The Environmental and Social Costs of Improvement 25unreported by farmers (Rola and Pingali, 1993; Marquez et al, 1992; Rola, 1989;
Loevinsohn, 1987). A recent WHO report recorded 1303 cases of poisoning
between January 1992 and March 1993 in one region alone (WHO, 1993).
In one study, Michael Loevinsohn (1987) examined mortality statistics in sev-
eral contrasting municipalities in central Luzon for diagnosed pesticide poisoning
and for other conditions that could be the result of such poisoning. Organochlo-
rines such as endrin and HCH can cause convulsions, so that poisoning may be
misdiagnosed as epilepsy, brain tumours or strokes. Similarly, poisoning by orga-
nophosphates, such as parathion, can be misdiagnosed as cardiovascular or respira-
tory diseases.
The study detected a 27 per cent increase between 1961–1971 and 1972–1984
of non-traumatic mortality rates among rural males aged 15–54 years, although in
children and women it decreased. This increase closely coincided with the growth
in pesticide use. When the figures were broken down, they revealed that deaths in
the rural areas diagnosed as poisoning increased by 247 per cent and those from
associated conditions by 41 per cent between the two periods, yet mortality from
all other causes, except cancer, decreased by 34 per cent. In the case of stroke, mor-
tality increased for all men in both the urban and rural areas, but significantly the
increase was greater among young men who are generally at low risk of stroke.
Following the 1982 ban on endrin, mortality attributed to stroke decreased for
all men, but the decrease was significantly greater among the younger men in rural
areas. The study also revealed that mortality rates had originally peaked each year
during August, the month of greatest insecticide use. But after double-cropping
became widespread, a second mortality peak appeared in February, at a time when
insecticides were used on the newly cultivated dry season crops. These correlations
are highly suggestive of occupational exposure to pesticides.
Another important study compared the health status of farmers exposed to
pesticides in Nueva Ecija with those unexposed in Quezon. In the exposed group,
there were statistically significant increased eye, skin and lung problems. Some 67
per cent of farmers suffered from severe irritation of the conjunctivae (compared
with 10 per cent in the unexposed group); 46 per cent suffered from eczema and
nail pitting (compared with none in the unexposed); and 46 per cent suffered res-
piratory problems (compared with 23 per cent in the unexposed). Another study
of Nueva Ecija farmers found that 50 per cent of rice farmers suffered from sick-
ness due to pesticide use (Rola, 1989).
Agnes Rola of the University of the Philippines and Prabhu Pingali of IRRI
(1993) calculated the health costs of these pesticide problems, taking into account
impact on exposed farmers and the costs of restoring individuals to normal health,
so as to examine the economics of various pest control strategies. The ‘complete
protection’ strategy, in which some nine sprays are used per season, returned less
per hectare than the economic threshold, farmers’ practice and natural control
strategies (Table 1.3). These results indicate that both farmers and the national
economy at large would be better off by cutting pesticide use or eliminating it
entirely by adopting more integrated and sustainable practices.