'No danger in aerial spraying of pesticides'

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – CropLife Philippines has called on the public to know the science behind pesticides and fungicides, belying claims that they are toxic chemicals that have killed people in banana plantations in Mindanao and in other farms.

CropLife executive director Simeon Cuyson took the cudgels for banana plantation owners using fungicides to treat their fruits, saying claims about the deadly impact of pesticides and other inputs are largely “apocryphal.”

Cuyson, a chemist, made the claim during the 40th anniversary of the Pest Management Council of the Philippines (PMCP) conference at the Hotel Supreme Convention Plaza in Baguio City.

Cuyson, speaking before delegates in the four-day conference dubbed “PMCP at 40: Facing the Challenges of a Changing Environment,” said it is really unfortunate that much hype has been placed on negative stories that are not necessarily based on facts.

“Aerial spraying in bananas is an example of an issue which started as a local one. It has since developed into a national issue, highly politicized and complicated by entry into the picture of other sectors and individuals who do not even have good background information,” Cuyson said.

“Yet the list of health cases which the groups advocating banning of aerial spraying are using to support their action needs very close scientific scrutiny,” he added.

The banana industry is the country’s fifth major agricultural export that contributes $400 million to the country’s annual gross national product.

The country is the second biggest banana-exporting country in the world and about 500,000 people are either directly or indirectly dependent on the industry, along with those engaged in ancillary industries like fabrication, packaging, plastic and shipping.

Cuyson said the fungicide used in aerial banana spraying has low dermal toxicity, and the chances of people ingesting or even getting exposed to the fungicide is low since aerial spraying is guided by global positioning system.

He added that the risks posed by allergens through inhalation and ingestion are not as great as other drugs and agricultural inputs based on scientific studies.

Government scientists said the fungicide in use has been tested by the Environment Protection Agency of the United States, the European Union and Japan, and has passed all the comprehensive risk assessment processes of these entities.