Chemistry International
Vol. 23, No.6
November 2001
New
Publications from the World Health Organization
Chemistry and Specifications of Pesticides, 16 th
Report of the WHO Expert Committee on Vector Biology and Control,
WHO Technical Report Series No. 899, 2001, iv + 68 pages (available
in English; French and Spanish in preparation), ISBN 92-4-120899-6,
CHF 14.-/USD 12.60; In developing countries: CHF 9.80, Order No. 1100897.
This book records the conclusions of an expert committee commissioned
to evaluate trends in the use of pesticides for public health purposes,
to identify issues of safety or quality requiring international attention,
and to propose appropriate actions. The committee also recommends specifications
for individual pesticides for use in quality control by purchasing and
regulatory authorities. Information in the report responds to striking
recent changes in the use of pesticides, including further integration
of vector control into basic health services, greater individual responsibility
for personal protection, and greater community responsibility for vector
control.
The report has two parts. The first discusses several activities aimed
at improving the safety and quality of pesticides used in vector and
public health pest control. The WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme is described
in the first section, which explains the scheme's methodology of evaluation
and testing, and outlines several activities designed to strengthen
and expand its role. Section 2 assesses regional trends in the use of
pesticides, concentrating on public health initiatives that account
for the greatest use of specific insecticides and larvicides. On the
basis of this analysis, the report draws a number of conclusions concerning
the continuing importance of vector-borne disease, the continued reliance
on chemical methods of control, and the need for better monitoring and
management of insecticide resistance. A section on analytical methods
and quality control in developing countries addresses the major problem
of substandard products and the need to make quality control capacity
available in all countries currently lacking access to the necessary
analytical facilities. In response to recent trends, a section on specifications
for pesticides reviews the current status of specifications being developed
for household insecticide products, bacterial larvicides, and plant-based
pesticides, and makes recommendations for the establishment of appropriate
WHO specifications. Possibilities for harmonizing procedures used in
the development of specifications for agricultural and public health
pesticides are also considered. The remaining sections address the need
for guidance on safety and stability issues relating to containers,
packaging, and the marking and storage of pesticides, and issue recommendations
for responding to the wide-spread and common problem of unusable pesticide
stocks requiring costly disposal operations. The second part of the
report issues recommended changes to existing specifications for 20
pesticides, recommended specifications for two new pesticides and formulations,
and procedures for performing four new WHO test methods.