead and arsenic. Besides, there are also other hazardous solid waste, such as bottles, or bags which contained the chemicals.

Therefore, they said, if the waste cannot be managed well, it would cause a lot of bad consequences to the market.

Especially, the plant protection chemical retail shops located in residential quarter areas could be a danger. A lot of them cannot meet the business conditions, do not have practice certificate, cannot meet the requirements on the storehouse, shops. In most of cases, the distributors do not make commitments on the environment protection.

Vietnam now reportedly has 260 storehouses of plant protection chemicals, which mostly keep the expired products, needed to be ruined. These include 69,000 kilos and 43,000 liters of plant protection chemicals, and 69,640 kilos of bottles and packs.

Dangerously, the plant protection chemicals have been left in many places in cities and provinces in bad conditions, which cannot prevent from the leaking to the environment.

A survey conducted by the environment crime police agency in 14 plant protection chemical distribution units showed that 42.6 percent of the units do not have exhaust fume treatment systems, or have the systems but do not work properly, thus letting the toxic odor leak into the air.

Seven percent of the units were found as having no waste water treatment system. 35.7 percent of businesses did not report the owners of the hazardous waste sources as stipulated by the laws. 28.4 percent of the units did not classify hazardous waste or did not report about the temporary storage of hazardous waste.

While more and more chemicals have been available on the market thanks to the developed chemical industry, farmers have not been trained about how to use the chemicals in the right way.

In the thoughts of many Vietnamese farmers, using more chemicals would bring bigger effects. This has led to the abuse of chemicals which scientists have rung the alarm over.

Competent agencies have discovered the plant protection chemical residues higher than the allowed levels in 30-60 percent of the vegetable samples. This is the main reason behind the food poison cases, permicious and chronic.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 35-60 percent of farmers spray pesticide 1-3 days before the harvesting day, 25-43 percent of farmers 4-6 days. Meanwhile, in principle, the chemicals need to be used 7-14 days at least in advanced

Compiled by C. V