by Mr. Ibrahima Barry

On behalf of Mr. K. Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, I have the honor and pleasure of expressing our sincere thanks to the United Nations Environment Programme for having invited our organization to participate in this subregional awareness seminar on persistent organic pollutants, being held at Bamako, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment of the Republic of Mali.

With due respect to chemists, this topic demands an interdisciplinary approach, in order to give chemistry an image that takes into account social, ethnic, political and economic factors. The issue is at the same level as broad scientific subjects that affect the quality of daily life, industrial development in general and the role of chemistry in agriculture and the environment. It invites all of us to develop a responsible attitude towards the use that is made of chemicals and, indirectly, on the part of users, the development of critical judgement and reasoned demands in the face of misleading advertising.

Professionals in agriculture are well informed about harmful species, but their educational programmes often do not stress the issue of pesticides. We all recognize that it is first necessary to know what are the enemies of crops and the risks that these pose to plants, but it is also essential for use to be familiar with the regulations regarding the use of pesticides to avoid causing harm to the crop or to the harvest, and to derive the maximum benefit from pest control products, without harming human health and that of livestock and the environment.

The land is generous with those that treat it properly. In agriculture, treating it properly means using fertilizers, pesticides, advanced production techniques and intensive research aimed at satisfying our ever-growing needs.

Through the joint efforts of international bodies and numerous development agencies, a series of directives has been established regarding the use of pesticides and this facilitates, at all levels, national, subregional, regional and international, the integrated control and regulation of pesticides, in handling, storage and use; the choice of substances or compounds and their supply; in brief, proper pest control management, accompanied by measures to protect users, the general public and the environment.

Among the problems in regard to the use of pesticides in Africa, it is vital to mention their wrongful use and their sale by brokers whose sole interest is in making large profits. At a national level, this problem should prompt us to be vigilant in our dealings with brokers who use dubious active substances in the manufacture of pesticides of poor quality.

It has become necessary for aid donors to monitor the purchases of those who receive their aid, because the recipients may well be poorly informed and unprotected peasants who are helpless victims of fraud.

In regard to the dangers posed by insecticides, allow me to give you an example.

Insecticides are capable of completely destroying all the immune defenses of man. An American woman called Cindy Duehring, a celebrated victim of harmful chemicals, launched a struggle against neurotoxic substances by founding an association in 1986 (Environmental Access Research Network). She was spraying insecticide on aphids when she was affected by it. It caused her to become allergic to everything, even air. She now lives in isolation and is even afraid to cry because her tears, like her breathing, are poisoned. This thirty-five year old has chosen to fight and to defend the cause of all of those who like herself have had their lives ruined by chemical pollutants. Her crusade finally received recognition and on 8 December last she received the prize entitled "Prix de la Bonne Façon de Vivre". Since she cannot go out of doors, her husband had to go to receive the prize on her behalf.

Her only contact with the outside world is by telephone. Apparently, since 1989 she has never left her house in North Dakota, which is entirely constructed of natural materials containing no toxic product.

She can only drink distilled water, and breathes air through high efficiency filters and eats only food that does not contain any chemical compound.

Recently she became allergic to the undetectable emissions from the plastic materials of which telephone receivers are made. Her solitude has become even more profound and there is no remedy for her illness because all of her immune defenses were destroyed by insecticides.

After this sad case, I would like to tell you that, in regard to the development of the chemical industry sector in Africa, ECA is particularly concerned by the chemicals that are intended for agriculture and for the improvement of health of the African population. For this reason, the Commission has, as far as insecticides are concerned, encouraged the establishment of production units for active ingredients, at a subregional level, to supply raw materials for the existing or future pesticide manufacturing units at a national level to meet local needs.

To make this task easier for its member countries, ECA has undertaken a pre-feasibility study for establishments that manufacture pesticides. Pest control needs vary from country to country, and ECA has proposed two possible sizes for these installations:

. A factory having the smallest viable capacity, and

. A relatively complex factory set up to produce a large range of pesticides.

To select the types of pesticides that should be manufactured, ECA consulted FAO and WHO. The prefeasibility study was prepared so as to help the various countries have some necessary preliminary knowledge about construction of these installations. On the basis of the study all countries or economic operators interested in preparing a prefeasibility study will be able simply to change the figures in this pilot study and use data suitable to their own countries.

This study has been widely distributed in Africa. ECA will make it available to anyone wishing to have it.

In this spirit of collaboration with the institutions of United Nations system and with other international organizations in their areas of respective competence, ECA was pleased to participate in this seminar to support the efforts of UNEP, whose constant objective is to serve the interests of international community in the use of chemicals in agriculture and public health, but above all to share the experience of participants of the subregion in this seminar.