Pesticides potentially toxic but without them food supply will be affected: WHO

HYDERABAD: Over 35 per cent of the world's food supply would be lost without the use of pesticides. With already over one billion people, which is about 15 per cent of the human population, hungry and with an expected population of nine billion in 2050, the world needs a significant increase of food production. 

"It is likely that a significant increase of pesticideuse will be an unavoidable consequence of the intensification of food production even if increasing voices are asking for a more sustainable development for the future," said Dr Philippe Verger, department of food safety and zoonoses, World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland. 

Dr Veger was speaking at an international conference on 'Emerging issues on health effects of pesticides residues in food and environment - unmet challenges and research opportunities' organised by the Food and Drug Toxicology Research Centre, National Institute of Nutrition (NIN-ICMR) here on Thursday. 

Delivering the keynote address on "WHO's perspective on pesticide residues in food and strategies for their mitigation", Dr Verger said WHO's mission was to lower the burden of food borne disease, thereby strengthening the health security and sustainable development of countries. 

"The first need, at an early stage of development of pesticide, is to consider together, the efficiency of the compound, its low toxicity for human and its limited persistence in the environment. Good product quality is essential for effective and safe pesticide use. Impurities formed during manufacture of the pesticide or by interaction in unstable formulations can increase product toxicity to humans and the environment," he said. 

Dr Verger said once specifications were developed for formulations, the WHO was promoting a risk-based approach for assessing the health impact of all chemical residues in food including pesticides. 

Pesticides are chemical compounds that are used to kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi and unwanted plants like weeds. Pesticides are used in public health to kill vectors of diseases, such a mosquitoes and in agriculture, to kill pests that damage crops and to ensure that the productivity of the land can feed the world's population sustainably. By their nature, pesticides are potentially toxic to humans, Dr Veger said adding that 35 per cent of the world's food supply would be lost without the use of pesticides.