ROME - Latin America has stocks of toxic obsolete pesticides at least three times bigger than previously estimated, posing a costly clean-up challenge to hard pressed developing countries, the United Nations said on Monday.
Pesticides that were once used to improve agriculture but are now banned because they are too dangerous are often left abandoned in developing countries. The UN had thought Latin America had around 10,000 tonnes.
"Since that (estimate) a more frightening picture has begun to emerge indicating that stocks are far higher and are currently estimated to be between 30,000 and 50,000 tonnes," said Mark Davis of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The chemicals, often left in old warehouses or haphazardly buried, present a threat to local inhabitants -- some are lethal, others present long-term health risks -- and can damage the local environment and even spread around the world.
Large chemicals stockpiles have been found in Colombia, Paraguay and Bolivia.
The FAO said it would take around $100 million -- of public or donor funds -- to clean up the waste, but that cash is difficult to find for an operation that has no obvious economic return. "Burning old chemicals isn't very sexy," said Davis.
The FAO's obsolete pesticides unit has a training programme on waste pesticides in nine Latin American countries but said it has no more cash to do a full clean-up and called for more foreign aid to tackle the problem.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
