Pesticide use in developing countries

The author traces the history of the push for developing countries to become the "breadbasket" of the world, supplying nontraditional agricultural products to a worldwide market, and how this has forced developing countries to rely heavily on chemical pesticides to reach such goals. Local and global environmental contamination are subsequently becoming big issues due to the use of older, non-patented, toxic, inexpensive and harmful chemical in developing areas because programs to control harmful pesticide use are abandoned or limited due to governmental and/or financial restraints. This has lead directly to the high rate of pesticide-related toxicity in humans, with the highest rates of intoxication in developing countries. The authors contend that both the person spraying and bystanders can be affected by drifting sprays, residues, storage, water and soil contamination, improper use of empty containers and the contamination of oils and food (p. 30). The author argues that regulations and education are the two key factors to reducing pesticide-related problems in developing regions.