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JUN 13, 2001 |
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Asia's toxic time bomb Asia sits on huge stockpiles of hazardous chemicals in warehouses and factories. Experts fear slow progress in defusing the danger By
Edward Tang BANGKOK - Hazardous chemicals, mainly farm pesticides, are stockpiled in warehouses and factories in Asian countries, posing major safety and health hazards to residents. The problem has become so serious that the term 'toxic time bomb' has been used to describe the precarious nature of situations in countries such as China, India and Thailand. About 200,000 tonnes of obsolete, unwanted and banned chemical pesticides are stored in this region, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). They include DDT, chlordane and heptachlor, used mainly by farmers to protect crops from pests. The FAO says these chemicals, some of which are highly inflammable, are hazardous to the environment. Studies have linked them with cancer, birth deformities and mental health problems. 'Many of the pesticides exported to Asia had been banned or restricted for health and environmental reasons in their countries of manufacture,' said the FAO's regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, Dr R.B. Singh. The World Bank has estimated that chemical pesticides worth about US$2.5 billion (S$4.5 billion) are imported by Asian countries every year. Thailand, whose economy depends on farm exports, imports 28,000 types of chemicals, for example. The Thai Agricultural Ministry recently banned 12 farm pesticides including DDT and Chlordane. It has also placed Carbonfuran, used widely here by rice farmers, on its watchlist. Besides pesticides, huge quantities of sulphur, concentrated acid and inflammable gases are stored at factories in Bangkok's industrial belt. Nine districts, including the densely populated Klong Toey slum area near the port where a major industrial tragedy occurred a few years ago, have been identified as danger zones. Six million residents living in these areas are exposed to pollution caused by about 200 factories which use industrial chemicals in their daily operations. Authorities have assured residents they have updated information on the location of all chemical stockpiles and have imposed safety standards on storage and transportation. Officials also say they have devised emergency procedures for coping with accidents. But the situation may not be as well-regulated in other countries, where the use of agro-chemicals is widespread. In India, the FAO says more than 80 million hectares of farmland have been sprayed with pesticides. Farms in China use about 800,000 tonnes of chemicals a year. Last week, officials from 21 member states of the FAO met in Bangkok to map out steps to reduce the problem. A Bangkok-based official said some success had been made in getting countries to establish national inventories of chemical stockpiles and to dispose of obsolete and banned pesticides. Progress is expected to be slow as countries differ in their commitment to reducing dependence on pesticides. Some see it as a ploy by Western countries for establishing their own farm-production standards. Despite warnings about sitting on toxic time-bombs, there appears to be no great hurry to switch to safer forms of pest control. 'It's a sensitive issue. No country wants to admit they are in the wrong,' said the FAO official.
ASIA: Living dangerously
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