Study：Highly toxic pesticides used in Ahsa date farms

About 16,000 date-palm farms in Ahsa, Eastern Province, were using highly toxic pesticides from 1995 to 2008, according to a recent study. This covers nearly 70 percent of date palms in the region famous for its oases.

The study was prepared by Muhammad bin Ali Al-Bowarthan, assistant professor of environmental health at the Applied Medical Sciences Faculty of Dammam University.

The study, published in Al-Madinah Arabic newspaper, noted that 27 types of pesticides under some 50 trade names were being used to fight the red date palm weevil in the region. At least 24 chemical components used in these pesticides are classified from medium to highly toxic, harmful to both the public health and the environment.

According to international criteria and classifications in line with the Rotterdam Convention, there are specific restrictions for using these types of pesticides. They are allowed to use only under the supervision of the authorized specialists and experts.

But it was revealed in the study that most of these pesticides were being used by farmers in Ahsa without any restrictions or supervisions. The farmers were also unaware of the chemical substances used in these pesticides.

According to the study, it was estimated that about 45 tons of such toxic substances had been used during the period between 1995 and 2008 as part of a program to fight the weevil. This resulted in increasing the environmental hazard by over 100 percent in some years, especially in 1995. This danger represented in the pollution of air, underground water and soil. This led to natural imbalances in the region. The pesticides caused the extinction of organisms that are natural enemies of harmful insects.

With regard to the public health hazard, the study noted that there has been an increase of up to 90 percent in the cases of some diseases and health disorders such as cancer, asthma, allergic problems, hormone disorders, disfigurement of fetus and the like during some of these years. “There was a higher risk of such diseases among the illiterate farmers, mainly because of their lack of awareness about safety and preventive measures,” he pointed out.

Al-Bowarthan noted that the findings of his study were supported by a similar study carried out earlier by two prominent academics —  Muhammad Hamza Al-Saeed and Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Dosary from King Saud University of Riyadh. They drew attention to the fact that there had been high concentrations of pesticide usage, and that their remnants were seen in the dates displayed for sale at Riyadh markets.

Al-Bowarthan stressed the need for taking all possible measures to protect public health and environment while spraying pesticides to combat the weevil.
“There should also be safe alternatives to combat the disease in a way ensuring the safety of both producers and consumers of dates in the Kingdom,” he said, while claiming that this was the first extensive study of its kind after examining all aspects of the issue.

“First of all, I managed to collect all the relevant data and information available about red palm weevil. Then, I examined the types and quantities of pesticides used to combat the insect, besides classifying these pesticides in accordance with the international health and environmental standards,” he said, adding that a field survey after taking samples from Ahsa had also been conducted before evaluating the environmental and health hazards as a result of spraying of pesticides.