Abstract
Man, as a species, is particularly disposed toward trying to control his environment. Whether it was driving unwanted animals from the land with rock and spear or gun, or ridding the ground of undesirable plants with fire or plow, man continually seeks ways to rid himself of things that, at that moment in time, are not wanted. With the introduction of chemical means to remove unwanted animals (insects) and plants (those dubbed ‘weeds’), man enthusiastically embraced that new and extremely effective technology. Studies were present that showed that there was a strong likelihood of also eliminating desirable animals and plants, but still the government, farmers, and health control agencies forged ahead. Even after there were widespread incidents of the killing of birds and fish from run-off of sprayed areas and reported incidents of pesticides getting into the human food supply, through the milk of dairy cows eating contaminated plants, residues on plants, or household exposures, production and use of pesticides continued and became increasingly widespread. It was not until the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962 that the general public started to become aware of the dangers of exposure to these chemicals. Change did not come fast or easily, and many chemicals are still in use today. However, due to the efforts of concerned citizens, many chemicals have to be used under tighter controls, and some are banned outright in the United States.
The regulatory process that has been seen in some nations is not a worldwide progress. Many pesticides that cannot be used in North America or Europe are still in common use in other countries. In some countries, regulations regarding the use of pesticides are lax, and rarely enforced. In addition, most of the studies that were done in more developed countries involved the movement, persistence, and impact in upland, temperate environments. Much of the continued use of these chemicals is in more coastal, tropical systems, where there may be a much different distribution pattern and fate. Even with a desire to develop better regulations for the use of pesticides in tropical ecosystems, first there is a need for data that explains the fate of the chemicals in those systems.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set up a research program on the ‘Distribution, Fate and Effects of Pesticides on Biota in the Tropical Marine Environment,’ funded by the Swedish International Development Authority. Seventeen countries agreed to participate in the program; most were dealing with the problem directly within their own countries. Within these 17 countries, there were 18 laboratories set up to look at the problems of continued pesticide usage. This book is a product of the research program.
The book starts with an excellent introduction, which explains the problem to the reader and how the IAEA set up the research program, its members, and its goals. The introduction outlines some of the experimental designs used in the research laboratories and also explains some of the future work that still needs to be done to better understand the fate of pesticides in tropical systems.
The next 15 chapters are arranged to describe the problems and work being done in 1 of 12 member countries: Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Mexico (two chapters), Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, and Jamaica. Ghana and Zimbabwe, although not listed as member countries, also contributed chapters detailing the work being done in their countries.
For the most part, each chapter follows the same outline with an introduction to the country, a history of pesticide regulations within the country, as well as current legislation, historical and current pesticide production and use, an outline of the research being done in that country, recommendations for future research and legislation, and references of the actual studies that are discussed in the chapter. It is logical that each participating laboratory/country in this research program would present a summation of their own work, prior work done in their country, and the regulations that local agriculture operates under. The countries have diverse fauna that may be impacted by the spread and persistence of the pesticides, and this allows each group to focus on their own areas of concern.
If a reader wishes to compare the regulations and use of pesticides across different countries, one can easily jump to the start of each chapter to see how each country approaches these issues. The one drawback that became evident in the organization of the book is that if a reader wishes to look at the effects of a specific chemical in tropical systems, such as DDT, which is discussed in many chapters, the reader is forced to jump from mid-chapter to mid-chapter. It is readily apparent that a compilation of the fate and effects of any given collection of pesticides in tropical systems would warrant its own book. However, it does make it a bit awkward for using the book to look at a particular chemical as opposed to research developments within a given country. The references given at the end of each chapter will allow the interested reader to obtain the primary source for information, but again the reader interested in a given chemical will have to scan all fifteen chapters to find relevant references.
The final chapter of the book is a summary of regulatory issues and future needs, including research, education and monitoring. Considering the implications of pesticide impacts on ecosystems, the book takes a positive approach and looks at the progress of the research teams and offers reasonable suggestions for regulations on continued pesticide usage and future research needs. The research team members accept that for most countries, there exists a continued dependence on agricultural pesticides for crop production. They do not call for an absolute elimination of their use, but rather for sustainable and managed use, that will allow the farmer to get the benefits from the chemicals, while minimizing the chemicals impact on the environment.
Overall, this book is an excellent introduction to the pesticide problems faced in countries with tropical ecosystems. It is easy to compare the differences in regulations and historical usage of pesticides in the countries, and although it is a bit more difficult to sort out, the information about individual chemicals is plentiful. Overall, this is a book that will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone studying the fate of pesticides in the environment.