Education
UNILORIN don tasks NAFDAC, NESREA on periodic review of chemical substances’ approval
A lecturer in the department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Professor Suleiman Ambali, has warned against indiscriminate use and disposition of pesticides stressing that many harms, damages and health challenges have been caused to many homes.
The don also advocated that National Agency for Food Drug and Control (NAFDAC) and National Enviromental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) should lead this campaign by working with research experts to curb the menace.
He however recommended that the 5-year validity permit granted by NAFDAC for specific brands of pesticides that can be used in the country should be downgraded to three years as new information concerning safety level of the chemicals comes out frequently.
He state this on Thuraday while delivering the 192nd Inaugural lecture of the University with the theme: “Preventing Pesticides From Poisoning Away Our Health And Future-The Oxidative Approach”.
He appealed to relevant authorities to facilitate programmes that will further enlighten the general public on the danger of indoor use of pesticides, especially pregnant mothers and children who participate in farming activities to be well protected from getting exposed to pesticides.
Ambali said: “Measures aimed at encouraging safe usage ot pesticides by farmers, pesticide applicators and other individuals whose occupations are related to pesticides should be put in place”
“Policies aimed at reducing the use of pesticides in agricuture should be put in place. Farmers should be encouraged to use an integrated approach in controlling pests and where necessary develop alternative cropping systems less dependent on pesticides, revert to traditional hand hoeing, hand weeding, use of pest-resistant seeds and organic farming systems devoid of agrochemical application
“There is a need to strengthen the regulatory framework and processes for the continuous re-evaluation of all registeredpesticides in line with currently available information, especially on all aspects of safety to people and the environment. Many pesticides are placed on the market with insufficient testing other than the traditional acute and chronic toxicity studies.
“There is a need to aiso tighten the procedures for registration of new pesticides, with safety considerations put at the front burner. Pesticides that are poorly labeled or labeled with foreign languages not inteligible to the populace should be banned from being imported into the country”
“There is need for the development of the national strategic framework that will ensure the enforcement and constant revision of legislation and regulatory control on pesticide manufacture, importation, sales, usage and residues
facture. importation, sales, usage and residues.”
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