Safe use of pesticides: WHO TRS N°813

Overview

The WHO Expert Committee on Vector Biology and Control met in Geneva from 5 to 13 September 1990 to examine recent developments in the toxicology of pesticides used in vector control, to advise on their safe use, and to consider the various ways in which Member States can ensure that pesticides are used safely. The meeting was opened by Dr N.P.Napalkov, Assistant Director-General, on behalf of the Director-General. He noted that the WHO Expert Committee on Insecticides had held its first meeting in 1949 to consider the toxic hazards of pesticides for man and other related problems. 

The Committee had met at frequent intervals until197 6, when it was replaced by the Expert Committee on Vector Biology and Control. In addition to considering the safety aspects of the use of pesticides in public health, meetings of the Committee had considered other aspects, such as evaluation of the risks arising from the use of pesticides in agriculture and other fields, and that trend was continuing. In all these matters, however, a scientific approach to the problem of pesticide safety was essential in order to assess the potential risks involved in the permanent exposure of the public to pesticides in the environment or as contaminants in food.

It must also be borne in mind that Member States frequently had to contend with public pressure to limit the use of pesticides on the one hand, while on the other controlling vector-borne diseases more effectively and increasing production of food and fibre.