A witches' brew of killer pesticides heading for your table
CHIRIQUI - If you are not one of the growing number of consumers going “organic” and are wondering why the U.S. recently banned the importation of many Panamanian agricultural products, you might want to study the list of pesticides used in Cerro Punta, Panama’s bread basket.
The area provides 60 percent of the local products available in supermarkets and they are rendered insect free by the use of eight pesticides , many of which are banned from use in the developed world, and are major contributors to acute poisoning deaths.
Etoprofos for example is on the banned list in the European Union, and marked for “export only,” to those who don’t know any better or don’t care. Others have been classified In Central America as “for restricted use only.” They are: Terbufos, Metamidoros, Carbofuran, Paraquat, Clorpiritos, Endosulfan and Metomil.
If that’s not enough of a witches brew, consider Vidate L, Tamaron Furuda, Counter and Lannate which are sprayed extensively.
Vidate L is highly toxic in humans while Furadan, Tamaron, Lannate and Counter Cause depression. All are toxic to birds, fish, bees and reptiles.
According to U.S. agricultural experts, exposure to pesticides can also cause cancer and reproductive disorders, including spontaneous abortion and birth defects.
In Cerro Punta where farmers spend more than $1 million annually on pesticides and fungicides, the chemicals are combined and often sprayed in quantities way in excess of recommended dosages.
Many of the workers hired to do the spraying are indigenous people, unaware of the dangers , and not wearing protective clothing.
There are laws in Panama regulating the use of agrochemicals, and in 2002 an executive decree was passed prohibiting the use of 36 substances, but products known to be hazardous to human health are still being imported.
That’s why the organic food industry is flourishing. See: "Organic produce drawing more customers"
