BBC report on pesticides used in Ecuador

Posted on September 16, 2012 • Filed under: Agriculture, Business, Latin America Health

BBC Report
High in the Andes, BBC reporter Euan McIlwraith meets a man spraying his potatoes. He has no protective equipment. His hands and shoulders are wet from the cocktail of pesticides he carries in his back-pack sprayer. These products are categorised by their toxicity. The most dangerous carry a red warning label. In this region of Ecuador, 90% of all the pesticides bought are red label products.

The doctor at the local hospital says he sees the results of acute pesticide poisoning every day. People are admitted with stomach cramps, blinding headaches, serious skin diseases, and tunnel vision. The most serious cases have kidney failure, or have taken an overdose of pesticide. Many die…… Read BBC Article

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