A pest control operator has been found to be spraying an extremely harmful pesticide at a primary school in Groblersdal, in Limpopo, despite a local agreement to be careful about using dangerous chemicals.
Local doctor Johan Minnaar secured an agreement to set up a task force to investigate the use of organophosphates about a year ago, after he noticed serious illnesses among his patients. But Minnaar has found evidence that dangerous pesticides, including Lindane, a harmful organochlorine are being openly sprayed at Groblersdal Primary School.
Lindane is banned in 52 countries and poses a great danger especially to children as it affects the nervous system and hormones. It can lead to complications that affect the normal development of children. Studies in newborns have shown that pesticide residue remain for up to 25 years post-exposure. It has also been linked in scientific studies to other illnesses such as asthma and cancer.
In South Africa the chemical is used for pest control and in health products such as lice-eliminating shampoos. About 21 countries have banned it entirely.
In various documented cases the hormone disruption has led to boys growing breasts and to sexual under-development in girls.
The Mail & Guardian first reported Minnaar’s story early last year after he started documenting cases of poisoning in the farming town of Groblersdal, apparently arising out of exposure to harmful pesticides which are widely used on local commercial farms.
At the time Minnaar warned against the lack of regulation and indiscriminate use of pesticides containing organophosphates which lead to acute and chronic illnesses after exposure either through inhalation, through the skin or by oral ingestion.
Although Lindane is not banned for agricultural use in South Africa Dr Hanna-Andrea Rother, of the University of Cape Town’s school of public health and family medicine, says the department of agriculture has stopped further manufacture.
Minnaar told the M&G recently that he took an interest in the effects of pesticides after he started experiencing ”flu-like symptoms” around crop-spraying time.
He says that blood tests revealed he had been exposed to organophosphates.
After alerting the department of agriculture to the problem Minnaar contacted the M&G.
He says after several attempts to get the department of agriculture to carry out tests in the surrounding farms, they finally sent people out in December 2006 who reported that there was nothing amiss in the area.
But after media coverage in the M&G and on Carte Blanche government officials contacted him and a stakeholder committee was set up, consisting of officials from the departments of agriculture, water and forestry and health. The community, the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality and the agricultural sector were also represented.
The committee, according to Minnaar, was given the task of undertaking ”an investigation” and also ”developing an awareness campaign” about the dangers of pesticides. It convened its first meeting in April last year and met monthly in Pretoria thereafter.
Minnaar says by January this year it was ”the same old story” with no progress having been made.
Some members even stopped attending meetings.
Despite its involvement in the task team, the municipality continued to use these pesticides. Minnaar says he confronted a group of men who were busy spraying pesticides in an open area in the Groblersdal central business district.
”They did not even know what they were spraying,” says Minnaar.
After doing his own investigations Minnaar discovered that the group was spraying organophosphates and had not warned the public. They were also not wearing any protective clothing.
Minnaar says the municipality could not even confirm if the company contracted to do the spraying was registered, as required by the law that regulates pesticides.
The M&G asked the municipality and the department of agriculture for comment earlier this week, but no response had been received by our deadline.
Minnaar’s biggest criticism of the government stems from his belief that the government still relies on archaic legislation which Minnaar argues is outdated.
Rother says ”it is a problem” that the department of agriculture operates under old legislation but adds that a draft policy that will eventually lead to new legislation has been introduced. Rother and her colleagues have given extensive feedback to the government on the draft policy.