254 Pesticides are Poison
Protecting Children from Pesticides
Children should by kept away from pesticides. Children:
• should not play with, use, or
even touch old pesticide containers.
• should not play on farm equipment that
is used to spray pesticides.
• should not wade or swim in irrigation or
drainage ditches.
• should not enter or play in recently
treated fields.
Wait a moment until
I change my clothes
and wash, Olanike.
Adults can protect children from pesticides:
• wash work clothes, shoes and your hands before
entering the house and before touching children.
• wash children’s clothes apart from parents’ clothes.
• wash fruits and vegetables very well before anyone eats them.
• avoid the use of pesticides at home, especially indoors.
• store pesticide containers and equipment out of children’s reach.
A village struggles against pesticide poisoning
People in Padre Village in Kerala, India used to think they were cursed. Young
people suffered from serious health problems such as epilepsy, brain damage,
and cancer, and did not grow as they should. Many women were unable to give
birth, and many babies were born with missing arms and legs. What could
cause all this illness besides a curse?
Padre Village was famous for its rich cashew plantations. Years ago, the
company that owns the cashew plantations began spraying a pesticide called
endosulfan. After spraying began, villagers noticed that bees, frogs, and fish
vanished from the area. Many people thought they were killed by endosulfan,
but they could not prove it.
Shree Padre, a local farmer and journalist, saw his calves born
with deformed limbs. Since endosulfan had been sprayed near his
farm many times, he wondered if the birth defects were caused by
the pesticide. Shree Padre spoke with a doctor who had noticed
similar health problems in people. After writing to people all
over India, they learned that almost all the problems they
noticed were known to be caused by endosulfan.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012