ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, September 26th, 2011 –The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour and the Department of Agriculture will celebrate Pesticide Awareness Week from September 25th through October 1st under the theme, “Save Lives! Read and Understand Pesticide Labels.”

The Department of Agriculture will focus on safeguarding children from pesticide poisoning and aims to raise the public’s awareness on how this can be achieved. Speaking on the department’s focus for the week, the Deputy Chief Agricultural Officer Mrs. Arona Fahie-Forbes said that children are young and developing therefore, when they are exposed to pesticides, they would succumb to pesticide poisoning much quicker than an adult would.

Mrs. Fahie-Forbes said that while a large number of cases are not reported to the department, pesticide poisoning does occur but most times it might be attributed to another ailment.

Highlighting the negative effects of pesticide use in the home, the deputy chief agricultural officer said, “Pesticides enter the body through various ways. One of the ways is through your skin. When the child is crawling and sweating the chemical is observed through the pores and enters their body

If there constitution is not strong, they can develop a rash and symptoms like headaches, and vomiting. Persons may contribute it to something else when it is really as a result of the pesticides that they are becoming exposed to in the household”

She revealed some common household cleaners such as Clorox and Pine-Sol, are formulations of pesticides as they kill unwanted organisms.

The deputy chief agricultural officer said that such pesticide products must be safely stored out of the reach of children in the original or a properly labelled bottle. “What we are trying to do is alert parents, guardians and care-givers of these potential dangers so that they are more mindful.”

She added that, ‘At the end of this week, we will like adults to read, understand and follow labels. Look at the ingredients. Follow the instructions. If the instructions say use half a tablespoon use that amount and no more. This will ensure the products are used safely and will reduce the chance of pesticide poisoning or contamination.”

As part of the week’s activities the Department will visit day-care centres, pre and primary schools to share this information with care-givers and young children. They will also air a pesticides jingle on local radio stations.

The department is asking all churches to pray for the local producers to share the message on the importance of the safe use of pesticides and how to prevent pesticide poisoning in children.

The Department of Agriculture celebrates Pesticide Awareness Week annually as a means to promote the safe use of pesticides in the home and garden and to protect the environment from the unsafe use of chemicals.

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