Food poisoning incidents linked to snacks bought at local spaza shops had been reported in parts of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and Limpopo.
The Department of Agriculture has ruled out immediate plans to impose a wholesale ban on the use of pesticides.
It, however, hopes that its investigation will help confirm the source of and how banned and restricted pesticides found their way onto the streets amid a spate of food-related sudden illnesses and deaths, especially among children.
Food poisoning incidents linked to snacks bought at local spaza shops had been reported in parts of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and Limpopo.
Following an investigation by the Department of Health last month, the cause of death was found to be the lethal organophosphate, a group of substances, which are usually used in agriculture or as pesticides. In the deaths of six of the children, the organophosphate identified was called Terbufos.
Separately, four people were arrested at the Johannesburg Mall last month for allegedly selling aldicarb, a banned Carbamate, which is another group of chemicals used as pesticides.
Some 1,450g of the aldicarb was confiscated at the time but the health minister said it had not been linked to any of the deaths.
Last year, the Poisons Information Helpline of the Western Cape attended to more than 1 000 calls regarding poisoning exposures to pesticides.
Of the poisoning exposure calls attended during 2022, 49% were accidental and 47% intentional exposure.
The rest were due to other causes such as malicious intent. About 35% of the calls involved children under 12 years of age.
“Although most calls were associated with exposures to commercial pesticides, it is difficult to report on exactly what type of pesticides were involved as some are bought on the street as an unknown street pesticide. An example of such is ‘Halephirimi’ (‘you will never see the sunset’) that is highly toxic. Fifty-eight cases of severe pesticide poisoning were reported to the helpline and eight deaths during 2022, but it is estimated that this number could be much higher,” the department last year noted.
The department did not respond to requests for comment on figures for this year and efforts to address concerns.
The ANC Women’s League in the Western Cape called for the banning of organophosphates.
“The ANCWL Western Cape are calling on the Western Cape Department of Health as well as the Department of Agriculture to urgently heighten awareness of the seriousness of poison risks and the burden of poisoning incidents among children in South Africa. We have noted with alarming concern the heightened number of child deaths in our townships due to what is reported illegal use of a pesticide called organophosphate by local spaza shop owners.
We are also joining forces with civil society at large in their call to the government to address regulatory failures of the use of organophosphate which has caused the untimely deaths of children nationwide. We urge the communities to also be on guard of the items bought in local spaza shops, schools vendors etc consumed by children.”
The ANCWL Western Cape expressed concern at ongoing incidents despite “government (announcing) in September 2022 that it would phase out and ban certain pesticides by June 1, 2024”.
The Department of Agriculture said it was still investigating how pesticides found their way to the streets.
“There is a small proportion of pesticides called highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs), that are known to have severe or irreversible negative effects on human health and environment. HHPs are the ones that link with severe poisonings. In the past years, the department has either banned or restricted (30 active ingredients) the use of such HHPs. The department also plans to phase out or restrict additional pesticides (about 30 active ingredients) whose risk is not manageable by May 2025,” the department said.
“The department is still investigating the source of how the ban or restricted pesticides found their way on the streets.
Once we have identified the sources, it is then that we can determine the next course of action.”
The agriculture and forestry sectors rely on pesticides to increase their production and protect their crops from diseases and pests, the department added.
Additionally, for home garden and household use, the general public also relies on pesticide to control nuisance rodents, weeds, and insects, including control of mosquitos that carry Malaria.
“There are no immediate plans by the department to impose a wholesale ban on the use of pesticides. Pesticides by their nature are inherently toxic but when they are used correctly, they provide benefits to society. The Department has the regulatory framework that ensures that farmers and the general public has access to safe and effective pesticides, while at the same time protect and manage the human and environmental health risks associated with pesticides. The department will continue to strengthen regulatory measures to protect the environment and people from potential impacts of highly hazardous pesticides.”
Meanwhile, Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, director of the Griffon Poison Info Centre said authorities needed to address criminality, instead of banning the substance.
“In order to sell Terbufos, you need to be licensed by the department of health, you cannot sell it unless it is in an approved container and label. It doesn’t help to ban the substance, you need to ban the criminality, the human aspect, not the chemical,” said Verdoorn.
Cape Times